Beef & Spaghetti Pie Ole

This recipe was tucked into one of my books and I think I had every intention of making it years ago, but never got around to it. It is a very easy recipe and one that will likely be moved into the rotation once a month or so. It got thumbs up from everyone, but the eldest.

Beef & Spaghetti Pie Ole

7 ounces spaghetti, uncooked
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/3 cup Monterey Jack cheese, or cheddar, shredded
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
10 ounces canned chopped tomatoes with chili, undrained
3/4 cup sour cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.

Whisk together egg, half the salt, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder and 1/3 cup cheese. Add pasta and toss. Arrange in 9 inch pie dish, pressing to form shell. Heat large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add ground beef and brown 4-5 minutes, breaking up into 3/4 inch crumbles.

Pour off drippings. Season with remaining salt and remaining garlic powder. Add cumin and stir in tomatoes. Bring to a boil and cook 3-5 minutes or until liquid is almost evaporated, stirring occasionally. Reserve 2 Tbs. beef mixture for garnish.

Stir sour cream into remaining beef and spoon into pasta shell. Place remaining cheese in center, leaving 2 inch border around edge. Spoon reserved beef mixture onto center of cheese and bake 15 minutes or until heated through.

**Cook's Notes**

I doubled this recipe to feed all 8 of us and served it with a simple tossed salad. Instead of using 2 9" pie plates, I used my large lasagna pan.

I made the following changes:

ground turkey instead of ground beef, plain organic yogurt for the sour cream, regular diced tomatoes mixed with a little bit of tomato paste and some finely chopped jalapenos instead of tomatoes w/chilis, Mexican blend cheese for the Jack cheese, part onion powder for the garlic powder.