Sarasota's Easy Spaghetti Pie

Step 1: Pasta ... Regular or thin spaghetti works best. If using pasta already cooked, rough chop so you don't have LONG noodles. If cooking it fresh, just break up the noodles before cooking. Cook according to package directions. Then, whether you use leftover, or fresh cooked; let the pasta come to room temperature - you don't want cold or hot pasta to work with.

Step 2: Toss the pasta with the olive oil, eggs, parmesan cheese, and mix well. Press the spaghetti mixture into a 9 or 10" pie plate sprayed with a non-stick spray. Make sure to press up the sides to form a crust. This is why it is important to cut up the noodles. Long noodles makes it difficult to do this.

Step 3: Ricotta ... Mix the ricotta cheese with the nutmeg, pepper, and spread over the the pasta, bottom only.

Step 4: Filling ... As mentioned, I often add sausage or mushrooms (my favorites) to my pasta sauce. But, you can really add whatever you want. This is the perfect time to use up that leftover cooked ground beef in your freezer, that one leftover sausage link; or, a can of mushrooms in your pantry. Mix the pasta sauce, pinch of red pepper flakes, and any other ingredients (i.e., beef, sausage, vegetables) together and pour into the pie plate over the ricotta.

Step 5: Bake ... Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and bake the pie on the middle shelf for 20 minutes. Remove, and top with the mozzarella and parmesan cheese; bake an additional 10 minutes until golden brown and the cheese is melted.

Step 6: Serve and ENJOY! Make sure to let the pie rest, covered for 5-10 minutes before serving. Add a salad and some garlic bread; and it is a perfect weeknight dinner.