Recipe by: Chef Manny
Ingredients
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
8 ounces ricotta cheese
4 large eggs
4 cups (about 32 ounces) marinara sauce, divided
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 pound uncooked spaghetti
1 cup diced mozzarella cheese (see note)
¼ cup parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Basil, for garnish
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 400F and rub olive oil on the bottoms and the side of a 9” springform pan or extra deep dish pie plate (see note) and place on a rimmed baking sheet.
Heat oil over medium heat in a medium skillet. Once hot, add ground sausage and cook until no pink remains, about 7 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Prepare ricotta mixture: Add ricotta, eggs, 2 cups of the marinara, salt, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning to a bowl and mix together until fully combined.
Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook, uncovered, until the spaghetti is very al dente—about 3 minutes less than the package instructions state. Drain the pasta through a colander and rinse with cool water until it is no longer hot. Return the pasta back to the pot.
Add the marinara sauce mixture, sausage and diced mozzarella to the spaghetti and toss to coat.
Add the spaghetti mixture to the prepared dish in batches, making sure to evenly distribute the sausage, cheese and sauce. Smooth it over into an even layer and then top it with the remaining marinara and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Lightly oil a piece of aluminum foil and loosely cover the top of the pan.
Bake in the center of the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and continue to bake until the pie is bubbling, with the center of the pie registering at least 180ºF with an instant read thermometer.
Let the pie cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. If using a springform pan, gently run a knife around the outer edge to loosen the pasta pie from the pan before opening.
Slice and serve with warmed additional marinara sauce if desired and garnish the pie with additional parmesan cheese and fresh basil.