Spaghetti Pie - A Flexible Forgiving Recipe!

I found a variation of this recipe online at Barbaras Bakin N Bits and again in AllRecipes.com. Please read through, my own experience follows this excellent recipe. (I promise to upload photos -- as soon as I download camera)

Ingredients

1 (6 ounce) package spaghetti
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

Cook and drain spaghetti. Stir in margarine, parmesan cheese and eggs, while spaghetti is hot.

Form spaghetti mixture into a crust in a buttered 10 inch pie plate.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a skillet cook the beef, onion, green pepper and garlic. Drain off the fat and stir in the undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar and oregano. Heat through.

Spread cottage cheese over the spaghetti crust then pour in the beef and tomato mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 minutes. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top of the pie then bake for 5 minutes longer, until cheese melts.

OK -- ya'll know how much I admire recipes that are 1) Flexible, and 2) Forgiving. Let me tell you, this one is the Keeper of all Keepers!!

Remember, I'm in the middle of cataract surgery (it's a good excuse) and my left eye sees well at a distance, my right eye is foggy. I bought reading glasses off the shelf to sort of magnify letters so I can operate on screen and attempt to read books (see, the excuse can be justified.)

I promised to try this new recipe for our Thursday night 42 group (if you don't know what 42 is, look it up online with dominoes) and this Thursday we were back to eight people, so two pies ought to work out just right, right?

I spent just over an hour in the kitchen. First off, I thought the spaghetti package would make a bit much, and when it was cooked, it did fill two pie pans. (Error 1 - my package was 16 ounces. Filled two pies quite well!!)

Everything smelled sooooo good while the meat was cooking! I didn't put in the sugar and oregano -- that wasn't included in the online recipe, and I think it might have been good to have. I'll try that next time.

I used diced tomatoes with onion and green pepper and omitted the green pepper from above. Beloved Husband isn't a green pepper fan, and I love him enough to lower their flavor.

I prepared the pies at home, but didn't bake the mozarella until we arrived at our hosts' home. The oven was ready and within ten minues we were ready to slice the pies, served with garlic bread and a tossed salad.

As I accepted accolades for a great dish and was explaining the recipe to the ladies, I realized error 2 - I had forgotten the cottage cheese!!!!! My friends loved the dish, without one of the creamiest, soften-the-spaghetti, add taste, make it more-like-lasagna ingredients.

See why I think this is both flexible and forgiving?