Zucchini is like a blank canvas. It’s hard to find a vegetable that’s so versatile, so amazingly delicious in so many recipes, from zucchini Milanese, to zucchini latkes, to stuffed zucchini, to zucchini cookies, etc. This time of year, everyone I know is trying to find new ways to use up their zucchini.
The great thing about this pie is that you can use any roasted vegetable you have on hand. If you have the time, don’t skip the roasting step because it really deepens the vegetable’s flavor. This pie is delicious deconstructed as well…just cook up some pasta and top it with marinara sauce and roasted zucchini. Or the roasted zucchini is incredible with hummus on a whole wheat roll. Zucchini’s possibilities are truly endless.
Instead of making your own marinara sauce you can use pre-made (just make sure it’s extra thick), but making your own sauce is a great way to use up an abundance of fresh tomatoes. When I make this sauce I usually make at least a double recipe because it can be used in so many things.
Roasted Zucchini Spaghetti Pie
(Yield: 1-9” pie)
2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 TB olive oil
¼ lb whole grain spaghetti noodles (I used Barilla)
2 c part-skim ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 egg white
¼ c fresh grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 ½ c Thick Marinara Sauce (recipe below)
Pinch salt and pepper
Cooking spray
Thick Marinara Sauce (should yield ~1 ½ c):
½ TB olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small carrot, peeled and shredded
1 ¼ c coarsely diced tomato (or 16 oz canned diced tomato, with the liquid drained out)
1 ½ oz tomato paste
1 bay leaf
¾ tsp dried basil or 1 TB fresh chopped basil
¼ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp salt
Pinch ground black pepper
9” pie plate
Preheat the oven to 450F. Coat the sliced zucchini with 1 TB of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper; arrange the zucchini in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for ~18 minutes, flipping halfway through the cooking time; when it’s done roasting, the zucchini will be golden in spots.
For the marinara sauce, heat the olive oil over medium heat in small pot with a lid. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes until the onion starts to soften; add the garlic and carrot and sauté another 5-10 minutes (just until the veggies start to take on a little color). Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs, salt, and pepper. Taste to adjust seasonings. Simmer with the lid on for 20-30 minutes.
Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions. Cool the pasta to room temperature, then add 1 egg, 2 TB grated Parmesan, and pinch of pepper; stir to combine.
To the ricotta cheese, mix in 1 egg, 1 egg white, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly coat the pie pan with cooking spray; spread the pasta on the bottom of the pie plate, then spread ½ of the ricotta mixture on top of the pasta. Arrange the zucchini on top of the ricotta (it’s okay if it overlaps a little), then spread the rest of the ricotta mixture on top of the zucchini. Spread the marinara sauce on top of the ricotta. Bake the pie for 20-30 minutes until it’s set. Sprinkle the remaining 2 TB of Parmesan cheese on top and allow to cool slightly before cutting.
Spaghetti pie is one of my favorites! You just improved on it with this delicious roasted zucchini!
Spaghetti and zucchini: two of my favorite ingredients!!!
Zucchini is a great addition to spaghetti pie! Very yummy!
I’ve had limited encounters with zucchini, but I really want a hunk out of this dish! Looks awesome!
A good idea of zucchini and spaghetti… looks so wonderful yummy :)
Yay! Another great way to use up my zucchini. This looks really terrific!
Great idea! I made a spaghetti pie before (a much simpler one, yours looks much nicer!) and it was a hit. It would be great cold on a picnic too I would imagine! :)
My mom makes something VERY similiar, but breads the zuccini!
This looks healthier and maybe a little better. (Don’t tell her…LOL)
I actually sent her this recipe.
This looks beyond delicious with the roasted zucchini. Lovely dish. You won 2nd prize in my giveaway, please email me your naz.
i LOVE zucchini…i love that this is like part omelet, part quiche, part frittata all wrapped in one!
A wonderful idea! This pie looks so tasty and scrumptious!
Cheers,
Rosa
Thanks for visiting me at my site. Just having a browse though yours. This looks so yummy and comforting. So good for a rainy day like we are having today! Also that ricotta pancake in the previous post looks to die for.
This looks delicious. I will definitely be making the marinara sauce with home-grown tomatoes as we are starting to get them now :) Thanks for the recipe.
Yum! This looks so good :). Will definitely be trying this one out, thanks!
wow!! this is great idea.. this pie sound amazing.. m definitely gonna try this out..
cheers!! faith!!
That sounds really good. I have a recipe that it almost identical to this, except it uses spinach instead of zucchini! I’ll have to try it.
What a great variation with these ingredients!
Love the idea of roasting the zucchini – I bet it gets all the moisture out so you don’t have a soggy casserole – great idea!
I love this and plan to make it for dinner, tomorrow night.
I wonder how many calories are in that dish? I could use it for my diabetic husband but I have to figure how much calories in a piece of pie. Do you know what it would be?
Filomena, I’m honored that you want to make this recipe for your husband! I didn’t calculate the nutrition info for this recipe, but if you want to do so, Calorie Count is a pretty good tool. I hope this helps!