Grandma Barb's recipe, from an old North Denver family

Some nights, only an old family recipe will do for dinner. This one is our husband's Grandma Barb's baked spaghetti pie, and we made it straight from her own recipe notes.

Spaghetti pie is a casserole dish that actually originated in Colorado – specifically in the Italian-American neighborhoods of North Denver, where our husband's grandmother grew up. Our grandpa went to the old Manual High School in that same part of town!

Grandma Barb was particular about this recipe, and we've kept it close to her original notes rather than “improving” it into something else. It's a filling, hearty meal that works as well on a cold winter night as it does eaten outside in early summer.

At Avdaye, we add lots of tips in all of our recipes – because we are a home cook without any formal training, and we find we are more confident making dishes when we understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. Our goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.

Why This Recipe Works

The egg-and-parmesan crust isn't a real pie crust — it's a binder. Mixing warm, just-cooked spaghetti with beaten egg and parmesan while everything is still warm and pliable is what lets it hold a pie shape once baked. If the noodles cool too much before mixing, the egg won't coat them evenly and the “crust” won't hold together as well when you slice it.
Resting the pie for 10 minutes before cutting matters. Straight out of the oven, the egg binder and cheese are still setting. Cutting immediately gives you a looser, messier slice; the rest lets it firm up into clean wedges.
Sour cream, not tomato sauce, is what gives this its richness. It's a distinctly Denver-style touch compared to a straight red-sauce baked spaghetti — it adds tang and a creamy layer between the noodle crust and the meat sauce instead of an all-tomato filling.

How To Make Spaghetti Pie

Spaghetti (6 oz): any spaghetti or bucatini works, but skip angel hair or thin spaghetti – it gets mushy as the casserole bakes.
Eggs (2): the binder for the “crust,” adding structure, lift, and richness.
Parmesan cheese (¼ cup, plus 1 tablespoon): the ¼ cup goes into the crust mixture; the extra tablespoon is for topping before baking.
Butter (2 tablespoons): adds richness and helps the onions cook down without sticking.
Onion (½ cup, chopped): cuts through the richness of the cream, cheese, and tomato sauce with a bit of sharpness.
Ground beef (1 lb), or half beef/half Italian sausage: pork, lamb, or chicken all work too, for a heartier, meatier filling.
Sour cream (1 cup): adds tang and a rich, thick layer that keeps the dish from tasting flat or one-note.
Italian seasoning (1 teaspoon): the herbal backbone – thyme, basil, oregano, and marjoram round out the sauce.
Garlic powder (1 teaspoon): concentrated garlic flavor in every bite, more evenly distributed than fresh garlic would be here.
Tomato sauce (8 oz can): use one you actually like the flavor of – it's a big part of the dish's base. If tomato sauce gives you heartburn, a lower-acid variety works fine here.
Shredded mozzarella (6 oz): part-skim melts best and keeps a neutral, milky flavor similar to what you'd use on a pizza.
Salt and pepper to taste

Once you've gathered your ingredients, we're going to follow this method:

How to Make Spaghetti Pie

Prep

Beat two eggs.

Spray the bottom of your pie pan with non-stick spray.

Saute onions and butter together in a pan until soft and lightly browned.

Brown the meat and drain off the excess oil. Add the seasonings, and the tomato sauce to the meat and simmer for 3-4 minutes to cook together.

Spaghetti, Egg, Cheese Base

In the bottom of your pie pan, mix noodles, ¼ cup of parmesan cheese and beaten eggs, while the eggs are still warm and pliable.

Mix

Gently press down the noodles into the pan to make the “crust”.

Onions & Sour Cream

Add the onions, and 1 cup of sour cream on top of the noodles.

Meat Sauce

Add the sauce mixture on top of the onions and sour cream in the pie pan.

Cheese

Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top of the pie. Add the last two teaspoons of parmesan cheese on top.

Bake

Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350F until the cheese is melted and starting to brown.

Enjoy!

Let rest for 10 minutes before cutting to serve.

Mistakes to Avoid

Letting the noodles cool before mixing in the eggs. Warm noodles coat evenly with egg; cooled noodles don't bind as well.
Skipping the rest before cutting. It's tempting to serve right away, but 10 minutes makes the difference between a clean slice and a mess on the plate.
Using angel hair or thin spaghetti. It breaks down and turns mushy in the bake – stick with regular spaghetti or bucatini.
Guessing on the parmesan split. Use ¼ cup in the crust mixture and save the remaining 1 tablespoon for the top – this exact mix-up has tripped up readers before (see the comments on the live post).

Kitchen notes

You don't have to use a pie pan. You can use any glass baking dish – round, square, or rectangular.

Larger pans, cook more pasta – If you're using larger than a 10” pie pan, we'd recommend using half a pound of pasta, which is approximately half a box of dried pasta. Add an extra egg and additional tablespoon of parmesan cheese to the binder mixture.

This dish freezes incredibly well. double (or triple!) the recipe and freeze an extra pie for a later day. We've found that this is a great way to always have a mercy meal on hand! prepare as normal but cook and store in disposable aluminum baking pans.

Tastes even better the next day. Like many soups, sauces and casseroles, this often tastes even better the next day, after the flavors have some time to meld together.

Keeping leftovers

Fridge: store leftovers covered for up to 4 days – like most casseroles, the flavor improves by day two.
Reheat: in the oven at 350°F until warmed through, or in the microwave in short bursts.
Freezer: freezes well for up to 2-3 months. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then foil, and label with the date. Thaw in the fridge before reheating. For make-ahead dinners, assemble and freeze unbaked in a disposable pan, then bake straight from frozen, adding extra time as needed.

Baked Spaghetti Pie Recipe FAQs

Can we make this recipe ahead of time?

Yes! Baked Spaghetti pie often tastes even better the next day. cook a day or two ahead.

Can we make this recipe gluten free?

Substitute traditional spaghetti with rice pasta. follow the pasta cooking directions included on the packaging. With gluten free pasta, it's smart to keep it al dente as you'll be cooking it longer in “pie form” and gluten free pasta gets mushy fast.

Where is Spaghetti pie from?

Spaghetti pie actually originated in Denver – while there are lots of baked spaghetti casseroles, the first mention of “spaghetti pie” as a dish was from North Denver neighborhoods – likely where our husband's grandma (and our grandpa, who went to the old Manual HS!) grew up.

Does spaghetti pie have crust?

There is no real crust to this spaghetti casserole – the spaghetti bakes in a pie plate to take a pie shape.

Do we need to pre-cook noodles for spaghetti pie?

Yes, you should cook the spaghetti noodles until they are al dente (firm to the bite) before using them in the recipe. This ensures that they don't become mushy during baking.

What type of pasta should we use for spaghetti pie?

While spaghetti is the traditional choice, you can experiment with other pasta shapes like fettuccine, penne, or rigatoni if you prefer. However, the dish might be called something different if you deviate from spaghetti.

Can we make spaghetti pie in advance?

Yes, you can prepare spaghetti pie in advance and refrigerate it for a day or two before baking. cover it tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. When ready to bake, remove it from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before baking.

Can we freeze spaghetti pie?

Yes, you can freeze spaghetti pie. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. Label it with the date and contents. It can be frozen for up to 2-3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator before reheating.

Is spaghetti pie kid friendly?

Yes, spaghetti pie is often enjoyed by kids due to its familiar spaghetti and cheese components. You can customize it with ingredients your kids like, such as mild cheeses and vegetables, to make it even more appealing to them.

Serve it with

A nice fresh and light green salad goes well with this meal. Something like our Poppyseed Spinach fruit salad would be a nice addition on a summer day to lighten this up.

You can't serve spaghetti – even in pie form – in our house without a side of fresh bread. Our kids LOVE a fresh slice of bread with their pasta.

If you love this video than you will enjoy our cheesy Italian meatball skillet!

We'd recommend our Easy No Knead Bread with lots of butter.

If you want something a little more zippy Easy Jalapeño Cheese bread is a fun side. The zesty spice from the Jalapeno goes well with the rich flavors of Grandma's Spaghetti Pie!

For more simple salad ideas, find our salad recipes index or some of our recipes below:

What Readers Are Saying

“We have been making this recipe for years because our mother made it while we were growing up! The only difference is that we sauté chopped (diced) green peppers with the onions. good!” – Mary Beth

“OMG! The baked spaghetti pie was awesome!… we did not have parmesan cheese, so we used cottage cheese mixed with noodles. Turned out awesome! This is a keeper.” – Michelle L Martin

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Ingredients

6 oz of spaghetti
2 eggs
¼ cup parmesan cheese plus 1 tablespoon
2 tbsp butter
? cup onion, chopped
1 cup sour cream
1 lb of ground beef or mix ½ ground beef and ½ pound of Italian sausage
1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, oregano and basil
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
salt and pepper
8 oz can of tomato sauce
6 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

Method

Bring 3-4 quarts of water to a boil, break spaghetti in half and cook as directed by the packaging, probably around 9-11 minutes. Strain when done.
Beat two eggs
Spray the bottom of your pie pan with non-stick spray.
In the bottom of your pie pan, mix noodles, ¼ cup of parmesan cheese and beaten eggs, while the eggs are still warm and pliable. Gently press down the noodles into the pan to make the “crust”.
Saute onions and butter together in a pan.
Add the onions, and 1 cup of sour cream on top of the noodles.
Brown the meat and drain off the excess oil. Add the seasonings, and the tomato sauce to the meat and simmer for 3-4 minutes to cook together.
Add the sauce mixture on top of the onions and sour cream in the pie pan.
Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top of the pie. Add the last tablespoon of parmesan cheese on top.
Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350o until the cheese is melted and starting to brown.
Let rest for 10 minutes before cutting to serve.