This baked Spaghetti Pie recipe is easy enough for a busy weeknight meal and sure to be loved by the entire family. It's also a great take-and-bake meal for a family or friend in need.
This is one of my go-to kid-friendly dishes when I need something easy that I know everyone will love or when I need to take someone a meal. Other meals that fit this criteria include Cheese Enchiladas, Chicken Tacos, or Homemade Lasagna.
My family never grows tired of this spaghetti pie. Think classic spaghetti, reinvented into a family-pleasing baked casserole. This is my mom's recipe she made for our family all the time growing up. It's still one of her go-to meals whenever she is bringing a family dinner because you can count on the entire family to love it, no matter their age.
How to make Spaghetti Pie:
Prepare Spaghetti Noodles: Add hot cooked noodles, butter, parmesan cheese, basil and beaten egg to a large bowl and toss well to combine. The egg and parmesan cheese help the noodles to hold their shape when you cut the pie. Press mixture firmly into pie dish.
Layer Cottage Cheese: Spread a thin layer of cottage cheese over top (you could substitute ricotta if you like).
Add Spaghetti Sauce: Top with spaghetti sauce. You could use my homemade spaghetti sauce, marinara sauce or store-bought pasta sauce. You'll need about 1 ½ cups of sauce.
Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes. I like to sprinkle the top of the sauce with a little extra parmesan cheese, but that's optional. I love how bubbly, warm and delicious it gets when it bakes.
Serve: Allow it to cool for a few minutes and then slice and serve it like you would a pie. Serve with fresh basil sprinkled on top, a side salad and crusty bread or breadsticks.
Make-Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: Make the spaghetti pie completely, but don't bake it. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours, until ready to bake. If you want to prepare it more than 1 day in advance, I would suggest not adding the pasta sauce until right before you bake it (otherwise liquid from the sauce may pool at the bottom of the pan while it sits in the fridge for so long).
To Freeze: Cook the noodles just barely until al dente (don't overcook). Assemble the pie, cover with a double layer of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. (Spray the bottom layer of aluminum foil with non-stick cooking spray). Thaw in the fridge before baking. I like to serve with extra sauce, since some of the sauce will have soaked up in the noodles over time.
Recipe Variations:
- Meat in the Sauce: Use my easy spaghetti sauce with meat, or add cooked ground beef to the marinara sauce.
- Cottage Cheese: Ricotta may be substituted.
- Baking Dish: This recipe fits a deep dish pie pan or you could use a 8×8” square (or similar size) casserole dish.
More Kid-Friendly Meals:
- Pink Sauce Pasta
- American Goulash
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Egg Salad Sandwich
- Ham and Cheese Sliders
- Air Fryer Grilled Cheese
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Recipe
Spaghetti Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti noodles
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves , chopped
- 3 Tablespoons butter , softened
- 1 large egg
- salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
- 1 cup cottage cheese , or ricotta
- 1 1/2 cups marinara pasta sauce , homemade or store-bought
Instructions
- Lightly grease a deep dish pie plate with cooking spray*
- Cook spaghetti noodles according to package directions. Drain, and add hot noodles to a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg. Add the butter and the warm pasta. Toss until butter is melted. Add parmesan cheese, basil, and a little salt and pepper and toss everything gently to combine. Empty pasta mixture into prepared pie pan and pat firmly into pan.
- Spread cottage cheese evenly over the top of the pasta. Spoon your favorite spaghetti sauce over top and smooth into an even layer.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing into wedges and serving.
- Store leftover spaghetti pie in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave.
Notes
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- Meat in the Sauce: Use my easy spaghetti sauce with meat, or add cooked ground beef to the marinara sauce.
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- Cottage Cheese: Ricotta may be substituted.
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- Baking Dish: This recipe fits a deep dish pie pan or you could use a 8×8” square (or similar size) casserole dish.
Nutrition
I originally shared this recipe October 2017. Updated February 2020 and April 2023.
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Delicious! I followed the recipe exactly and it was incredible. So flavorful and tasty, but even better – it was so easy and had all ingredients on-hand. This will become a regular in our meal rotation. Can’t wait to try other Tastes Better from Scratch recipes! Thank you!
This was delicious and a big hit with dinner company! Thank you for an easy, tasty dish to feed a crowd!
Just made for Monday night dinner, trying to incorporate one or two meatless dinners and this was perfect. Satisfying and filling for winter meal. Super easy to put together. I did use store bought marinara and add a few red pepper flares and served with salad.
Thank you for this easy and very tasty recipe. I needed to change it up a little bit for allergies. My husband and I loved it!
It was very tasty but I might ask why you would pour everything into the small bowl instead of the large bowl, and mine was just warm not hot after 20 minutes….. needed a fare amount more cooking time for me. Otherwise very good.
This was rich and yummy. I made this months ago and my 8 year old asked me to make it again. Great dish especially when you’re looking for a vegetarian dish.
I hate when people make a recipe but make changes….. however, this turned out fantastic and I want to share. I used cooked spaghetti squash and added 2 cup of baby spinach. I covered it with low fat cottage cheese and bake as instructed with (homemade) sauce. I didn’t feel even a little guilty have a second piece.
I made this for dinner along with the homemade spaghetti sauce recipe and my twin boys gobbled it up! My husband and I got a nice decent size piece..it was not a leftovers night! I didn’t have any cottage cheese or ricotta cheese at the time so I tried cream cheese. It tastes great!! So if you don’t have either of those ingredients, cream cheese does a great job!
Yum! My picky boys loved it. It came together quickly, too, making this a new go-to weeknight favorite. thank you.
This sounds Yummy! I’m going to make it tonight.
However, I do have a question. Would I be able to make this with your spaghetti and meat sauce instead of marinara sauce?
Yes, of course! If you have extra sauce you could freeze it for another day/another pie.
Can this be doubled and mane in a springform pan?
Sure!