Spaghetti Pie

Spaghetti Pie, 7 points/8 servings
Spaghetti Pie published in Light & Tasty February/March 2006, p31

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup canned Hunt’s® Original Diced Tomatoes, undrained
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 ounces spaghetti, cooked and drained
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup (8 ounces) fat-free cottage cheese
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

In a nonstick skillet, cook the beef, onion and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, salt, garlic powder, sugar and pepper; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the spaghetti, butter, egg whites and Parmesan cheese. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9-in. deep-dish pie plate coated with cooking spray. Top with cottage cheese and beef mixture.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and filling is heated through. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: 1 piece equals 348 calories, 10 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 52 mg cholesterol, 690 mg sodium, 33 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 29 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 2 vegetable, 1-1/2 starch, 1 fat.

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Made Feb 25, 2011. This was a pretty quick and easy dish to put together. Everyone really enjoyed it - even Aaron. Matthew said he wasn't too sure about it when he came home and smelled it (probably the bell peppers), but really liked it in the end.

I substituted ground turkey for the beef, put only a TB of bell peppers, and added basil to the seasoning mix. I didn't put the cottage cheese or meat all the way to the end of the "crust", so the exposed spaghetti was hard. I didn't mind it, but someone who would care should make sure to spread the topping over all the spaghetti instead of leaving it like a pizza crust.

This ia a hefty meal at 7 points for 8 pie slices.