Thursday: Spaghetti Pie

I have been so excited to cook this dish!  So much so that I had to order the damn bundt pan in order to make it.  (remember...baking hates me)  Pan arrived last week!  This dish is on the menu baby!  
I got this from KayoticKitchen.com...and she stated to serve it lukewarm or cold.  So, this makes a great to dish to prepare in advance.  The ingredients make it super budget friendly.  Hoping this will be a big hit in this house!  (if nothing else, it'll be fun to cook.)  :D

Okay, this is NOT my picture...this is what my dish was supposed to look like.... (click read more to see mine....)

This is my dish.  Okay, so it's not that bad, but still, I was picturing something much better.  I think what happened was the bundt pan I used.

Ingredients:

10 oz spaghetti
7 oz cheese (Gouda, Cheddar, Swiss...whatever you like the most)
2 bell peppers
1 large onion
1 large carrot
2 spring onions
2 tomatoes
4 eggs (at room temperature)
1 tsp lawry’s seasoned salt
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
4 TBS milk
1 tbsp parmesan
1 tbsp parsley
1 tsp basil
pepper
cayenne

Directions:

Start by peeling and finely chopping the carrot.

Chop the bell peppers and onion. Try and keep them the same size as the carrots. Finely slice the spring onions.

There's no tomato sauce, but its nice to add a hit of tomato flavor.  Wash and chop 2 firm tomatoes.

Heat 1 tbsp oil and cook the vegetables -over low to medium heat- for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes after 5 minutes and season with pepper and salt. Or use garlic salt.  Finish with 1 tbsp dried parsley.
Turn the heat off and set the veggies aside.

Boil your spaghetti according to the instructions on your package. I prefer mine a little al dente, so I cook them for 7 to 8 minutes. Make sure you salt the water (ocean-like)!  Chef Anne (Food Network) stated its an absolute must!)

A note: you can do this with any kind of pasta. You could also break the spaghetti up in little pieces.  

Chop up the cheese.  You can really use any kind of cheese.  You could also add tiny pieces of flavored cream cheese, a splash of heavy cream, a little Roquefort or any other type of cheese.

I used Gouda...I just love the creamy richness of this cheese.

Lightly oil your bundt pan, and sprinkle 2 tbsp breadcrumbs on the bottom.

This is the bundt pan I bought.  I'm sending it back to Amazon.  It's a Springform pan and I didn't like it at all.  I leaked and felt flimsy.  I think this is why my "pie" didn't turn out like I'd hoped.

Break 4 eggs over a bowl. Use room temperature eggs.
Add 1 tsp (1/2 tsp if you like it less salty) lawry’s seasoned salt, 4 tbsp milk, a good pinch of cayenne, 1 tbsp parmesan and 1 tsp dried basil (or oregano) to the eggs.

Whisk it all together! Add the grated (or chopped) cheese to the egg mixture.

Drain the pasta and rinse it with cold water...Now, I know this goes against all things sacred to cooking pasta noodles, but you’ll be adding the eggs, and if the pasta or vegetables are hot …you’ll end up with scrambled eggs. Not what you're looking for in this dish!

Simply combine the pasta and vegetables. Transfer them to the bundt pan and make sure you distribute the vegetables evenly. So don’t be afraid to dig your hands in there! Pour the egg and cheese mix all over.

Note from Kayotic Kitchen: "The trick is to turn on the oven after you’ve placed the bundt pan in the center of it. Don’t preheat your oven. Give the pie 30 minutes at 400F (200C). Let the pie cool off in the oven for about 15 to 30 minutes before taking it out."

This is what it looked like out of the oven.  I had to wrap the bottom of the pan with foil because of the leakage.  I lost some of the egg mixture and I think that's the bit that should have browned nicely on the bottom.

Flip it over on a large plate and serve -either cold or luke warm- in thick slices. Really nice with a big, green salad on the side.

**My Note:  aside from the lousy look of the dish, it was super tasty.  I will make this again and I'm ordering a regular ol' bundt pan this time.