Sausage Spaghetti Pie ala Recipe Roundup

Oh my... I seem to b saying that a lot during this series of inspiring recipes.  And I mean it every time I say it, BUT...

OH MY OH MY OH MY OH MY OH MY OH MY...

I mean this oh my even more.  Jackie and I were about 2 bites into this and we both proclaimed this among the best "quickie" weeknight meals we have ever had.  A little bit crunchy, a little bit chewy, dripping with the three kinds of cheese in the recipe, oozing with the tomato sauce and the mix of sausage and sour cream is utter genius!  I'm not talking good, I am talking REALLY REALLY GOOD!

The spaghetti pie crust worked surprisingly well.  I had thought it was a gimmick (a fun and great presentation gimmick, but a gimmick none the less).  In fact, since you coat the spaghetti with egg and Parmesan cheese, it forms an outstanding molded crust that  is far better than a pastry shell would have been.

One more time... OH MY!

But before I get to the recipe, let me share a little bit about my inspirational blog buddy, Tricia, author of the RECIPE ROUNDUP blog (click the blue letters or the logo photo to the right to visit her blog).

Tricia has that hardest of all jobs, stay at home mom, molder of her pre-school age son, wife and cooking enthusiast!  Crafty hobbyist, she has many ideas for entertaining children in the kitchen (and out).  She has one of those "key words" clouds on her blog, so it;s easy to she she loves cooking with fruit more than anything else.

By her own admission, she is a home cook.  Nothing foo foo, but easy, fast; yet creative and VERY tasty faire.  She has been called a recipe hoarder, collecting from magazines, books and lots of sources.  It is a delight to look over her blog.  Plenty of dishes I can see making.

But this one caught my eye...

It's like a spaghetti and meatball dinner in a pie form.  And, one more time, Oh My was it delicious.

I did make a few changes (Sorry Tricia, I just can't resist).  Probably the biggest change to the taste was I used a VERY hot spicy local sausage.  I am guessing that a 3 and a half year old would not have liked my choice of sausage.  But if anyone is going to try this for adults, I highly recommend popping this up a notch with a good quality HOT sausage!

Next change, was in assembly steps.  Tricia makes a creamy mix with sour cream that she pours into the spaghetti base.  I knew I had HOT sausage, so I wanted to temper the taste with a bit of the creaminess from the sour cream, so I poured the sausage into the pie first, then poured the cream over the sausage.  It did ooze down through the sausage and reached the spaghetti, but most stayed in and mixed with the sausage (and was a delight)!

I also used whole wheat pasta.

I used a fresh made Marinara Sauce.

And finally, one more use for my "Not Your Grandmother's Herbes de Provence"!  Tricia uses Italian Seasonings.  I like to make my own spice mixes and my now famous (in my mind) mix fits the bill perfect for this.

Oh, one more final final thing... Tricia posted a HUGE recipe that she makes, and then freezes two thirds of (great idea).  I certainly will do this next time, but being my first time making this, and not being sure of the results, I used a tall pie dish, cut the recipe in half and sadly did not make enough for leftovers.  the recipe I am giving is my measurements cut in half.  I did use more than half her cheese measurements... I like cheese!

The photo to the right is the photo Tricia used on her post (Courtesy of Taste of Home).

It is also a link to her original post, Sausage Spaghetti Pie, just double click the photo and the magic of the internet will take you to her original version of this recipe!

So OK... here's what I did...

1/2 package, 1/2 pound whole wheat Spaghetti
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Onion, Chopped (I used a Missouri candy onion)
1 TBS Butter
1 cup Sour Cream
1 TBS "Not Your Grandmother's Herbes de Provence" Herb Mix
1 pound HOT bulk Sausage
1 cup Marinara Sauce
1 cup Mozzarella cheese cut into slices
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

• Cook the spaghetti as directed on the package.  Since I was going to bake this after boiling the pasta, I cooked al Dente @2 minutes less than suggested
• Meanwhile, Brown the sausage, drain the grease
• Meanwhile, Saute the onions in butter until tender
• Drain the spaghetti and move to a large bowl.  Mix well with the eggs and Parmesan Cheese
• Add 1/2 cup of the Marinara Sauce to the Sausage and continue simmering.  Add the "Not Your Grandmother's Herbes de Provence" Herb Mix
• Remove the onions from the heat.  Add the sour cream and mix well.
• Spray a pie plate with nonstick spray.  add the spaghetti mix and press mixture on the bottom and up the sides to form a crust.
• Add the sausage, then coat the sausage with the sour cream/onion mix, then use a fork and "punch" the sour cream into the sausage.
• add a thin layer of Mozzarella
• Add another 1/2 cup Marinara sauce
• sprinkle the cheddar cheese
• Bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes, until heated throughout and the cheddar just starts to brown.

And again, if you make a double (triple) batch, check Tricia's original post for the "how to" tips!

And one more time... Oh My...DELICIOUS!

So, if I have tweeked your interest in Tricia and her Recipe Roundup Blog, head on over and say HI for me!

And for a quick look at what she blogs, click on the logo link image to the right.  You will see all the eRecipeCards that Barbara has submitted to eRecipeCards.com.  You can add her recipes to your eRecipeBox (once you have a free account).

See how useful the site is and how easy it is to find new favorite bloggers!

These posts continue to highlight bloggers and recipes that I have found on  "eRecipeCards.com"..