Pasta Pie Will Be The Talk Of Your Next Dinner Party

When you're hosting a dinner party, the most important part is nailing down an impressive menu. While gourmet dinner party recipes can certainly accomplish the task, they can be a lot of work. Instead, why not go for something that's both easy and impressive? We're talking about pasta pie. To put it simply, this is exactly what it sounds like: cooked pasta baked into the shape of a pie. The best part about this dish is that you can pretty much use whatever pasta recipe you already have on hand (even an easy spaghetti recipe for spaghetti pie) and it will undoubtedly get your guests talking. Sure, baked pastas aren't all that mindblowing, but layering your cooked pasta in a pie pan, letting it take on the shape of the pie, and then cutting it into slices to serve your guests isn't something you see every day.

Whether or not you also add pie crust to your pasta pie (because yes, that's an option) is up to you, but you could easily create an entire menu of pasta pies if you're a true noodle lover. Mini spaghetti pies with marinara made in a muffin tin make for a surprising appetizer followed by a cacio e pepe pie for the main course. Then you can really blow your guests' minds with a sweet pasta-turned-pie using pasta dolce or even making a sweet pesto-like sauce.

It's hard to fully pin down the origins of pasta pie as we know it today. While it may seem like an American concoction (and some claim that it was created in the U.S. in the early 1900s), it likely got its start in the country of pasta: Italy. Whether it's an enormous timpano (aka timballo) with pasta, meat, and cheese all covered in pastry, or even a version of the famed Easter pie called a pastier e' ferellini made with dried angel hair pasta, Italians have been making pasta in pie form for a long time. Still, that hasn't stopped social media from getting in on the action (because, of course) where creators are utterly surprised — and delighted — that this is a thing.

@sarahkraffty

Pasta pie! #recipesoftiktok #foryoupage #fyp #foryou #pasta #pastapie #recipe #dinnerrecipes

♬ original sound – Sarah Marie

From spaghetti pie to standing rigatoni pie to that classic timpano, everyone is getting in on the pasta pie action, which means that serving it at your dinner party will also make you seem trendy. For plenty of social media clout, go with the standing rigatoni pie where the tube noodles are placed on end in a springform pan and filled with cheese before being coated in your favorite sauce, topped with more cheese, and baked until crispy and bubbly.

Although we've mentioned a few options for how to make your pasta pies fill your entire dinner party menu, those primarily utilized long skinny noodles like spaghetti. The great thing about pasta pie is that you can make it with literally any kind of pasta and whatever other ingredients you have in the house, which is another way it's perfect for your dinner party menu. TikTok creators like user rosella_rago demonstrate how easy it is to add whatever meats, vegetables, and cheese are in your fridge to a bowl of cooked spaghetti, eggs (which work as a binder), and seasoning and then bake it all together in the oven.

@rossella_rago

Baked Spaghetti Pie 🇮🇹🍝 . Ingredients ⬇️ 1 pound dried spaghetti 1 stick salted butter 5 large eggs 4 ounces mortadella, cut into 1/2 inch cubes 4 ounces salami, cut into 1/2 inch cubes 4 ounces scamorza cheese or provolone cut into 1/2 inch cubes 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper Method ⬇️ Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Spray a tube pan very well with olive oil nonstick spray. Drop the spaghetti into generously salted boiling water. Cook for 3 minutes less than the package instructions. Drain and transfer to a bowl. Add the butter and toss until the butter has melted and the pasta is well coated. Set aside. In a bowl add the eggs and beat with a fork until smooth. Add the mortadella, salami, scamorza, grated cheese, salt and pepper. Mix to combine. Pour the mixture over the spaghetti and toss until all the pasta is evenly coated. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and slice into wedges. Can be served warm or at room temperature. #cookingwithnonna #spaghettipie #bakedspaghettipie #nonna #frittatadipasta #pastafrittata #fy #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #foryourpage

♬ original sound – Rossella

But, of course, spaghetti (with or without red sauce) is just one option. Pasta pie also lends itself incredibly well to seasonal dinner parties. A fall dinner party is the perfect opportunity to use a homemade pumpkin ravioli as the "crust" for your pie, layered in a pie pan and then topped with sage, parmesan cheese, and maybe even some pepitas to keep the pumpkin theme going. Or switch things up with some truly unique pasta recipes like chicken fajita pasta turned pie. The pasta-bilities are endless.