Spaghetti Pie

6 ounces dry spaghetti noodles, cooked al dente according to package
directions 2 Tablespoons butter or margarine 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 2 eggs,
beaten 1/2 pounds ground beef 1/2 cup chopped onion 1 8-ounce can (1 cup)
Italian-style stewed tomatoes (do not drain) or diced tomatoes 1 6-ounce
cans tomato paste 1-teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed 1/2
clove garlic, finely chopped (can substitute 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
1-cup (8-ounces) cottage cheese 1/2 cup (2-ounces) shredded cheese, any
flavor

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Butter a 9 or 10-inch pie plate. (For my smaller family, I prepare 2
glass loaf pans)

2. Cook spaghetti noodles until al dente. Drain, rinse in cold water and
pour into a large mixing bowl

3. Stir margarine into hot noodles until melted. Stir in Parmesan cheese and
eggs.

4. Pour noodle mixture into prepared pie plate.

5. Spread cottage cheese over the noodle mixture.

6. In skillet, cook ground beef and onions, until meat is browned. Drain fat

7. Stir in undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, oregano, and garlic.
Heat through.

8. Fill pie with tomato mixture.

9. Sprinkle cheese on top.

10. Cover pie pan with foil and freeze.

TO SERVE: Thaw the spaghetti pie in the fridge for 36 to 48 hours. Bake,
covered, for 25 minutes at 350 F. Remove foil and bake for 5 more minutes
until cheese is lightly browned. Makes 6 servings.

I like this recipe because you can change it each time and its a little
different but still very tasty. If you are vegetarian or have vegetarian
friends, skip the ground beef, chances are that you wont even miss it.
Instead of ground beef, use a combination of peppers, mushrooms, onion and
zucchini. If you have left over spaghetti sauce, you can use that as part of
the sauce or all of the sauce. Use ricotta cheese instead of cottage cheese,
or mix ricotta and cottage cheese. Use other cheese types instead of
Parmesan in the crust. Top it with mozzarella cheese instead of cheddar. The
recipe has lots of places for you to make substitutions and adaptations to
meet the needs of your family.