Lasagna Pie

Warning: This is not a quick recipe, this is not an easy recipe, but boy is it delicious and definitely has some ingredients that I will use in the future for other recipes. But I just thought I would share. If you're feeling like a super chef and you've got about 1:30-2 hours on your hand, then try this. It's awesome (plus this recipe is floating around facebook and pinterest and you'll probably impress your friends with your awesome cooking skills) What is it exactly? A lasagna made in a spring form cake pan with noodles that stand on end, stuffed with all kinds of Italian goodness.

Here's the recipe Rigatoni Pasta Pie: 1 lb rigatoni pasta 1 lb ground beef 2 garlic cloves (minced) 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper 1 small jar of spaghetti sauce cooking spray salt 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese 4oz cream cheese 15oz ricotta cheese 2 eggs 1 tsp basil 1 tsp oregano 1 cup onion spring form pan DIRECTIONS: Boil the noodles according to the directions on the box. Stop cooking when they're still very firm and avoid stirring so they do not fall apart (this is really hard to do, you should stop cooking them before you think they're done or they will be floppy noodles). Once done, drain and run cold water over so they are cool enough to handle. You can add a little bit of oil if they start to stick. Brown the ground beef and drain excess grease. Add chopped onion and garlic. After about 5 minutes add cream cheese and stir until melted. Add spaghetti sauce next. Sauce is done, keep it warm, but stir occasionally so the tomato sauce doesn't burn. Use a small mixing bowl to mix the ricotta, Parmesan, basil, oregano and 2 eggs until smooth (I added an extra garlic clove and some salt to taste). Set aside. Make sure your spring form pan is sprayed with PAM. Tightly pack pasta into pan, standing each piece on end. Put a zip lock bag inside a tall glass and fill the bag with the cheese mixture. Close the bag and snip the corner of the bag and pipe a small amount into each noodle. After piping, pour the red sauce over the whole top and push down as much as possible. Top with 2 cups of mozzarella cheese. (Recipe calls for 2 cups but you could use low fat or skim to cut calories.) Heat oven to 350 and cook for 20 minutes. Broil for about a minute to bubble the cheese (gets that golden brown on top). You must watch this because broiling happens really fast. Here's a picture kind of showing how to make it (not my picture, can't find a link, got it from Facebook, bad writing skills?)