Mini Spaghetti Pizza Pies

Use your muffin pan to make these mini veggie loaded spaghetti pies – sure to be a new kid and family favorite!

Today’s post is being brought to you by the letter S.

As in Spaghetti and Sesame Street.

One of my most favorite kids’ cookbooks from early on has been C is For Cooking: Recipes From the Street. And just like anything Sesame Street touches, it’s fantastic all around. It was actually authored by a dietitian (#bonus), the pages are colorful, there’s a variety of recipes and the dishes really taste great.

My daughter has poured through the book so many times since she was a toddler, that I bought a second copy because the first was destroyed (even at 8 1/2 years old, she still gets a kick out of it and we still cook from it.)

So, when we announced this month’s Recipe ReDux theme:

7-Ingredient (Or Less) Recipes

It’s Income Tax Season, so our brains could use some easy arithmetic; as in seven-ingredient-or-less recipes. Show us the healthy, no-brainer dish you fix for breakfast, lunch or dinner. 

I thought of Big Bird’s Spaghetti Pie recipe – one of the cookbook’s recipes we’ve made often over the years when there was no meal plan and I had to do dinner quickly.

I took several liberties with the original dish to edit it to fit the 7-Ingredient criteria and turn it into our own recipe:

• Going mini (great way to portion control)
• Adding beans to the sauce (fiber boost)
• Cutting back on some of the cheese
• Adding favorite veggies to the ricotta mixture

Mini Spaghetti Pizza Pies

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• Author: by Deanna Segrave-Daly, RD
• Yield: 4-6 servings 1x

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Description

Use your muffin pan to make these mini veggie loaded spaghetti pies – sure to be a new kid and family favorite!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 8 ounces whole wheat spaghetti
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 5 ounce can low-sodium pizza sauce
• 15 ounce can no-salt added beans (Pinto, Cannellini or Great Northern beans)
• 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry OR 1 cup chopped cooked mushrooms
• 3/4 cup ricotta cheese or cottage cheese

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Instructions

1. Cook spaghetti according to package instructions. Drain and add to large bowl. Add beaten eggs and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and mix until spaghetti is evenly coated.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray. Evenly divide spaghetti among muffin cups pressing down into each cup.
4. Add beans to empty bowl and mash with potato masher or fork. Mix in pizza sauce. Spoon about a tablespoon over each spaghetti pie.
5. In another bowl, mix together spinach (or mushrooms), ricotta cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Divide among the spaghetti pies, spooning on top of the sauce.
6. Top each pie with another tablespoon or so of sauce (save any leftover sauce and serve with the baked spaghetti pies.)
7. Top each spaghetti pie with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and place in oven. Bake for 30 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and using a sharp knife, cut around each pie and carefully remove. Serve immediately (with remaining sauce if desired.)

Notes

Adapted from Big Bird’s Spaghetti Pie, C is For Cooking: Recipes From The Street Cookbook

Dare I say I like this version even better than the original? You can easily make half of the pies with one vegetable and half with another – depending each family members’ favorite veggie pizza toppings (I did half mushroom and half spinach for my crew.)

Think of this 7-ingredient recipe as a template – you could certainly add different veggies, swap in your favorite cheeses, etc. Use the vegetables you typically like on your favorite pizza or lasagna dish. More variations:

• Add chopped broccoli, olives or roasted sweet peppers to the ricotta mixture
• Add extra tomatoes, shredded carrots or grated zucchini to the sauce
• Top with shredded mozzarella or Cheddar instead

What veggies would you add to these mini pies? What’s your favorite 7-Ingredient-Or-Less Meal? Check out all the short list recipes from fellow ReDuxers below: