Michael Symon's Spaghetti Pie Is the Best Way To Use Up Leftover Pasta

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In theory, we like making lots of food so we have leftovers to use up. But in practice, sometimes we just don’t know what to do with that leftover Costco rotisserie chicken (although these mole starter kits are the perfect solution), or all of that extra spaghetti we cooked up only to have the kids claim they “aren’t hungry,” even though just yesterday they ate you out of house and home. What to do? Well, whether you’re looking for an affordable and tasty twist on pasta night or a way to use up leftover spaghetti, Michael Symon, author of Simply Symon Suppers (at Target and Amazon), has the recipe for you. It’s a cheesy spaghetti pie, that’s as satisfying as lasagna, minus all the work.

Clarkson Potter.

This spaghetti pie recipe couldn’t be easier. You’ll need a pound of cooked spaghetti. Symon keeps his very al dente and cooks it for just four minutes, but you can make this dish with leftover pasta, too; just know that it will have a softer texture. Call it vintage! In the meantime, he mixes up a creamy blend of ricotta cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, oregano, eggs, and marinara sauce. You can add in your own extras here, if you’d like — we think lots of freshly cracked black pepper and some grated or minced garlic would be nice here, too, or some dried red chili flakes if you want your meal to have a spicy kick. You can also use leftover marinara or bolognese sauce, or add cooked crumbled ground beef or sausage to the mix, too.

The spaghetti gets mixed with the riccota mixture, and then gets poured into springform pan. A springform pan will be the easiest if you want to be able to cut the spaghetti pie into uniform slices after cooking, but you can also bake this up in a pie pan, square or round cake pan, or casserole dish, it will just have a homier appearance.

Rachael Ray.

Now here’s the twist — Symon cooks his spaghetti pie on the grill! This gives it a nice smoky flavor, but you can also just bake the spaghetti pie in the oven at 400 degrees fahrenheit for about 20-30 minutes, until the pasta is set and the mozzarella and Parm you sprinkle on top are melted and golden brown.

The result is a family-friendly spaghetti pie that has all of the familiar Italian-American food flavors you love, but in a new format that feels more exciting. It’s pure comfort food, a delicious way to use up leftover spaghetti or leftover marinara, and can be made on the grill or in the oven, making this a real weeknight winner in our books.