This recipe is born of a desire to not waste leftovers.When my kids were young and their palates were limited I often had a spaghetti night and a taco night. At the end of the week when I cleaned out the fridge I often had mix matched ingredients. Leftover noodles, but no sauce. Leftover taco meat, but no tortillas. Instead of throwing them out I decided to combine them. My kids enjoyed the unlikely pairing so much that I created a recipe that could be made even when I didn’t have leftovers.
Since this recipe uses half a pound of hamburger and half a package of spaghetti, it is an easy recipe to double.
Southwestern Spaghetti Pie
Yield – 6 servings
Preparation Time – 15 minutes
Cooking Time – 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 6 – 8 oz. of spaghetti, cooked according to the package directions
- 1/2 pound hamburger
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 1/4 cup bell pepper, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, do not drain
- 15 oz. can black beans, drained (or 1 3/4 cup cooked black beans)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon fresh cilantro (or 1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro)
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup shredded cheese ( I use a mix of cheddar and mozzarella)
Directions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain water and set aside.
- Brown hamburger with onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Drain fat.
- Stir diced tomatoes, beans, and spices into the hamburger. Cook for several minutes, until heated through.
- In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add spaghetti and toss until the noodles are completely coated with the egg.
- Spoon spaghetti into a greased deep dish pie pan. Push spaghetti up the sides of the pan to form a crust.
- Spoon hamburger and bean mixture into the pie shell. Bake for 15 minutes at 350o. Sprinkle cheese over the top of the pie and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the spaghetti begins to brown. Let the pie rest for ~ 10 minutes before serving.
Freezer Instructions: When I double this recipe, I fill the extra pie shell with the bean and meat mixture, then top it with cheese, and cover with foil and freeze. On the day I want to cook it, I let it thaw in the refrigerator. Bake it covered at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove foil and cook for an additional 15 minutes.
Do you have any recipes that combine unlikely ingredients?
Tricia H says
This is SO smart! And, delicious, I’m sure. I’ve made sort of a stromboli with leftovers but nothing as creative as this. Thanks Alea.
Adam says
This sounds delicious; I’ll be trying it soon. One question: Is “diced black beans” a typo? I’ve never heard of diced beans.
Alea says
Definitely a typo Adam! Thanks for catching it.
TheGourmetCoffeeGuy says
Smart use of leftovers and should be a very delicious one. Really like one meal dishes, especially during the weekdays. Nice photos.
vickie says
sounds good -great way to use up all the leftovers. Kids definetly would love it.
Angie Atchley says
Thanks! I’m always looking for end of the week left overs recipes!
Debbi Does Dinner Healthy says
I’ve had this recipe saved in my emails, I’m finally getting around to printing it! I so want to make it, thanks!