Healthy Spaghetti Pie Recipe

Raise your hand if you ever had spaghetti pie as a kid? Hopefully I’m not the only one over here raising my hand and this recipe brings back all kinds of childhood dinner memories. A lot of the meals I eat today are spin-offs on what I had as a child, and this one is no exception. This recipe is inspired by my mom, who cooked us dinner every night growing up (Hi Mom!). We sat at the table together, TV was off and no answering the phone during dinner. No, we didn’t have cell phones, it was a good old fashioned landline 😉 There was also one other silly rule that was created just for me. No singing at the dinner table. Why? Because I would sing all the time. Not just songs I knew, but I would sing my conversations, like all my responses…even at the dinner table, ha. My siblings finally got fed up with it and made the rule of no signing at the dinner table. Now I keep my singing to mostly in the car. I’m surprised Nolan hasn’t made a rule of “no singing in the car,” yet. I guess he hasn’t gotten sick of my air microphone performances, and for that I am grateful. Why am I telling you this? because this healthy spaghetti pie is a recipe that I hope creates these types of memories for your family.

A couple weeks ago there was a bad cold running rampant around our house. Our appetites finally returned, and I wanted nothing more than a comforting meal. I thought spaghetti pie would be the perfect cozy meal to have and share with all of you! I’ve made spaghetti pie a few times over the past years, but I wanted to put a fun FB twist on it. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out since I haven’t cooked it with chickpea spaghetti noodles before. The verdict: It ended up not needing any modifications compared to traditional spaghetti (yay!), making this the easiest spaghetti pie you’ll ever make. Plus, I knew it was a home-run when Hudson went to town on it and Nolan said “wow, this is the best you’ve made it”. 

What Is Spaghetti Pie?

If you’ve never had it, or even heard of it, spaghetti pie is literally what it’s called–spaghetti in pie form. And, who doesn’t love pie?! It’s a fun twist on regular spaghetti and sauce, with an aspect of lasagna (layering) and comfort on a plate. It is an easy weeknight meal, the perfect way to revamp any leftover spaghetti in the fridge, great for large crowds, and even freezes well. Sounds like the perfect dish, if you ask me.

What's In This Spaghetti Pie?

Traditional spaghetti pie uses regular spaghetti noodles, in this recipe I put a First Bites twist on it and used chickpea noodles instead. Here’s what you need to make this healthy spaghetti pie:

Chickpea pasta– more on chickpea pasta below in the nutrition spotlight! The brand I use the most is Banza. 

Ground turkey- I used this for a lightened up version but, you could use ground beef or no meat.

Tomato sauce- a 24 oz can of all purpose tomato sauce is in this recipe (I use Roa’s). By dinner time this chick is tired, hungry and usually trying to get a toddler wrangled while cooking dinner. Cue jar sauce…just pour and go! When buying a jar sauce, make sure to look at the ingredient list, sugar and sodium content. You want to choose one that uses whole ingredients, no sugar added and minimal salt. 

Eggs- the eggs are used to help bind the spaghetti to make the “crust”. If eggs are not part of your diet, you could try using flax egg replacement. Typical conversion is 1 tablespoon of flax seeds to 2.5 tablespoon water = 1 egg. I did not try using egg replacement for this spaghetti pie recipe. 

Cheese- this healthy spaghetti pie uses a mixture of ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Hello cheesy goodness! In my days of being non-dairy when I was breastfeeding Hudson, I came across the brand Kite Hill, which makes a non-dairy ricotta. I can only assume it would be a great non-dairy alternative option if that suits your family.

Spices- to amp up the flavor

Nutrition Spotlight: Chickpea Pasta

While all pasta can be a part of a healthy diet for your kids, some noodles provide more nutrients than others. Your kids will get a nice boost of plant based protein from the chickpea spaghetti in this recipe. Protein is important for the function of every cell in your child’s body by providing energy, building muscle, and more. Chickpea pasta contains double the fiber and protein and greater amounts of iron and potassium compared to traditional wheat based pasta per 2-ounce serving. The pasta in this recipe is also going to provide greater amounts of iron, which is essential for the growth and development of kids, especially those eaters who are just starting out.  

Using chickpea pasta is an easy way to provide a nutrient punch compared to traditional pasta. Since the pasta is mixed into this healthy spaghetti pie recipe, it’s likely your kids (or husband ;)) won’t even notice the difference.

How To Eat This Spaghetti Pie

After you bake your pie, let it sit for at least 5 minutes to let all the ingredients set. Cut in pie-like pieces and add extra sauce, if desired. I mean seriously, what could be better than a warm pasta pie smothered in cheese and sauce? ENJOY! 

 Parent plate tip: pair with a simple greens salad to make this the perfect weeknight meal.

Healthy Spaghetti Pie Recipe

Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 8 oz chickpea spaghetti I used Banza pasta
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
  • 1/2 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1 cup whole milk ricotta
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella
  • 24 oz marinara sauce, homemade or store bought I used Rao's

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9" or 10" pie plate with cooking spray.
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the chickpea spaghetti and cook for 3 minutes less than the package instructions. Drain.
  • In a large bowl, toss spaghetti with eggs and Parmesan cheese. Transfer to prepared pie plate to form the "crust”. 
  • In a large skillet over medium heat, cook onions until soft, 4 to 5 minutes then add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ground turkey, breaking up the meat, and cook until no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes. Pour in marinara and heat until warmed through, 5 minutes. 
  • Spread ricotta over chickpea spaghetti crust then pour over meat sauce. Top with mozzarella cheese.
  • Bake until the cheese is melted, 25 to 30 minutes. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes, then cut into wedges and enojy!

Can't wait to see you try it!

Once you make this healthy spaghetti pie recipe, leave a comment below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @firstbitesnutrition so I can see your creations! 

PS. it might get a little messy with the little ones so, plan this meal around bath night 😉

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Grace is a Dietitian in pediatric nutrition, Mom of two, and founder of First Bites Nutrition. In her work, she teaches parents how to raise a happy, healthy eater for life using evidence-based feeding practices and mindful eating methods to transform their child’s relationship with food, have less mealtime stress, and feel confident in feeding their kids.