I first encountered this Cheesy Pasta Pie while on a trip with my wife to the Grand Canyon. I thought it was a cool way to serve pasta so I decided to give it a shot in my kitchen. Here’s my version of this fun and delicious recipe.
As you can imagine, it’s hard to go wrong with pasta, cheese, and meat. The trickiest part of this recipe is making the crust out of the cooked pasta. Might take you a couple of tries but it’s sure worth the effort!
Ingredient Substitution
If you don’t have any Vermicelli on hand you can easily substitute for an equal amount of spaghetti. they are both very close in shape and size.
If you don’t care for Italian sausage, you can substitute for an equal amount of ground beef or ground turkey.
What is Al Dente
When cooking pasta, it’s essential to cook the pasta al dente to ensure the best texture possible. If you are not familiar with the term “al dente”, it means cooking the pasta so it’s still chewy and firm and that it will hold its shape when the sauce is added to it.
Serving Suggestions
What does better with a great pasta dish than some Cheesy Garlic Bread. This is the best garlic bread you will ever have!
Gather your Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this Cheesy Pasta Pie recipe (see recipe card for quantities): Vermicelli, Eggs, Parmesan Cheese, Unsalted Butter, Green Bell Pepper, Yellow Onion, Sour Cream, Italian Sausage, Tomato Paste, Water and Mozzarella Cheese.
How to Make Cheesy Pasta Pie
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large pot, break pasta in half and cook al dente according to package directions.
- Drain the pasta while it’s still warm and return to the pot.
- In a small bowl, mix with the eggs and Parmesan cheese. Add the egg mixture to the warm pasta and mix well.
- Place this pasta mixture in a greased deep dish pie dish. Use a spoon to create a crust around the sides.
- In a small frying pan, melt the butter and add the pepper and onion. Sauté until the onion is translucent. Remove from heat.
- Add the sour cream to the onion mixture and mix until well combined. Spoon the mixture over the pasta.
- In a skillet, cook the Italian sausage until browned. Drain any excess grease. Add the tomato paste and water to the sausage. Mix well and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Pour the sausage mixture over the top of the sour cream mixture. Bake for 25 minutes.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella over the top and continue baking for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Printable Recipe Card
Cheesy Pasta Pie
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Ingredients
- 6 oz Vermicelli
- 2 Eggs, beaten
- ¼ Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
- 2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
- ½ Cup Green Bell Pepper, diced
- ½ Cup Yellow Onion, diced
- 1 Cup Sour Cream
- 1 lb Italian Sausage
- 6 oz Tomato Paste
- 1 Cup Water
- 4 oz Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large pot, break pasta in half and cook al dente according to package directions.
- Drain the pasta while it’s still warm and return to the pot.
- In a small bowl, mix with the eggs and Parmesan cheese. Add the egg mixture to the warm pasta and mix well.
- Place this pasta mixture in a greased deep dish pie dish. Use a spoon to create a crust around the sides.
- In a small frying pan, melt the butter and add the pepper and onion. Sauté until the onion is translucent. Remove from heat.
- Add the sour cream to the onion mixture and mix until well combined. Spoon the mixture over the pasta.
- In a skillet, cook the Italian sausage until browned. Drain any excess grease. Add the tomato paste and water to the sausage. Mix well and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Pour the sausage mixture over the top of the sour cream mixture. Bake for 25 minutes.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella over the top and continue baking for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Great way to eat pasta. My family love pasta so I wanted to try this recipe. It was delicious and better with left overs the next day. A big hit with family.