hillbilly pie

This recipe is an oldie but a goodie! If I’m having a big crowd this is one of my go-to recipes! I call it “Hillbilly” because I make it in an old fashioned cast iron pan and that’s the kind of pan folks use here in the Ozarks! It’s a one pan meal too! This is truly a delicious supper served with a crisp salad and garlic bread… it’s one of our family favorites!

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Gather your ingredients! If you want the most delicious results use FRESH parsley, parmesan cheese and basil. Trust me it makes a difference providing true, rich Italian flavor. I’m 100% Italian, both sets of my grandparents were from Italy! So I grew up with authentic Italian cooking, my tastebuds know the difference! Fresh is best!

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Ummm…YUM! Comfort food at it’s best!

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Brown the meat in your cast iron pan. I use lean grass fed beef and lean sausage so I don’t have any excess grease. If you have a lot of grease be sure to drain it before adding the other ingredients.

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Once browned, push the meat to one side and in the empty spot add 1 tablespoon of oil and the chopped green onions, saute for 5 minutes.

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Push the onions to the side along with the meat and add the garlic,

saute for 30 seconds.

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Mix everything together.

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Add the fresh parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes and salt. Mix it all up!

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Add the crushed tomatoes (or tomato puree)

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Stir it in…

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Add 2 cups of water and stir.

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Add broken spaghetti, push down into the liquid…

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Cover and simmer for 6 minutes or until al dente.

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Stir the spaghetti and mix in the fresh grated parmesan cheese.

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Add the cream…

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…and fresh basil. Mix it all up.

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Lastly, top with mozzarella cheese and put  it under the broiler for a few minutes (keep an eye on it!), until it’s roasted spotty-brown like a pizza!

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Come ‘n git yer Hillbilly Spaghetti Pie!! Yee Haw!

hillbilly pie

Aunt Ruthie’s Hillbilly Spaghetti Pie Recipe

I make this recipe in my large cast iron pan. You can use a different kind of pan as long as it’s oven/broiler proof. Another thing you can do is transfer the mixture (without the mozzarella cheese added yet) to a roasting pan, then add the mozzarella cheese and put in under the broiler. This is such a delicious meal served with a crisp salad and garlic bread… it’s one of our family favorites!

  • 1 bunch green onions, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 pound extra lean ground beef
  • 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, 3 links, casings removed
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (use fresh!)
  • 1 (approx. 28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes (or tomato puree)
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I add two more pinches to give it a kick!)
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • 2 cups water
  • 8 ounces spaghetti, broken in half  (I used half of a 16 ounce package–Thin spaghetti–not Angel Hair– but you can use regular.  You can add a little more spaghetti if you need to serve more people.
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (use fresh if you can!)
  • 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese (buy a wedge of Parmesan cheese and grate it, it makes a huge difference!)
  • 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Directions:

  1. Saute beef and sausage, brown over medium-high heat. If there’s excess grease you can drain it. I usually don’t have a lot because I use lean meat.
  2. Push the browned meat to the side, add 1 tablespoon Olive oil on the empty side and add chopped green onions, saute on on medium heat 5 minutes.
  3. Push the green onions to the side next to the meat and add the garlic. Saute for about 30 seconds then stir everything together.
  4. Add the fresh parsley, red pepper flakes, oregano, and salt.
  5. Stir in crushed tomatoes, water and salt.
  6. Add broken spaghetti. Push spaghetti into liquid, and cover for 8 minutes.
  7. After 8 minutes, stir pasta so the noodles won’t stick together. Cover the pan, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 6 more minutes until pasta is al dente (almost cooked but still a little firm).
  8. Add chopped basil, Parmesan cheese, and cream, stir well.
  9. Top with mozzarella cheese, put in oven to broil until spotty brown. (stand there and keep watch or set a timer for 3 minutes at a time until it’s ready, or else you may end up with Blackened Hillbilly Spaghetti Pie!)

To serve just use a large spoon to scoop out your portions. Add a crisp salad and garlic bread and enjoy!

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