Cheese & Pasta Pie

This pasta pie trades the standard quiche pastry crust for cooked spaghetti pressed into a pie pan, where it crisps into a golden, noodle-edged shell during a quick first bake. Ricotta, mozzarella, and a scoop of parmesan fold together with eggs, frozen spinach, scallions, and herbs for the filling.

The pasta crust is the smart move. It uses up leftover spaghetti, adds carb satisfaction to what’s essentially a frittata, and gives you those crackly noodle edges that crisp up against the pan. The filling reads like a deconstructed lasagna without any of the layering work.

Kitchen Tips

• Cover the pasta crust edge with greased foil during the first bake. Exposed noodle tips burn fast at this temperature and turn the rim of your pie pan black.
• Squeeze the thawed spinach dry with both hands until no more water comes out. Wet spinach weeps into the filling and leaves you with a watery, separated pie.
• Let the pie rest the full 10 minutes after baking before slicing. The custard needs time to fully set, and cutting hot pie gives you a sliding, runny filling.
• Use day-old cooked spaghetti for the crust. Freshly cooked pasta is sticky and harder to press into a clean even shape. Cold pasta presses cleanly.

Variations

• Stir in a half cup of cooked, crumbled Italian sausage or chopped ham for a meatier pie.
• Swap spinach for chopped sauteed kale or Swiss chard for a heartier green flavor.
• Top with a layer of sliced tomatoes and fresh basil before the final bake for a margherita-style finish.