Entree - Macaroni Pie (from Scottos via Marjorie)

I used hot sausage in lieu of sweet.  A large bag of leaf spinach (thawed).  Lots more garlic.  Locatelli cheese instead of parmesan (just personal preference).  Had deli man cut me a 1/2 inch  chunk of genoa and then took home & diced it.

Macaroni Pie compliments of The Scottos

Ingredients

• 1 pound penne pasta
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
• 1/2 cup diced Genoa salami
• 1 cup crumbled sweet italian sausage, casings removed, sautéed till brown
• 2 bunches spinach, washed and stemmed
• 1 cup mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 cup ricotta
• 6 large eggs, beaten
• 1 cup grated parmigiano reggiano, leaving 1/4 cup for topping
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat the inside of an 8-inch springform pan with butter and set aside. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and cook penne pasta till just past al dente, but not too soft. Drain pasta, toss in a large mixing bowl with salt, pepper, and a tablespoon of the olive oil; set aside.

In a large skillet heat ¼ cup olive oil over medium heat till smoking. Add the garlic and sauté until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the spinach and reduce heat to medium. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes. Remove spinach to a cutting board, chop coarsely, and add to the mixing bowl with pasta. Toss pasta and spinach together, then add the cheeses, meats and beaten eggs. Fold mixture until it is uniformly dressed then transfer to springform pan. Bake for 60 minutes, until the top is golden brown and firm to the touch.

Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes then remove from springform pan. Serve warm or at room temperature topped with grated parmigiano reggiano.

Serving Size

6 servings

Addendum:

Created my own sauce to spoon over pie before serving.

5 to 6 cloves of chopped garlic

3 to 4 tbsp of virgin olive oil

1 can low fat Chicken Broth

Salt & Pepper to taste

Red pepper flakes to taste

Chop garlic and sautee in oil until a nice golden brown.  Make sure not to over brown otherwise flavor changes.

Salt & pepper & red pepper to taste and sautee a few minutes longer.  Add one can of low fat chicken broth and

bring to boit and then simmer for 5 minutes or so.

Spoon over slice of macaroni pie, grate some pecorino/romano cheese and either eat at room temp or heat in microwave.

Bon Appetite!!!