Gail Simmons’ Epic Spaghetti Pie
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This impressive spaghetti pie, packed with broccoli, Italian sausage, and a jaw-dropping amount of cheese, is a total crowd pleaser—perfect for leftovers, too!
Featured on the cover of her beautiful new cookbook, Bringing It Home: Favorite Recipes From A Life of Adventurous Eating, Gail Simmons’ spaghetti pie with broccoli and Italian sausage is, according to my husband, one of the best things I’ve ever made. EVER. I could take offense since it’s not even my own recipe, but honestly, I totally agree with him. It’s similar to lasagna or baked ziti, only way more impressive to serve. Fair warning: the recipe calls for a jaw-dropping amount of cheese, but trust me—it’s worth it.
Gail writes, “Spaghetti pie is a big affair, impressive in both stature and ingredients, and meant to feed a crowd. You don’t have to wait for your next party to make it, though. If you don’t have enough eaters to tackle it, there’s a bonus: slices of the savory pie make the best leftovers of all time.” The recipe calls for a springform pan, which is a great investment if you don’t already have one, but you could also use a large baking dish and serve it lasagna-style if needed.
“We make this about twice a month. This is a favorite of ours. Even the leftovers are amazing.”
What You’ll Need To Make Spaghetti Pie
- Extra-virgin olive oil: Adds richness and depth of flavor to the sautéed vegetable and sausage mixture.
- Yellow onion and garlic: The aromatic base, infusing the pie with savory, well-rounded flavor.
- Broccoli or broccoli rabe: Brings texture, vibrant color, and earthy flavor, balancing the richness of the cheese and sausage. Broccoli rabe has thinner stems smaller florets than broccoli, and a more bitter, leafy flavor.
- Italian sausage: Provides savory, spiced depth to the pie; choose hot or sweet depending on your preference.
- Tomato paste: Concentrates the tomato flavor, adding richness and depth to the sausage mixture.
- Canned whole peeled tomatoes: Introduces a burst of freshness into the sauce, balancing the hearty ingredients with bright acidity.
- Spaghetti: The sturdy base of the pie, it holds up well when combined with the other ingredients and baked.
- Whole milk: Adds creaminess and moisture, helping to bind the ingredients together. Use half and half for a bit more richness.
- Eggs: Essential for structure, the eggs help the pie set as it bakes, making it easy to slice and serve.
- Sharp cheddar cheese and fontina cheese: These cheeses melt beautifully, adding a creamy, tangy richness to the pie.
- Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese: Adds a salty, nutty finish; used in both the filling and the topping for extra flavor.
- Fresh sage: Lends a fragrant, earthy note that complements the savory, cheesy pie.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
To begin, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add the broccoli and 1 tablespoon of water and cook until the broccoli is crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the sausage.
Cook, breaking the meat into small bits, until cooked through, about 6 minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
Then add the crushed drained tomatoes and 1/4 teaspoon salt. (Note that it’s best to use canned whole tomatoes and crush them yourself over diced tomatoes, since diced canned tomatoes contain a firming agent, calcium chloride, that makes them slow to break down.)
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.
Meanwhile, 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 a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, pepper, and 3/4 teaspoon salt.
Combine the spaghetti and milk mixture in the pot; add in the sausage-broccoli mixture, cheddar, fontina, and 1 cup of the Parmesan.
Stir until well combined.
Butter a springform pan that has been wrapped in aluminum foil (wrapping the pan in foil protects against leakage). Transfer the pasta mixture into the pan and, 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 for about 10 minutes, then release and remove the sides of the pan. Cut the pie into slices and serve warm.
Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions
The pie can be assembled, covered, and refrigerated a day ahead of time, then baked right before serving. The unbaked pie can also be frozen for up to a month. The day before serving, remove the pie from the freezer and thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Bake as directed.
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Gail Simmons' Epic Spaghetti Pie
This impressive spaghetti pie, packed with broccoli, Italian sausage, and a jaw-dropping amount of cheese, is a total crowd pleaser—perfect for leftovers, too!
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter, for greasing the pan
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- ¾ lb broccoli or broccoli rabe, trimmed, stems and florets chopped into ¼-inch pieces (about 2 ½ cups)
- 1 lb hot or sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained, tomatoes crushed by hand
- Kosher salt
- 1 lb dried spaghetti
- ¾ cup whole milk (I substituted half & half)
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2½ cups (8 oz) grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 2½ cups (8 oz) grated fontina cheese
- 1½ cups (3 oz) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
- Special equipment: 9½-inch springform pan
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Preheat the oven to 425ºF and set a rack in the middle position. Butter a 9 ½-inch springform pan. Tightly wrap the bottom of the pan with a large sheet of aluminum 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 of 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 for 1 minute, then add the crushed drained tomatoes and ¼ 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 a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, pepper, and ¾ teaspoon salt. Combine the spaghetti and milk mixture in the pot; add in the sausage-broccoli mixture, cheddar, fontina, and 1 cup of the Parmesan; 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. (Keep an eye on it; if the top starts to get too brown, cover with foil.)
- Remove the pan from the oven. Turn on the broiler. Sprinkle the pie with the sage and remaining ½ cup Parmesan. Broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat until the cheese is golden, 1 to 3 minutes. Keep a close eye on it so it doesn't burn. Remove from the oven and run a knife around the inside of the pan. Let the pie rest for about 10 minutes, then release and remove the sides of the pan. Cut the pie into slices and serve warm.
- Make Ahead: The pie can be assembled, covered, and refrigerated a day ahead of time, then baked right before serving.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The unbaked pie can be frozen for up to a month. The day before serving, remove the pie from the freezer and thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Bake as directed.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (10 servings)
- Calories: 642
- Fat: 39 g
- Saturated fat: 18 g
- Carbohydrates: 43 g
- Sugar: 6 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Sodium: 862 mg
- Cholesterol: 153 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Can I use Cherry tomatoes instead of crushed tomatoes?
So looking forward to trying this recipe !!!
Hi Annette, I’d stick with the canned tomatoes for this — hope you enjoy!
Do you use a 7 or 8 inch spring pan for the Spaghetti Pie?
Hi Susan, I use a 9.5-inch springform for it.
Hi Jenn, I have been eyeing this recipe for awhile now but am having difficulty finding Fontina cheese…..Can you suggest a good substitute!? Thank you in advance!!! Rilla
Hi Rilla, Whole milk mozzarella will work well. Enjoy!
I made this for dinner last night. It was very good, but to my taste I don’t think it’s as good as your Ziti Sausage Casserole.
I agree with other reviewers: I’ll not broil the top next time, and I do plan to make it again.
Thank you!
I am going to give this a try. May I ask why brown the top? I would rather enjoy the spaghetti softer instead of having to peel the crispy layer off the top because to me that spaghetti is too hard for me to enjoy eating.
Hi Laurie, if you’d prefer to avoid the crispy top, I’d skip the step of putting the pasta under the broiler. If you don’t want any crunchiness at all, you can loosely cover the dish with foil for the entire baking time. Hope that helps!
I have made this a couple of times. Besides being delicious I have taken a picture of it to show my friends. They are amazed at its beauty. Even my Italian friends.
Holy crap is this ever tasty.
I have made this many times and always delicious! Thank you for sharing😃
Thais was actually so good! I was hesitant about making it first but I remember making something like this with spaghetti and decided to make it. It took me longer than I thought at first but it was worth it. It was really tasty!
Hi Jenn, Hand crushing the tomatoes releases a lot of liquid. Should the crushed tomatoes be drained again? I did pour off some of the excess liquid and consequently had to cook the sausage/onion/tomato mixture quite awhile to reduce the excess liquid. I made this today to serve tomorrow. Since it will go in the oven cold, how much longer than 35 minutes should I bake it. Finally, I froze a small tin for myself for another day. What time and temp, if different, is required for the frozen version and should it be defrosted first? Thanks very much. This was a lot of work (and a lot of dishes!) but it looks divine.
Hi Mary, while the tomatoes should be drained before you crush them, you shouldn’t have to drain them again after. If you found, however, that there was excess liquid that you needed to cook-off, it’s fine to drain it. And because you’ll be putting it into the oven cold, you may need to add an extra 10 minutes or so onto the baking time. (If you find that the top starts to get a little too brown while it’s in the oven, cover it with foil.)
And for the frozen portion, yes, I would thaw it first and then put it in the oven at 325 for about 15 or 20 minutes or until hot in the middle. (You may want to cover it with foil so it doesn’t dry out.) Hope that helps!
Thank you. This was a big hit. I confess to omitting the broccoli as I’m not a fan. Combining 3 links of Italian sausage with fennel and 2 hot gave the dish a nice zesty flavor. My brother raved about it. Thank you for all your recipes.