Sausage Spaghetti Pie

Serves: 4

4 oz. spaghetti
2 eggs, divided, lightly beaten
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 c. cottage cheese
8 oz. ground sausage
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1/3 c. green pepper, chopped
1 c. spaghetti sauce
1/2 c. (2 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese

To make the spaghetti crust, cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and rinse with hot water. Combine spaghetti, 1 egg and Parmesan cheese; stir well. Press pasta mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a greased 9" pie plate. In a small bowl, stir or smash the cottage cheese until smooth (see tips). Add 1 egg and mix well. Spread the cheese mixture on top of the spaghetti crust. In a large skillet, cook the sausage, onion and green pepper until sausage is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce. Spoon sausage mixture on top of cheese filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Top with mozzarella cheese and bake about 5 minutes more.

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Tips: This dish was wonderful because it was such a change from the ordinary pie or pasta bake. We cut it with a pizza cutter then dished it out with a spatula. The original recipe called for the cottage cheese to be pressed through a sieve. All I have is a strainer so I don't think it worked quite the same but I think the outcome just needs to be a smoother spreadable cheese. To make this healthier, consider using turkey sausage and low-fat diary products.

Recipe adapted from Healthy Homestyle Cooking

Meat Pies

Makes: 2 pies, Serves: 4-6

2 boxes (15 oz.) refrigerated pie crusts
5 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
1/2 tsp. salt
2 lbs. ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 1/4 tsp. seasoned salt
1 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning

Remove pie crusts from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Meanwhile, boil potatoes with a pinch of salt for 20-25 minutes or until tender. In a large skillet, brown the beef and onion over medium heat; drain. Drain potatoes and mash with a potato masher. Stir potatoes, seasoned salt and poultry seasoning into meat mixture. Set aside to cool. Line two pie plates with one pie crust each and fill evenly with meat mixture. Cover with top crusts and trim and seal edges. Cut slits in the top to vent.

To cook immediately, bake at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Cover edges of crust with foil to keep from burning. To freeze, wrap the pis in plastic wrap then heavy-duty foil. Label and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours before cooking then following baking directions above.

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Tips: It was great to make one meal for dinner and know I was making another night's dinner at the same time. If you are going to cook one pie right away you do not need to let the meat for that pie cool. The meat only needs to cool so that your freezer doesn't have to work so hard. I think the next time I make this I might add a can of cut green beans into the mix. It would add an extra vegetable as well as some extra moisture. The pie that I froze baked up just as well as the one I made fresh.

Recipe adapted from Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms

Rice & Bean Pot Pie

Serves: 5-6

1 T. oil
1 c. onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded & finely chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 pkg. (5.6 oz.) Spanish rice mix
1 c. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 can (15 oz.) pinto beans, rinsed & drained
1 can (11 oz.) refrigerated breadsticks
1/2 c. sour cream

Cook rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium skillet. Add onion, cook about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and jalapeno; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in tomatoes; cook until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat. Once rice is cooked, add cheese and stir until combined. In a greased 2-quart casserole dish, spread the rice mixture in the bottom and up the sides. Spread beans evenly on top of rice; cover beans with tomato mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, unroll breadsticks and separate into 12 strips. Remove casserole from oven and place 10 twisted breadsticks in a single layer over the top. Stretch and twist the 2 remaining breadsticks on top of the first layer in the opposite direction. Bake 20 minutes longer or until breadsticks are golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serve with sour cream.


Tips: This was a fun twist (pun intended) on a traditional pot pie. For the rice mix, I used Knorr Fiesta Sides Spanish Rice. If your family enjoys beans or you are trying to stretch this meal, you can easily use a second can of beans. I think I will try it this way the next time I make it and add in kidney beans.

Recipe adapted from Pillsbury Pot Pies & Casseroles Magazine

Veggie Lovers' Pot Pie

Serves: 6

2 T. butter
1 large potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1 t. thyme
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 c. flour
1 can (14 oz.) vegetable broth
1 bag (16 oz.) frozen carrots, broccoli & cauliflower, thawed
1/4 c. milk
3 T. grated Parmesan cheese
1 can (8 rolls) garlic butter crescent rolls

In a large skillet, melt butter. Add potatoes, onion, thyme, salt and pepper; cook 10-12 minutes until potatoes are lightly brown. Sprinkle flour over potato mixture. Cook and stir 1 minute. Stir in broth; heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in thawed vegetables, milk and cheese; mix well. Pour mixture into a greased deep-dish pie plate. Separate crescent rolls into 8 triangles. Roll each short side over twice and arrange over vegetables with tips towards center (will look like a pinwheel). Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until crust is brown.

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Tips: This was a delicious meatless pot pie and not too much work to put together. I thought it had a lot of flavor. Its always nice to do some work for dinner on the stove then be able to put it in the oven for awhile to get a salad or other side dish ready. I actually used the original crescent rolls because I accidentally grabbed the wrong one at the store. They still tasted great on top but I would think that the garlic butter rolls would have been awesome.

Recipe from Pillsbury Pot Pies & Casseroles Magazine

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

Serves: 4

1 pkg. refrigerated pie crust (2 crusts)
2 T. butter
1 1/2 c. mixed vegetables, frozen or cooked
2 c. cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
3 T. flour
2 c. chicken broth
Salt, pepper and garlic powder, to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place one pie crust in pie pan and bake until it is slightly browned, about 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. While the pie crust bakes, melt the butter on medium heat in a large skillet. Add the vegetables and cook, stirring for about 1 minute. Add the chicken and continue cooking and stirring for about 1 minute longer. Add the broth to the skillet and increase to medium-high heat. Slowly add flour while stirring until mixture reaches desired thickness for pot pie. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder. Pour the chicken mixture into the baked pie crust. Cover the top with the remaining crust and crimp the edges. Bake the pie on a cookie sheet about 20-25 minutes until the pie crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbling. Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes.

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Tip: This pot pie might sound complicated but it really was very easy to make and really tasty with the true pie crust. You can experiment with any variety of vegetables. I used frozen corn, frozen broccoli and butternut squash (I cooked it first).

From my MOPS compilation cookbook.

Chicken Pot Pie

Serves: 4

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked
2 large carrots, sliced
2 stalks of celery, sliced
1 medium potato, cubed
1/4 t. garlic powder
1 can (10.75 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup baking mix (Bisquick or the like)
1/2 c. milk
1 egg

Steam carrots, celery and potatoes sprinkled with garlic powder for 10 minutes. Cube or shred chicken breast. Mix vegetables, chicken and soup in an ungreased 2-quart casserole dish. Stir Bisquick, milk and egg together until blended. Pour over chicken mixture. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

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Tips: You can put any vegetables you like in this pot pie. Frozen vegetables can be used if they are thawed. Fresh vegetables should be slightly steamed so they are soft in your pot pie. Canned chicken can also be used. I also shared this recipe at Grocery Cart Challenge's Recipe Swap.

Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker's Bisquick Cookbook