"Marzetti's" Spaghetti Pie

The Joy of Cooking is one of my favorite cookbooks for everyday, simple food or what Himself calls "real food." From spiced tea to a form of cassoulet, pretty much anything you might want is there. That explains why the book is approximately the size of Gray's Anatomy. Sometimes the dishes are so simple that they are pretty bland. We found that to be the case with the spaghetti pie recipe. As written, the only herb included was a teaspoon of dried oregano and the amount of garlic was only 2 teaspoons. This to balance and enhance a pound and a half of beef, a large onion and43 ounces of tomatoes? I think not.
I started the recipe just as written but as it simmered it became more bland, developing no flavor. Taking a page from Lydia Bastianich, I added a number of flavorings and aromatics. Tasting, adding, adjusting, tasting again produced a very nicely balanced dish. The original recipe also called for a full pound of cooked pasta, but we only used 1/2 pound. Note that the herbs are dried in this version, change the amounts to your particular taste and add salt and pepper, as needed.

Here's my version of the spaghetti pie, which will serve 4 really hungry people or 8 not-so-hungry folks.

Main ingredient preparation:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1 large onion, coarse chop
• 3 cloves garlic, mashed or minced.

Sweat the onion in a heavy pan, using either olive oil or butter. When onion has softened but before it browns, add the meats. Break beef and pork apart with a spatula and cook just until pink. Stir in the garlic and steep until aroma is released.

• 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 15 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, quartered, juice reserved
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon basil
• 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon crushed anise seed
• 1 bay leaf

Add all the above, including half of the juice from the peeled tomatoes, to the meat combination. Stir well, bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Cover loosely, stirring and tasting occasionally. This can be simmered anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours, depending on how much time the cook has. Adjust flavorings as it cooks, adding herbs or aromatics, such as onion or garlic powder, as it cooks. Add remaining juice if the mixture begins to stick or becomes too thick.

Preheat oven to 350.

Butter a 13 x 9 inch casserole.

Assemble the dish:

• 1/2 pound small dry pasta, mini penne, rigatoni, anything you like, cooked al dente and drained
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
• 1 cup shredded or sliced mozzarella

Remove meat mixture from heat, take out the bay leaf and stir in the cooked pasta and cheese. Turn the mixture into the casserole and top with:

• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar

Melt 2 tablespoons butter and drizzle over the topping. Bake until dish is bubbling around the edges and has browned nicely. I found that 350 didn't brown the topping to my satisfaction so I turned the oven up to 375 for about 20 minutes, which did the trick.

Remove the casserole from the oven and allow to sit a minimum of 5 minutes. Serve with crusty bread and a salad for a hearty and tasty winter meal.