Spaghetti Pie

What is the first thing that pops into your head when you hear the words "spaghetti" and "pie" in the same sentence? For me, I instantly go back to the first meal I made for tt! Very special memory for me. I also associate it with being somewhat of a treat, although my slightly lightened up version didn't add up to be an obscene amount of points, luckily. 

It's oh so easy to make, and oh so easy to enjoy. My only caveat is that you must use frozen meatballs. I know, that sounds gross.. but trust me, as I trust my mother, on this one. {she has made it using real meatballs, and apparently it was a complete disaster- I forget what actually went wrong but in my distant memory, it was greasy and never set up the way it's supposed to. Either way, I remember that fresh/homemade meatballs are a BIG no-no for this recipe.. which ultimately makes it way easier}

Spaghetti Pie

ingredients

1/2 box/8 oz spaghetti {lighten up! use whole wheat pasta}

2 Tbl butter, melted

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese {lighten up! use reduced fat version}

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce

2 cups shredded mozzarella {lighten up! use a little less, and go for a reduced fat/fat free version}

1 lb frozen mini Italian meatballs, cut in half {appx 30 meatballs- enough to cover the top of the pan}

instructions

1. Cook the pasta as directed, and preheat oven to 350
2. Mix drained pasta with eggs, butter and parm cheese.
3. Spray a pie pan with non-stick spray, and place pasta mixture into pan.
4. Cover with sauce and add 1 1/2 cups mozzarella.
5. Arrange meatballs over the top of the cheese, cover the entire surface.
6. Bake for 25 minutes, sprinkle remaining cheese on top, and bake another 5 minutes
7. Let rest 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.

notes

• WeightWatchers PointsPlus+ Values: makes 8 servings. For original recipe, 10 PPV per serving / for lightened up version, 8 PPV per serving
• I made a lightened up version but used regular pasta instead of whole wheat - this actually doesn't change the 8 PPV per serving - I was informed by my WW mentor, Stan, that swapping whole wheat pasta doesn't make enough of a difference to not splurge on regular pasta. There are plenty of other areas to save points.
• Definitely let it rest - everything needs to cool just slightly in order for it to stay in "pie" form. Believe me, I couldn't wait, and I had a spaghetti and meatball mess on my plate as you can see below..

• That's the only advice I can give, other than you should probably make this recipe this week! Greatest part is, most of these items are staples in everyone's kitchen! {frozen meatballs tend to always be in my freezer.. I don't even eat them really, but they always manage to end up there.. hehe} Enjoy duckies!