Ultimate Comfort: Gail Simmons' Spaghetti Pie
Gail Simmons' new cookbook, Bringing It Home, is an instant classic filled with innovative and traditional comfort foods made her way. We recently chatted with Simmons on our Food Republic Today podcast — download and listen! Her spaghetti pie is a delicious, super-comforting way to feed a big crowd.
Ultimate Comfort: Gail Simmons' Spaghetti Pie
Prep Time
25
minutes
Cook Time
1.58
hours
Servings
8
to 10
Total time: 2 hours
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter for greasing the pan
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3/4 pound broccoli or broccoli rabe
- 1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
- kosher salt
- 1 pound dried spaghetti
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 1/2 cups grated sharp yellow cheddar cheese
- 2 1/2 cups grated fontina cheese
- 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
Directions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Heat the oven to 425ºF. Butter a 91/2-inch springform pan. Tightly wrap the bottom of the pan with a large sheet of foil, crimping the foil against the outer edges to tightly seal.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the broccoli and 1 tablespoon water and cook until the broccoli is crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, breaking the meat into small bits, until cooked through, about 6 minutes. stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute, then add the crushed drained tomatoes and 1/4 teaspoon salt. cook, stirring occasionally and scraping any bits from the pan, until the liquid is mostly evaporated, about 5 minutes. remove from the heat and set aside.
- Add salt to the boiling water and cook the spaghetti just until very al dente, 7 to 8 minutes (look for a white spot in the center when you bite into a strand). drain the pasta (do not rinse) and reserve the pot.
- In the pasta pot, whisk together the milk, eggs, pepper, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. stir in the cheddar, fontina, and 1 cup of the Parmesan. Add the sausage mixture and spaghetti; stir until well combined.
- Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared pan. Using a spatula, smooth the top. Set the pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the edges are golden and bubbling, about 35 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven. Turn on the broiler. sprinkle the pie with the sage and remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan. Broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat until the cheese is golden, 2 to 3 minutes. remove from the oven and run a knife around the inside of the pan. Let the pie rest about 10 minutes then release and remove the sides of the pan. cut the pie into slices and serve warm.