Spaghetti Pie

Here’s another recipe from Deceptively Delicious and is worth a try, especially if your little one loves spaghetti. The recipe was very simple to put together, but it will take at least an hour from start to being ready to serve. On another note, the recipe lists turkey burger as an alternative for the meat balls, mix that with a green veggie puree and you’ve got a whole green eggs and ham thing going. Now that could be helpful for some children, it didn’t seem to bother my little girl who ate her share. If that isn’t going to work, be sure to use a lean ground beef or simply change to a lighter veggie puree, like cauliflower.

-Nonstick cooking spray

-3 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti or angel hair pasta (or 1 cup leftover cooked pasta) I used Penne past with no problems

-1/2pund lean ground turkey or sirloin

-1/2cup broccoli puree

-1 large egg white

-2 tbsp grated Parmesan

-2 cloves garlic, chopped

-2 cups bottle tomato sauce

-1 cup low fat (1%) cottage cheese

-1/4 cup carrot puree

-1/2 tsp salt

-1/4 tsp pepper

-1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta, and cook until al dente. Drain in a colander. (Skip this step if you have leftover pasta.)

3. In a small bowl, mix the ground turkey or sirloin with the broccoli puree, egg white, Parmesan, and garlic. From the mixture into ½ inch balls.

4. In a large bowl, stir the cooked pasta, tomato sauce, cottage cheese, carrot puree, and salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture into the pie plate and smooth the top. Scatter meatballs on top and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, until the center is firm and the cheese is bubble, 25-30 minutes.