Pasta Pie

Evening lovely readers,
This whole Pinterest addiction is getting out of control. Now even Ma is picking recipes from there.
*shakes fist* damn you Pinterest and your widly addicting ways. So as mentioned above we've got a
recipe coming to you tonight that is something familiar but with a sahde of difference. It involves
grabbing that....Ha, you thought I was going to say slow cooker didn't you? Soon enough guys! spring
form pan you use to make your fave cheesecakes. Oh and the recipe tonight isn't another cheesecake.
BLT cheesecake recipe from a while back anyone?
Here's what you'll need:

Pasta Pie
Recipe from: Martha Stewart | Serves: 8

Ingredients:
*1 pound Rigatoni
* 2 Tablespoons Olive oil, divided
*1 pound Ground beef (I used ground sirloin)
*2 Garlic gloves, crushed
* 1/4 teaspoon Freshly ground pepper
*1 can (28 ounces) Good quality crushed tomatoes
*Butter, for pan
*Salt
*1 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
*8 ounces Coarsely grated mozzarella cheese

Directions:
*In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until slightly underdone (I cooked mine for 12 minutes when the box indicated 14 minutes). One pound of pasta should be cooked in 6 quarts of water, make sure you are using a big enough pot so the pasta doesn't stick together. When done, rinse in cold water and drain again. Toss pasta with 1 Tablespoon olive oil to coat. Set aside.

*Heat remaining 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef. Cook, stirring occasionally until browned. Add garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook 2 minutes more. Add crushed tomatoes; simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes.

*Toss pasta with Parmesan cheese. Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Tightly pack pasta into pan, standing each piece on end. Spread meat sauce on top of pasta.

*Push the meat sauce into the pasta holes filling each one up. Stuffing the meat into the holes is a
weirdly satisfying task. Enough said.

*Place in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top and bake another 10-15 minutes until cheese is golden. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge to loosen and then unmold.

*Cut into wedges and serve with any remaining meat sauce you might have.

 

 

WW Points: *18 Per Serving

 

 

 

Not bad my friends, not bad at all. I'm more on the pasta loving side than the smothered in sauce side so this was right up my alley.

 

 

 

Tid Bits:
*Tip your pan to the side while placing the noodles standing up. Makes things easier.
*Also place a baking sheet under your pan while it bakes. We learned the hard way that the oil leaks

everywhere. Not good times.

 

 

Ma's Spot: I have to admit I thought this recipe would be hard to make. First I was a little worried that I wouldn't get the Rigatoni cooked just right. It turned out perfect though. I love the simple sauce that was made. I also loved how after the noodles were cooked they were tossed in olive oil and parmesan cheese. If you don't like a pasta dinner with heavy sauce then this one is for you. I was pretty impressed with us because I didn't think we could get the noodles to stand up straight but we did. This dish in my eyes was a winner. I couldn't believe how wonderfully it sliced while the noodles stayed together. Very few ingredients which wasn't too bad on the wallet. Definitely a keeper.

 

 

 

*SNACK CORNER:* It's time for snack corner! Where we take new snacks in the grocery store and break it down for you. We tell you which are hot and which are not. Let's get to this week's pick

 

WW Points: *13

Dinah:
 So tonight we decided to venture out to our local Baskin Robbins and try the Waffle Dippers.
Thing nachos only with ice cream and chip like pieces of waffle cone. Yeah, I think it's genius too. So in this treat you get a variety of chocolate and vanilla waffle cones with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream drenched in the topping of your choice (a big thank you to the fella at Baskin Robbins for giving this allergic to peanuts girl Oreo's as her topping). Now this is 13 points but honestly it's worth it. The huge dessert is beyond filling and comes together nicely. no fuss, no muss of it melting down the cone. Oh and did I mention it only costs $2.99? Deal? Indeed my friend, indeed.


Ma: Can I just say how much I love this little treat? This to me was the perfect little ice cream treat.
There wasn't too much ice cream and the waffle chips had a wonderfully nice crunchy texture. I will
definitely be getting this again.



Aw, that's it for tonight. We'll see you back here next week with more food goodness. Have a great
week guys!

Spoons & Spatula's
~Dinah & Ma