Spaghetti Pot Pies with Spinach, Ricotta and Optional Ground Beef

I sort of fell in love with baked spaghetti pies this summer when I made the Mediterranean eggplant pasta cake. That is still definitely my favorite spaghetti pie recipe, but when I saw my new obsession blog had a recipe for miniature spaghetti pot pies, I knew I had to try.

The coolest thing about this recipe is that it's from Kitchen Treaty's One Meal, Two Ways section; she gives instructions on how and when to separate the meal into half that stays vegetarian, and half that you add meat to, so you can please vegetarians and carnivores alike with the same meal.  Is that not genius!?  Here's the funny part: Mark requested that I not add the ground beef.  I think he is secretly a vegetarian and just doesn't want to admit it.  His dad called him out on it at Thanksgiving so he made sure to down extra turkey and short ribs, but the man refuses to eat any ground meat or sausage.  He's well on his way to the veggie life and I'm loving it.

Anyway, back to the pies.  These little guys are baked in individual ramekins (make sure you keep track which colors are meatless, if you're adding meat to half!) and they have layers of goodness.  Sauce on the bottom (with or without beef), then a ricotta-spinach mixture, then a slice of provolone, then the spaghetti.  It turns into a crunchy "crust," hence the pot pie name.  It's basically a little ramekin full of Italian glory.  As you can see, they went over pretty well here at the Ajemian house.

Can we please talk about how Thanksgiving break is almost over?!  And then it's almost December!?  And there are 9 inches of snow out there?!  Craziness.

Recipe:

spaghetti pot pies with spinach, ricotta and optional ground beef
from Kitchen Treaty
makes 4 large pot pies or 6 medium

Ingredients:
1/2 pound spaghetti noodles
2 eggs
1/2 cup + 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
3 cups Italian tomato sauce or marinara sauce
1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 ounces (4 - 6 ounces) Provolone cheese
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
if adding meat to half the pot pies:
1 pound lean ground beef

Instructions:

1) Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Place 4 large (12 ounces) or 6 medium (10 ounces) ramekins on a baking sheet.  Boil spaghetti noodles in a large pot until al dente, according to package directions.  Drain and return to pot.  Set aside to cool.

2) Beat the eggs and add them to the noodles, along with 1/2 cup Parmesan.  Toss until all the spaghetti is covered with the egg and cheese.

3) Brown ground beef and drain any fat.  Add 1 cup of the tomato sauce and stir. Set aside.

4) In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, spinach, mozzarella, nutmeg, and a few turns of freshly ground black pepper.

5) In a small bowl, stir together the 1/2 cup bread crumbs and 1/4 Parmesan cheese with a spoon.

6) Divide the ingredients among the prepared ramekins.  Start with the Italian tomato sauce with or without ground beef.  Drop 3 - 4 tablespoonfuls of the ricotta mixture into each ramekin, adding an extra tablespoonful to the vegetarian versions.  Lay one slice of provolone over the top of each, tun divide the spaghetti noodle mixture evenly between each ramekin.  Using clean hands, gather and press the noodles firmly into the ramekin, taking care not to squeeze out any of the contents.  Spoon the breadcrumbs over the top of each pie.

7) Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until bubbling and the spaghetti topping is golden brown around the edges.  Let cool for 5 - 10 minutes until the ramekins have cooled a bit.  Serve.

Vegetarian Butternut Squash and Beer Chili with Optional Ground Turkey

I realize that I love chili perhaps more than your average vegetarian.  No, I don't put meat in mine, but seriously there is just something about a big, hot bowl of chili, maybe with some rice and sour cream and cheese.  I've made vegan chili and crockpot black bean and quinoa chili, and one more recipe coming up to still share, and frankly never met a meatless chili I didn't love.  I was pretty excited when I found this recipe, which was a little different from the others due to the addition of butternut squash and beer.  Um, yes please.

This chili has a lot of flavor going on - more than your average chili.  I have now made two chilis from this same blog, and both of them have more than your average chili powder.  It gives it a super rich chili flavor, if that makes sense.  Then of course, there's the slightly sweet squash tossed into the mix.  Plus there's carrot, bell pepper, and pinto beans, and as for the spices?  Get ready: garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and my secret obsession, smoked paprika.  Plus beer.  Are you drooling yet?

Mark and I both loved this chili and devoured it for dinner.  Then we both ate it for lunch until it was gone!  We loved sprinkling some cheddar cheese on top, and I stirred some sour cream into mine.  Mmmmm.

Oh, and here is the coolest part.  This is from my new favorite blog, Kitchen Treaty.  I've told you about her before.  She is a vegetarian who married a carnivore, so she has a section on her blog called One Meal, Two Ways.  She tells you at what point in your dish's cooking you should split the food in half, add meat to one half, and keep the other vegetarian.  Genius!  The funny thing is, even though I have made a few of her recipes, every time I get ready to toss meat into Mark's half, he tells me not to bother!  I think he is secretly a vegetarian too :)  So this chili has the option of adding ground turkey to all or half of the dish.  Use that information as you wish; I'm telling you it doesn't need meat, but the carnivores of the world may disagree.  The beauty of this recipe is that it's up to you to meat it up or not!

Recipe:

vegetarian butternut squash and beer chili
from Kitchen Treaty
serves 6

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup diced yellow onion (about 1 small onion)
1 tablespoon diced garlic (about 2 large cloves)
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups diced butternut squash
1 cup diced red bell pepper (about 1/2 large pepper)
1 cup grated carrot (about 2 medium carrots)
4 cups (or 2 15-ounce cans) cooked pinto beans, drained
1 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 cup American lager, blonde, or IPA beer
more kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
if adding ground turkey to half (optional):
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 pound ground turkey
pinch kosher salt
if adding ground turkey to all (optional):
1 pound ground turkey
2 - 3 teaspoons olive oil
pinch kosher salt

Instructions:

1) In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the olive oil and sauté the onion until translucent and soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and spices (chili powder cumin, oregano, and smoked paprika) and stir for another minute.  Add the remaining ingredients - butternut squash, red pepper, carrots, beans, tomatoes, and beer- and, keeping the pan on medium heat, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, partially covered, until squash is fork-tender, about 30 minutes.

2) If adding turkey, brown in a medium saucepan over medium heat with olive oil and pinch of salt until cooked through, about 10 minutes.  If only including turkey in half, remove about 2 1/2 cups of the chili from the vegetarian batch and add it to the turkey.  Stir and simmer for about 10 minutes.  If including turkey n all, you can just pour the browned turkey in with the chili and the end of the process, or you can add it when you add the squash and other ingredients.

3) Taste and add additional salt and pepper if desired.  Serve with shredded monterey jack cheese, sour cream, and diced avocado for topping.  You can also serve it over rice.