Looking back to childhood, spaghetti pie was among my top 10 favorite dishes that mom made for dinner. Back then, the one on our table was made with full fat cheese, red meat, and white pasta. No wonder it was so good right? Well, I happen to think you can get an equal amount of taste for a much healthier price. Italian dishes are some of the easiest to make over by simply using low fat cheese, extra lean ground turkey breast, and whole grain pasta. Opt to use quinoa noodles and homemade sauce, and this recipe also becomes gluten free.

Young or old, I've yet to meet someone who didn't like spaghetti pie. If you're looking for a way to get kids excited about cooking, this is a really great one to get some help with. Don't let the length of the ingredients list fool you. This recipe is easy as pie...spaghetti pie that is.


Ingredients:
8 oz. quinoa pasta (or other whole grain pasta)
2 eggs
10 oz. extra lean ground turkey breast
1/4 cup diced onions
1/4 cup diced green peppers
1/2 cup mushroom pieces
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
1 Tbsp. garlic salt
6 oz. can tomato paste
2 cans water (using empty tomato paste can)
1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup part skim shredded mozzarella

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 F. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse with cold water, drain, and set aside.

Step 2: Meanwhile, in a large skillet brown ground turkey at medium high heat. Add onions, green peppers, mushrooms, Italian seasoning, garlic salt, tomato paste and water, and stir well. Bring to simmer and allow to cook 3-5 minutes.

Step 3: In a medium mixing bowl, beat eggs and stir in parmesan cheese. Add cooled spaghetti noodles to egg and parmesan mixture and toss to coat evenly.

Step 4: Spray a 9.5 inch pie pan with non-stick cooking spray. Line pie pan with noodles. Spread ricotta cheese over noodles. Then top with meat sauce.

Step 5: Cook at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Top with shredded mozzarella, and cook another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly golden brown. Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings.


Nutrition Facts:

258 calories
7 g fat
18 g protein
29 g carbs
3 g fiber
2.5 g sugar