this pie is a leftover miracle!
I mentioned last week how much The Hubs loves Turkey Taco Tuesday. I mean, he LOVES Taco Tuesday, like it’s his favorite meal of the week. Fancy doesn’t matter with my husband, only taste. I have Turkey Taco Tuesday down to less than 30 minutes from start to finish, and that’s WITH homemade salsa! We often have Tuesday’s Turkey Taco meat leftover on Wednesday night. I’ll admit it, I am not a very good leftovers eater. The Hubs, however, would probably eat the kitchen sink if it was left in tupperware in the fridge. This past Wednesday, I remembered a meal my mom used to make with ground turkey that was waistline friendly (Mom’s forever watching her slender waistline) AND also served to repurpose my leftover Tuesday Turkey Taco meat. Cue the Taco Spaghetti Pie! Hubs was like, “it’s all my favorite things, in pie-form!!” It was a total score! Want to know how to make your own Turkey Taco meat? Click here. This pie was pretty easy to make because most of the food was already prepared. Boil water, mix stuff and bake. DONE. Perfect. Your welcome.
ingredients…
Let’s get this pie party started! You’ll need leftover taco meat, an egg, spaghetti (I prefer angel hair), cottage cheese (or ricotta), salsa, and mozzarella. Preheat the oven to 375 and fill a 4 quart pot with water plus 1 teaspoon salt and set it on the stove to boil.
prep time
Beat the egg in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of water. Mix the egg into the ricotta cheese and set aside.
a tiny whisk works well!
Time to boil the pasta. If you are using fresh pasta, seriously, it’s 120 seconds total time in the boiling water. As soon as the water begins to boil again, remove and drain the pasta. Boxed angel hair pasta might take 3-4 minutes. You want the pasta to be al denté, as it will finish cooking in the oven. In a large bowl, mix the pasta with the cottage cheese and egg mixture along with half the mozzarella cheese. Spray your baking vessel with nonstick cooking spray and place the pasta mixture in the bottom of the pan. (I used a springform pan and once slightly cooled and released, my pie turned out beautifully!) Mix the leftover taco meat and salsa together in a separate bowl and evenly spoon over the top of the spaghetti base already in the pan.
smells good already!
Sprinkle the pie with the remaining half of the cheese. Dust the top of the cheese with a pinch of crushed oregano and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
cheese it up, yo
Cover the pie with foil and bake at 375 for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the foil and broil until the cheese is all browned and bubbly. Keep a close watch when broiling, as you don’t want to ruin your masterpiece pie!
like my retro hot pad? it came with The Hubs…
Let cool slightly before removing from pan. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of cilantro and a wedge of lime.
Taco Spaghetti Pie
Prep time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4 people
Print This Recipe!
- 1/2 lb leftover taco meat
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese (or ricotta works too)
- 1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 9 oz package angel hair pasta, preferably fresh
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch of oregano
- 1 scant pinch of red pepper flakes
Method:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Fill a 4 quart saucepan with water and 1 teaspoon salt, set to boil on stove.
- In a bowl, mix the cottage cheese with beaten egg, set aside for later use.
- Boil pasta until al denté, fresh angel hair pasta will take 2 minutes.
- In a large bowl, stir the pasta with the cottage cheese and egg mixture along with half the mozzarella cheese. Spray baking vessel with nonstick cooking spray and place the pasta mixture in the bottom of the pan.
- Mix the leftover taco meat and salsa together in a separate bowl and evenly spoon over the top of the spaghetti base in the pan.
- Sprinkle the pie with the remaining half of the cheese. Dust the top of the cheese with a pinch of crushed oregano (smash it in your palm before sprinkling) and a scant pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Cover the pie with foil and bake at 375 for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the foil and broil 2 minutes longer, or until the cheese is all browned and bubbly.
- Let cool slightly before serving. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of cilantro and a wedge of lime.
Let’s make this next week! Sounds delish.
Sounds like a plan, tacos on Tuesday, Spaghetti Pie on Wednesday!
I still have this recipe as “oh my spaghetti pie” 🙂
OMG Tami, that’s pretty funny, I forgot all about that! This recipe truly is an oldie but goodie! -M