Pasta Pie and Vegetarian Alternative

Yield: 8 servings

Crust:
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 cup bread crumbs
1 small onion, chopped
3 large eggs
1/2 cup Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Filling:
5 cups cooked tubetti pasta (Ditalini pasta seems to work best, but any small tube or shell pasta will work)
1/2 pound shredded mozzarella
1/2 pound shredded provolone
3/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
2 cups Homemade Tomato Basil Sauce *see other post

Crust:
Mix crust ingredients gently to combine. Do not over mix. Put mixture into a lightly greased 10-inch pie plate. Shape meat to form a 1-inch thick crust.

Filling:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix filling ingredients and scoop into meat crust (the filling will pile well over two to three inches high).
Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Let pie cool for 15 minutes before cutting into 8 pie slices.
Top each slice with Homemade Tomato Basil Sauce and sprinkle with a little Parmesan.

Vegetarian Alternative

Over Christmas 2005, we took the remaining filling mixture and baked it in the oven at 350 degrees - no particular time limit, just until hot and bubbly.