Spaghetti Pie

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis Baked Angel Hair with Eggplant Recipe

Before you consider making this, know it’s a little more of an involved recipe, and you will need a spring form pan.  I’ve never made it without one, so I wouldn’t even know how it would turn out in a regular casserole or cake pan.  I imagine that the puff pastry wouldn’t cook thoroughly though.  Perhaps a metal pie plate would work, but the recipe amounts would have to be adapted.

I replace the eggplant with mushrooms, because I don’t love the texture of eggplant. 

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 pounds portabella mushrooms, cut into 1 inch cubes

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 pound mild Italian turkey sausage, casings removed(Doesn’t have to be turkey, can be pork or chicken or beef)

1/3 cup dry red wine

3 cups marinara sauce (My favorite sauce is Rao’s brand, expensive, but worth it)

1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes

8 ounces angel hair pasta

1 pound mozzarella, diced (You are going to want the low-moisture type, or a combo of the higher moisture and a harder cheese like provolone)

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1 (17 ¼- ounce) package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed

Directions

Heat 1/3 cup of oil in a large enough nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Make sure the oil is swirly, but not smoking.  Add all themushrooms in the pan.  If your pan isn’t big enough you’ll have to do it in batches. Season with salt and pepper. Saute the mushrooms until they are cooked through, about 6-8 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium. Add half of the garlic and saute until it is tender, about 2 minutes longer. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mushroom mixture to a large bowl.

Add the sausage and wine to the same frying pan. Cook over medium-high heat until the wine evaporates and the sausage is brown, breaking the sausage into pieces with the back of a spoon, about 8 minutes. Add the sausage, marinara sauce, and crushed red pepper to the eggplant mixture, and toss to combine.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the angel hair and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until pasta is still slightly crunchy and undercooked. Drain. Toss the angel hair with the mushroom mixture. Cool completely. Add the mozzarella (and provolone if you are using it) and Parmesan and toss to combine.  This is a thick mixture with some bulk, and the angel hair is hard to combine into the rest of the mix.  The bigger the vessel, the easier it will be for you.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Roll out 1 pastry sheet on a floured surface to a 13 1/2-inch square. Transfer to a 9-inch springform pan, allowing the excess pastry to hang over the rim. Spoon the pasta mixture into the pan. Place the second pastry sheet atop the pasta filling. Pinch the edges of the pastry sheets together to seal. Trim the overhanging pastry edges to about 1-inch. Fold the pastry edges in to form a decorative border. Cut a slit in the center of the top pastry to allow the steam to escape.

Bake until the pastry is brown and puffed on top, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Let stand for 30 minutes. Remove the pan sides and serve.

Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis