Spaghetti Pie

I should preface this very first recipe with a bit on how I cook. Most everything I create are good, hardy meals that are not going to kill your waistline. However, I don't use a lot of fat free products mainly because they are usually full of sugar or salt and lack flavor. I should also forewarn our audience out there that I use A LOT of onions in most everything I cook. Onions are awesome, pack lots of flavor and compliment a variety of dishes. However, if you are an onion hater, of course feel free to omit or use something else.

I also cook a lot by sight and taste as opposed to formally measuring everything out so don't be surprised if I don't give specific measurements. All these recipes are SO easy that it is not difficult to figure out how much to use of what. Hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Spaghetti Pie
Makes 10 large servings or 12-14 smaller servings

Ingredients:

2 packs 4% fat ground turkey
1 red onion
minced garlic
1 pack of mushrooms
1 jar spaghetti sauce (I usually try to find one that is organic and lower in sugar)
pack of brown rice spaghetti
1 large carton baby spinach
2 cartons low fat ricotta*
1 cup low fat shredded mozzarella
1/2-3/4 cup of egg substitute
1/2 cup REAL Parmesan (that stuff in the shaker is gross)
*if you don't care for ricotta, you can also use low fat cottage cheese

Directions:
Cook pasta. But be careful! Brown rice pasta goes from not cooked to al dente VERY quickly so keep a close eye on it. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water so it is easier to handle. Flip spaghetti in colander several times to get rid of as much excess water as possible. Once the noodles are dry, line them along the bottom of a large casserole dish which has been sprayed with Pam.

Meanwhile, saute chopped onion (I use a mini-food processor here as it makes life about 1.000 times EASIER. Plus they are only about $35!) and garlic in large pan. Add in turkey meat and brown...but just until it isn't pink. Dried out turkey is gross. Add in sauce and mushrooms and heat through.

In a small bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella and egg substitute.

Spread all baby spinach on top of the spaghetti "crust". On top of the spinach, spread the cheese combination. Top with meat and sauce combination and finally, top with a light dusting of Parmesan. Cover with tin foil and bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-30 minutes. Once it is warm and bubbly, you are ready to chow down!