Spaghetti Pie

As I was saying: Cook Once, Eat Twice. This recipe is so easy to adapt to this idea. One recipes worth makes enough for 12 people, so, if you divide it between two pans, it's a perfect freezer meal.

Several years ago, we lived in sunny Phoenix, AZ. To this day, I still miss it. I had a very good friend there, and this meal was her go-to to give to folks when they had a baby, were going through hard times, etc. It was so easy to make, so freezer friendly, and so easy to complement with bread and salad. You almost craved times when you would be in need so that you would get some of this pasta-goodness for yourself!

When I was gluten free, and had a blog, I adapted this to gluten-free goodness, so if you are gluten free, make sure to adjust the ingredients to safe ones - it still works fabulously!


Spaghetti Pie

1 Box Reggiano Spaghetti
1 Cup Happy Valley Sour Cream
1 Jar Mama Cozzi Spaghetti Sauce
20 oz Fit & Active Ground Turkey (feel free to substitute with another ground meat if you prefer)
2 Cups Happy Valley Farms Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
2 8" Foil Cake Pans (our Aldi does not sell, but I got mine at the dollar store - 3 pans for $1)
Carlini Cooking Spray

Prepare pasta as directed on the box.

Meanwhile, brown ground meat and add sauce. Allow to cool slightly.

When pasta is cooked, drain well. Add sour cream and mix to coat all the noodles with the sour cream. Spray the foil pans with cooking spray. Divide the pasta between the two pans. Press down firmly. Sprinkle 1 cup of the shredded cheese on top. Top with half of the meat mixture.

For one pan, bake in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350. For the other pan, allow to cool and cover with foil. Label and freeze. It is best if you defrost before cooking - then cook at 350 for 30 minutes - if you do from frozen it will take closer to 1 hour, and keep covered for the first half hour.

You may add additional cheese on top if you desire. :)

Yeah, where've I been?

Not going to make a lot of excuses. Let's just say Spring got away from me this year! FINALLY coming to the surface and having a little bit more time for the things that give me great joy (well, aside from my family). Cooking.

Many of you know that we are homeschoolers. My children and I have been on this journey for seven years, and my oldest is about to be in 7th Grade. I can hardly believe that I've made it through all the elementary years with one of my children. Life is busy in this house and sometimes dinner is an afterthought. So, I started to investigate Once A Month Cooking. There are so many great sites on this subject, it's unreal! I have found some amazing recipes, read a lot the last few days on it and have decided it's just not going to work for ME! Surprise there. I do this with our homeschooling curriculum, I just cannot follow someone else's schedule! (I know, you're thinking I'm a control freak - well, I am) If I don't have 30 minutes to cook dinner each night, how in the world am I going to set aside an entire weekend to shop and prepare a month's worth of meals? That was what kept coming up.

What I DID like, is that many of the recipes are to make 2 dinners worth. So, instead of Once a Month Cooking - I'm (of course) adapting it to fit our lives. I'm going to start doing a "Cook Once, Eat Twice" type method. So, be on the look out for some upcoming recipes that will be easy to make double, and freeze half for a meal later in the month. If you do this just three times a week, you'll have a month's worth of meals in NO time flat! Or at least have some easy grab-and-go-to meals for those crazy busy nights. (Well, something other than take-out and hot dogs!!!).

I will continue to post regular recipes using Aldi's awesome ingredients, as well as reviews of some of our favorite Aldi products as well. I hope to see you around!