Hello! I made you a pie — a pie of pasta. Can we still be friends?
Trust me on this one.
If you’re wondering who I am and where the pasta-hating version of Jessica disappeared to, I get it. I was skeptical too. Eddie was skeptical. Max was probably neutral — he was just glad I wasn’t putting something green on his high chair tray.
Something strange is happening: I’ve committed to kale salad every day in December and — more surprising — I actually like tomato-sauce-based dishes now. Italian food used to be my least favorite cuisine, but lately I want dishes like this for dinner multiple times a week. What is happening?
My grandma told me years ago, when I was a kid complaining about spaghetti, that taste buds change over time. I’ve seen that with brussels sprouts and kale, but tomato sauce? I never expected it.
Let’s pause to appreciate the almost-burnt, crispy cheese crust on the outside.
I’m swooning. As a kid I always scraped the burnt, bubbly cheese off Stouffer’s mac and cheese the second it came out of the oven — burning my mouth was worth it. Anyone else remember that cheesy, slightly charred bliss?
On a different note, my singing is testing Eddie’s patience. I can’t stop replaying the Pentatonix Christmas album in my head and attempt to sing along — badly. I don’t know the words, can’t replicate their vocal tricks, and get stuck repeating a line over and over. It’s an earworm that keeps me up at night. Eddie will survive.
But back to the pasta pie.
The sauce here is inspired by Marcella Hazan’s crushed tomato version, but with a twist: brown butter. Yes, the recipe calls for butter, so browning it first deepens the flavor and adds a nutty richness that elevates the tomatoes without overpowering them.
I’ve seen pasta pies in magazines for years — Food & Wine’s cacio e pepe version was one inspiration — and I admit the idea of slicing noodles once felt odd. While assembling this in a springform pan I kept thinking this was the crazy train. Then I realized it’s basically a handheld bowl of pasta, only better because cheese holds everything together.
This pie is decadently rich: bucatini mixed with eggs, milk, and a generous blend of cheeses — fontina, provolone and parmesan — baked until golden and set with a crisp cheesy edge. The tomato-to-pasta ratio is modest, which is why this might finally win over a pasta skeptic like me. One slice is plenty, but it’s undeniably comforting and indulgent.
Cheesy Bucatini Pie with Mini Meatballs
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Ingredients
Cheesy Bucatini Pie
- 1 pound bucatini pasta, cooked according to package directions
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 8 ounces fontina cheese, freshly grated
- 8 ounces provolone cheese, freshly grated
- Basil leaves for topping
Mini Meatballs & Sauce
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/3 cup Romano cheese
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 sweet onion, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
Cheesy Bucatini Pie
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Add cooked bucatini, Parmesan, and most of the fontina and provolone, reserving a bit for the top. Toss to combine and press into the prepared pan. Top with remaining cheese.
- Bake 40–45 minutes until golden and set. For extra bubbly cheese, broil for a minute or two. Serve slices with sauce and meatballs.
Mini Meatballs & Sauce
- In a large bowl mix beef, egg, oil, Romano, breadcrumbs, garlic, salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Gently combine without overmixing. Roll into teaspoon-sized meatballs (about 1/2-inch diameter) — you should get roughly 30.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high and add olive oil. Brown meatballs on all sides, then transfer to a bowl. In the same skillet cook the diced onion until soft. Add crushed tomatoes and Italian seasoning, reduce heat to low and simmer.
- In a small saucepan melt butter over medium heat and whisk until it browns and develops nutty bits, about 2–3 minutes. Pour the brown butter into the tomato sauce, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Add meatballs back to the sauce and cook another 15–20 minutes. Serve over slices of bucatini pie.
Notes
That’s it — enjoy a rich, cheesy slice of bucatini pie topped with mini meatballs and brown-butter tomato sauce. I’ll leave you with that.