WW Recipe of the Day: Skinny Pizza Pasta Pie
Today I'm sharing a WW friendly dinner idea that is sure to satisfy the entire family. Fresh-cooked spaghetti forms the "crust" for this deep dish "pizza" casserole layered with ricotta cheese, meaty marinara, and melted mozzarella cheese.
This quick and easy dish is part pizza, part pasta, and part pie--and it delivers the flavor of lasagna. This spaghetti casserole can also be assembled ahead and then baked later. Could it get any better?
WW Friendly Pizza Pasta Pie
How Many Calories and WW SmartPoints in this Skinny Pizza Pasta Pie?
According to my calculations, each serving has 290 calories and
9 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
9 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
9 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
8 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
- Using fat-free ricotta, instead of part skim, will shave 1 SmartPoint making the pasta pizza pie *8 SmartPoints per serving instead of *9.
- Using fat-free mozzarella instead of part skim will also shave 1 SmartPoint.
- If you are following WW Purple Plan you can shave 3 SmartPoints by using whole wheat/whole grain/brown rice pasta.
How to Make this WW Friendly Pizza Pasta Pie Step-by-Step
Step 1: Gather your ingredients and cooking utensils.
Ingredients for making baked pizza pasta pie
Ingredients:
- 6 ounces dry spaghetti
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- ¼ cup, plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- ½ pound very lean ground beef
- 2 cups sliced mushrooms, optional
- 1-½ cups marinara sauce (such as Classico Tomato Basil)
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- ¾ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Cooking Utensils:
- Stock Pot (affiliate link)
- Colander/Strainer (affiliate link)
- Large Nonstick Skillet (affiliate link)
- Large Mixing Bowl (affiliate link)
- Glass or Ceramic Pie Plate (affiliate link)
Step 2: Prepare the Spaghetti
Mixing spaghetti with egg and parmesan
Prepare the spaghetti according to the package directions, drain, rinse and shake well to remove excess water. Place the spaghetti in a large bowl and toss with the egg and ¼ cup of the Parmesan cheese.
Press spaghetti mixture into pie plate
Press the spaghetti onto the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pie plate (affiliate link) and set aside.
Step 3: Prepare the Meat Sauce
Add sauce and oregano to browned ground beef
Spray a large nonstick skillet (affiliate link) with cooking spray and place it over medium high heat. Add the beef and mushrooms, if using, and cook until the beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes or so. Add the marinara sauce and oregano.
Stir the sauce and spices with meat until well combined.
Stir it to mix it with the meat and cook 2 to 3 minutes, then remove from the heat.
Step 4: Assemble the Skinny Pizza Pasta Pie
Spread ricotta evenly over the spaghetti
Stir the ricotta well to loosen it and then and spoon it onto the spaghetti crust, spreading it out evenly.
Layer sauce over the ricotta
Spoon the meat sauce over the ricotta layer.
Layer with mozzarella cheese
Sprinkle with the mozzarella and remaining Parmesan cheese.
Step 4: Bake the Pizza Pasta Pie
Skinny Pizza Pasta Pie ready to cut into 6 wedges and serve.
Bake for 30 minutes or until fully heated through. Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes before cutting into six wedges to serve.
Serving baked spaghetti pizza pasta pie
Pizza Pasta Pie Recipe Notes
My go to jarred marinara sauce when I'm paying close attention to WW Points is Classico Tomato Basil. It tastes great and has only *2 WW SmartPoints per half cup serving.
The mushrooms are optional but do add bulk for Zero SmartPoints. I would have added them, except my sister, who abhors mushrooms, was having dinner with us.
Using fat-free ricotta, instead of part skim, will shave 1 SmartPoint making the pasta pizza pie *8 SmartPoints per serving instead of *9.
Using fat-free mozzarella instead of part skim will also shave 1 SmartPoint.
If you are following WW Purple Plan you can shave 3 SmartPoints by using whole wheat/whole grain/brown rice pasta.
This recipe is very flexible. Add pizza toppings to suit your tastes. Bell pepper, olives, and pepperoni would all be delicious. Just be sure to adjust the Points if you are following WW.
It also can be assembled ahead and refrigerated until you are ready to bake it.
Serving Suggestions
I served our Pizza Pasta Pie with a simple tossed green salad. For me pasta and salad are the perfect match. Depending on how many veggies you add, it might be just fine on its own. Steamed green beans, sauteed zucchini or roasted/grilled vegetables, such as zucchini, peppers and/or eggplant would also be great.
Ways to Use Leftovers
You can portion out any leftovers and refrigerate and/or freeze for future quick and easy meals. Since there were for of us for dinner the night I served this up I had just enough leftover for lunch for Rod and me the next day. This is so tasty, leftovers shouldn't be a problem.
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Skinny Pizza Pasta Pie
Ingredients
- 6 ounces dry spaghetti
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 6 tablespoons grated Parmesan, divided
- ½ pound extra-lean ground beef
- 2 cups sliced mushrooms, optional
- 1-½ cups marinara sauce (such as Classico tomato basil)
- ½ teaspoon oregano (I used Italian seasoning instead)
- 1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
- ¾ cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Lightly spray a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.
- The first step is to prepare the spaghetti. Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions, drain, rinse and shake well to remove excess water. Place the spaghetti in a large bowl and toss with the egg and 4 tablespoons (¼ cup) of the Parmesan cheese. Press the spaghetti onto the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pie plate and set aside.
- Next prepare the meat sauce. Spray a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray and place it over medium high heat. Add the beef and mushrooms, if using, and cook until the beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes or so. Add the marinara sauce and oregano. Stir it to mix it with the meat and cook 2 to 3 minutes, then remove from the heat.
- Then assemble the pizza pasta pie. Stir the ricotta well to loosen it and then and spoon it onto the spaghetti crust, spreading it out evenly. Spoon the meat sauce over the ricotta layer. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and remaining Parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until fully heated through. Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes before cutting into six wedges to serve.
Recipe Notes
Recipe source: Eat More of What You Love (affiliate link)
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
If you like this Skinny Pizza Pasta Pie, you might also like
- Pioneer Woman Chicken Spaghetti Made Lighter
- Skinny Cheeseburger Pasta One Pot Skillet
- WW Spaghetti & Chicken Meatballs
- Mom's Easy Baked Ziti Made Lighter
Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!
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Laura
What if you use whole wheat spaghetti? Wouldn’t that make it less on purple?