The One With The Challenge: A Recipe

Woo hoo, an easy one!

There is one thing I can cook. It is my most favorite recipe ever. The one I always have my Mom make for me when I come home. It's also one of Charming's favorite meals and was the demise of my left knee last March when I was making this for his birthday and did my famous turn and shred my meniscus move.

Spaghetti Pie!!!

(I was at work when I wrote this so I search on the Internet for the recipe. However, I am pretty sure this is the same recipe my Mom gave me years and years ago. Mom, check this over at comment if something is different in what we make.)

Ingredients

• 1 (6 ounce) package spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 cup cottage cheese*
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Cook and drain spaghetti. Stir in margarine, Parmesan cheese and eggs, while spaghetti is hot. Form spaghetti mixture into a crust in a buttered 10 inch pie plate.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. In a skillet cook the beef, onion, green pepper and garlic. Drain off the fat and stir in the undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar and oregano. Heat through.
4. Spread cottage cheese* over the spaghetti crust then pour in the beef and tomato mixture.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 minutes. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top of the pie then bake for 5 minutes longer, until cheese melts.

*You can substitute Ricotta cheese for cottage cheese if you prefer.

This meal is so good and even better the second day after it has had a chance to sit in the fridge and solidify. Warm up a piece in the microwave and it is just heaven. We always beg my Mom to make two so we can have another later when the first one is gone in a few hours as it always is.