This recipe makes two 9-inch pie plates, so if your family is 4-5 people, this means one for another night!
Ingredients
1½ lbs lean ground beef or pork
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red pepper, finely chopped
4 mushrooms, finely chopped
1 jar tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning (or a mixture of basil, oregano and parsley)
½ tsp each salt and pepper
1 box spaghetti pasta (approx. 400 grams/18 oz)
3 Tbsp butter
2 large eggs, beaten
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups cottage cheese (1 500 mL carton)
2½ cups grated mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Brown beef with onion, garlic, pepper and mushrooms. Drain any grease.
Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar, oregano, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and stir well. Bring to a gentle simmer and cover.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and let sauce simmer on low while you cook spaghetti according to package directions, until just al dente. Drain well and stir in butter, eggs and Parmesan cheese.
Lightly grease 2 9-inch pie plates and divide spaghetti mixture over them.
Spread cottage cheese over spaghetti, dividing evenly between dishes, then divide ground beef mixture over top. Press down well with spoon and bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
Top with grated cheese and bake another 5-10 minutes, until cheese is melted.
If you aren't using the second pie immediately, do not top with cheese. Let cool to room temperature and wrap in plastic wrap, then foil. Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for longer storage. To bake from frozen, thaw overnight in refrigerator then remove wrapping and bake at 350 degrees, adding mozzarella after 35 minutes, then baking another 10-15 minutes, until heated through and cheese is melted.
Notes
If you don't care if it's pie shaped, this can also be made in two 8-inch square baking dishes or one 11x15-inch casserole dish.
Recipe by Hidden Ponies at https://hiddenponies.com/2015/01/spaghetti-pie/