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Italian Turkey and Spaghetti Squash Pie

When my friend Jill read about my discovery of the spaghetti squash, she posted this recipe for Italian Turkey and Spaghetti Squash Pie.  We finally tried it last week.  In a word — YUMMY.

Since I no longer make pasta *let’s take a moment of silence, shall we?* spaghetti squash is my new BFF.  It helps that my kids are cuckoo for it!

I decided to try this recipe because a good friend used to make a “spaghetti pie” that was quite similar and I have fond memories of it.  I made a few alterations but I basically followed the recipe.

The first thing you do is cook the spaghetti squash.  I chose to bake it in the oven, as I’m trying to use the microwave as little as possible.  So I cut it in half, sprinkled with salt, and put it flat sides down onto a baking sheet.  Baked it at 350 for 30 minutes or so, then scooped out the squash, and it looks just like . . . SPAGHETTI!

Then I lined a buttered pie plate with it, like a pie crust.

While that cooled, I browned some ground turkey in pastured lard.  I also added some salt.

Set that aside, and sauteed some onions and garlic in more lard.  And more salt.  Are you sensing a pattern here?  This is originally a Weight Watchers recipe so I had to fatten it up a bit.

Then I added tomato sauce and spices.  I didn’t have Italian Seasoning, so I used oregano and parsley.  And more . . . you guessed it!  SALT!

It simmered a bit while I mixed the egg and ricotta together and spread it over the squash in the pie plate.

I think I should have let the meat sauce reduce more because it was pretty watery.  But after about 10 minutes, I went ahead and topped the ricotta/egg mixture with it.

Finally, mozzarella cheese. The recipe calls for a meager half cup. I put almost the whole bag on it because if loving cheese is wrong, then I don’t want to be right.

It was almost overflowing so I had the good sense to put a pan under it while it baked. It came out looking JUST like the spaghetti pie that I remember.

I let it rest for 10 minutes and then I plated it up. It didn’t come out in perfect wedges, but no one complained.

Note to self: Next time, serve with a salad.

Thanks, Jill! You rock!

Here’s an easy printable recipe for your convenience.

Italian Turkey and Spaghetti Squash Pie
Recipe Type: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Author: Jill Anderson
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 medium raw spaghetti squash
  • 1/2 lb. ground turkey
  • 2 tsp. olive oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 medium garlic clove, minced
  • 29 oz. canned diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 6 oz. ricotta cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. Halve squash lengthwise; scoop out seeds. Place squash, cut sides down, in a pyrex dish with a quarter inch of water. Microwave for 15 minutes. Using a fork, carefully rake stringy squash pulp from shell, separating it into strands that look like spaghetti. Arrange spaghetti squash strands in bottom and up sides of a pie plate to form a crust. Set aside. (Depending on the size of the squash, you might not use up all your squash)
  3. Meanwhile, brown turkey, drain, remove from skillet and set aside.
  4. In a same skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender. Add tomatoes and Italian seasoning and bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Add cooked turkey and simmer, stirring often until some liquid has evaporated.
  5. Beat egg with a fork and mix with the ricotta cheese until smooth.
  6. Spread the ricotta cheese mixture over the squash. Pour tomato-turkey sauce over cheese layer and sprinkle mozzarella on top. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before slicing into 6 pieces.

 

Join The Conversation

18 Responses

  1. This looks great… I’m going to have to give it a try.
    I like to pop my squash in the oven whole for about 10 minutes, then take it out and slice it in half. Much easier than trying to slice it raw.

  2. Did the spaghetti squash get mushy once you baked it? Or did it firm up a little similar to how the spaghetti would in the pie? I’m trying to figure out if my kids would notice the difference. I’m assuming they would…

    1. It’s a little bit mushy, but no one cared. My kids LOVE spaghetti squash. The first time I made it with tomato sauce, I showed them what it was. They thought it was so cool how it came out looking like spaghetti. Then they loved it – I think b/c it’s mild. So don’t worry about camouflaging it. 🙂

  3. I can’t think of a time I have EVER followed cheese measurements in a recipe. Bring on the cheese!! So glad you loved it. It is a family favorite in our house and I have really picky eaters.

  4. Hey Jo-Lynne, I didn’t know you were friends with Jill, did you know she’s here in GR, too? Hi Jill!

    I’m so glad you posted this on Real Food Wednesday because it’s going into my meal plan next week!

    Do you think I could make it ahead of time ok??

    Thanks,
    Kel

  5. I might go make this… right now? We were planning on tacos for dinner but we have leftover spag sauce and a spag squash waiting to be used. No ricotta though… maybe I could use something else?

  6. Not that I ever want to discourage anyone from eating vegtables but If you have not yet tried Tinkinyada Brown Rice pasta you really should. They make great gluten free past that you would hardy be able to tell the difference from the “real thing”

  7. I just whipped this up 😉 for dinner tonight. I did change out the turkey for ground beef as we’re not super keen on ground turkey and I forgot the egg in the ricotta. We’ll see how that works out. This recipe redeemed the spaghetti squash for me. I used it once and it didn’t spaghetti. I’m sure it was user error.

  8. OH this is right up my alley!! Thank you for sharing!! I went to a fancy restaurant this weekend that served ‘zucchinnilini’ on their menu. It was shredded zucchini pasta 🙂

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