Recipe(tried): Spaghetti Pie (microwave or oven)

The following recipes are very similar. Both call for the use of cottage cheese; but, substituting ricotta would work. One is prepared in the microwave and the other in a traditional oven. One is from a Southern Living magazine and the other from a newspaper clipping.

SPAGHETTI PIE (Using Microwave)

1/2 (12-ounce) package vermicelli
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs, well beaten
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 (8-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon dried whole oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 cup cream-style cottage cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
8-12 pepperoni slices
2 pimiento-stuffed olives, sliced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

Cook vermicelli according to package directions; drain. Stir butter and Parmesan cheese into hot vermicelli. Add eggs, stirring well. Spoon mixture into a 10-inch pieplate (non-metal). Use a spoon to shape the spaghetti into a pie shell. Microwave at HIGH, uncovered, 3 minutes or until set. Set aside.

Crumble beef in a shallow 2-quart casserole; stir in onion and green pepper. Cover with heavy-duty plastic wrap, and microwave at HIGH 5 to 6 minutes, stirring at 2-minutes intervals; drain well. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, and seasonings. Cover and microwave at HIGH 3 and 1/2 to 4 minutes, stirring once; set aside.

Spread cottage cheese evenly over pie shell. Top with meat sauce. Cover with heavy-duty plastic wrap, and microwave at HIGH 6 - 6 and 1/2 minutes; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Microwave, uncovered, at HIGH 30 seconds or until cheese begins to melt.

Garnish with pepperoni, olives, and parsley. Microwave, uncovered, at HIGH 1 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Yield: 8 servings.

SPAGHETTI PIE (Oven prepared)

6 ounces spaghetti
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 well-beaten eggs
1 cup cottage cheese*
1 pound ground beef OR bulk pork sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 (8-oz) can (1 cup) tomatoes, cut up
1 (6-oz) can tomato paste
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (2 ounces)

Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain, (should have about 3 cups spaghetti). Stir butter or margarine into hot spaghetti. Stir in Parmesan cheese and eggs. Form spaghetti mixture into a "crust" in a buttered 10-inch pie plate. Spread cottage cheese* (you can add some dried parsley flakes to the cottage cheese, mixing into the cottage cheese) over bottom of spaghetti crust.

In skillet cook ground beef OR pork sausage, onion, and green pepper until vegetables are tender and meat is browned. Drain off excess fat. Stir in undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, oregano, and garlic salt; heat through.

Turn meat mixture into spaghetti crust. Bake, uncovered, in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. sprinkle the mozzarella cheese atop. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese melts.

Makes 6 servings.

(To save time, you can use ready-made meat sauce from the freezer or store-bought sauce. Spaghetti can be cooked in the microwave; final assembled product also can be microwaved on 80 per cent power for 5-8 minutes.)