Spaghetti Pie
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This isn’t your average pasta bake. With a mix of spaghetti, veggies, sausage, and cheese, this spaghetti pie from Gail Simmons has serious table appeal—and it’s surprisingly easy to make.
Featured on the cover of Bringing It Home, Gail Simmons’ spaghetti pie recipe with broccoli and Italian sausage is, according to my husband, one of the best things I’ve ever made. I could take offense since it’s not even my recipe, but honestly, I totally agree. It’s a little like to lasagna or baked ziti but way more impressive to serve. Fair warning: it calls for a jaw-dropping amount of cheese, but it’s worth it.
Spaghetti pie is built to feed a crowd, and leftovers are even better the next day. The recipe calls for a springform pan, so you can remove the sides and serve the pie in neat wedges. If you don’t have one, a large baking dish works too—just serve it up lasagna-style.
To get a head start, you can assemble the pie a day in advance, stick it in the fridge, and then pop it in the oven when you’re ready. It also freezes beautifully for up to a month.
“We make this about twice a month. This is a favorite of ours. Even the leftovers are amazing.”
What You’ll Need To Make Spaghetti Pie
- Olive oil, onion, garlic & fresh sage: The flavorful base. The onion and garlic add savory depth, while the sage adds a warm, earthy note.
- Italian Sausage and Broccoli: Add substance to the pie. For the sausage, use hot or sweet, and feel free to swap in turkey or chicken sausage for a lighter option. The broccoli can be substituted with broccoli rabe, if you like.
- Milk and Eggs: Bind the pie and add moisture—the eggs help the whole thing set and the milk ensuring the interior stays moist and creamy.
- Cheddar, Parmigiano Reggiano & Fontina Cheese: A flavorful cheese trio that melts beautifully and delivers tang, richness, and a salty, nutty finish.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Cook the veggies. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the broccoli and 1 tablespoon of water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until crisp-tender.
Step 2: Cook the sausage. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until fully cooked, about 6 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
Step 3: Simmer the sauce. Add the crushed tomatoes and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until most of the liquid evaporates. Take off the heat and set aside.
Pro Tip: Crushing whole canned tomatoes yourself is better than using diced, which contain calcium chloride—a firming agent that prevents them from breaking down into a smooth sauce.
Step 4: Cook the spaghetti. Meanwhile, boil the spaghetti in a large pot until just shy of done—7 to 8 minutes. You’re looking for a bit of a white core when bitten. Drain (don’t rinse) and return to the pot.
Pro Tip: Slightly undercooking the pasta is the secret to a perfect slice. If the spaghetti is fully cooked now, it will turn mushy during the 35-minute bake.
Step 5: Make the egg mixture. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, pepper, and ¾ teaspoon salt.
Step 6: Put it all together. To the pot of spaghetti, add the egg mixture, sausage-broccoli combo, cheddar, fontina, and 1 cup of the Parmesan. Stir until everything is evenly combined.
Pro Tip: Stir quickly once the egg mixture hits the hot pasta to avoid bits of scrambled egg. A rubber spatula or wooden spoon works best for thorough mixing without breaking the noodles.
Step 5: Bake the pie. Wrap the outside of your springform pan with foil and butter the inside. Spoon in the pasta mixture, smooth the top, and set the pan on a rimmed baking sheet—this catches any drips and makes it easier to move in and out of the oven. Bake at 425°F until the top is golden and the edges are bubbling, about 35 minutes.
Step 6: Broil the topping. Take the pan out of the oven and switch on the broiler. Sprinkle the top with the sage and remaining ½ cup of Parmesan, then broil for a few minutes, until golden and just starting to crisp.
Step 6: Rest and serve. Remove from the oven, run a knife around the edges, and let it rest for 10 minutes. Don’t skip this part—it helps the pie firm up so the slices hold together. Release the sides of the pan, slice, and serve warm. Enjoy!
Video Tutorial
More Hearty Pasta Dishes You’ll Love
Gail Simmons' Epic Spaghetti Pie
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter, for greasing the pan
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- ¾ lb broccoli or broccoli rabe, trimmed, stems and florets chopped into ¼-in pieces (about 2½ cups)
- 1 lb hot or sweet Italian sausage removed from casings
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 (28-oz) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained, tomatoes crushed by hand
- Kosher salt
- 1 lb spaghetti
- ¾ cup whole milk (I substituted half & half)
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2½ cups (8 oz) grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 2½ cups (8 oz) grated fontina cheese
- 1½ cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
- Special equipment: 9½-in (24-cm) springform pan
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Preheat the oven to 425ºF (220ºC) and set a rack in the middle position. Butter a 9½-in (24-cm) springform pan. Tightly wrap the bottom of the pan with a large sheet of aluminum foil, crimping the foil against the outer edges to seal tightly.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the broccoli and 1 tablespoon of water and cook until the broccoli is crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, breaking the meat into small bits, until cooked through, about 6 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, then add the crushed drained tomatoes and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally and scraping any bits from the pan, until the liquid is mostly evaporated, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Add salt to the boiling water and cook the spaghetti just until very al dente, 7 to 8 minutes (look for a white spot in the center when you bite into a strand). Drain the pasta (do not rinse) and reserve the pot.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, pepper, and ¾ teaspoon salt. Combine the spaghetti and milk mixture in the pot; add the sausage-broccoli mixture, cheddar, fontina, and 1 cup (100 g) of the Parmesan; stir until well combined.
- Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared pan. Using a spatula, smooth the top. Set the pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the edges are golden and bubbling, about 35 minutes. (Keep an eye on it; if the top starts to get too brown, cover with foil.)
- Remove the pan from the oven. Turn on the broiler. Sprinkle the pie with the sage and remaining ½ cup (50 g) Parmesan. Broil 4 to 5 in (10 to 13 cm) from the heat until the cheese is golden, 1 to 3 minutes. Keep a close eye on it so it doesn't burn. Remove from the oven and run a knife around the inside of the pan. Let the pie rest for about 10 minutes, then release and remove the sides of the pan. Cut the pie into slices and serve warm.
Notes
Pair with
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Can I use Cherry tomatoes instead of crushed tomatoes?
So looking forward to trying this recipe !!!
Hi Annette, I’d stick with the canned tomatoes for this — hope you enjoy!
Do you use a 7 or 8 inch spring pan for the Spaghetti Pie?
Hi Susan, I use a 9.5-inch springform for it.
Hi Jenn, I have been eyeing this recipe for awhile now but am having difficulty finding Fontina cheese…..Can you suggest a good substitute!? Thank you in advance!!! Rilla
Hi Rilla, Whole milk mozzarella will work well. Enjoy!
I made this for dinner last night. It was very good, but to my taste I don’t think it’s as good as your Ziti Sausage Casserole.
I agree with other reviewers: I’ll not broil the top next time, and I do plan to make it again.
Thank you!
I am going to give this a try. May I ask why brown the top? I would rather enjoy the spaghetti softer instead of having to peel the crispy layer off the top because to me that spaghetti is too hard for me to enjoy eating.
Hi Laurie, if you’d prefer to avoid the crispy top, I’d skip the step of putting the pasta under the broiler. If you don’t want any crunchiness at all, you can loosely cover the dish with foil for the entire baking time. Hope that helps!
I have made this a couple of times. Besides being delicious I have taken a picture of it to show my friends. They are amazed at its beauty. Even my Italian friends.
Holy crap is this ever tasty.
I have made this many times and always delicious! Thank you for sharing😃
Thais was actually so good! I was hesitant about making it first but I remember making something like this with spaghetti and decided to make it. It took me longer than I thought at first but it was worth it. It was really tasty!
Hi Jenn, Hand crushing the tomatoes releases a lot of liquid. Should the crushed tomatoes be drained again? I did pour off some of the excess liquid and consequently had to cook the sausage/onion/tomato mixture quite awhile to reduce the excess liquid. I made this today to serve tomorrow. Since it will go in the oven cold, how much longer than 35 minutes should I bake it. Finally, I froze a small tin for myself for another day. What time and temp, if different, is required for the frozen version and should it be defrosted first? Thanks very much. This was a lot of work (and a lot of dishes!) but it looks divine.
Hi Mary, while the tomatoes should be drained before you crush them, you shouldn’t have to drain them again after. If you found, however, that there was excess liquid that you needed to cook-off, it’s fine to drain it. And because you’ll be putting it into the oven cold, you may need to add an extra 10 minutes or so onto the baking time. (If you find that the top starts to get a little too brown while it’s in the oven, cover it with foil.)
And for the frozen portion, yes, I would thaw it first and then put it in the oven at 325 for about 15 or 20 minutes or until hot in the middle. (You may want to cover it with foil so it doesn’t dry out.) Hope that helps!
Thank you. This was a big hit. I confess to omitting the broccoli as I’m not a fan. Combining 3 links of Italian sausage with fennel and 2 hot gave the dish a nice zesty flavor. My brother raved about it. Thank you for all your recipes.