The World Needs to Know About Spaghetti Pie

I was guilting myself over posting this because the picture of spaghetti pie simply does not do it justice.  The husband did not get home until after dark this evening, which made my pictures less then stellar, but today, I'm setting that aside, because the world needs to know about Spaghetti Pie.  This is more important than any of my own insecurities.  So here it is: 

2 large carrots (peeled and diced)
1/2 pound spaghetti
1 15 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
8 to 10 mini meatballs (optional)
1 teaspoon oregano
salt & pepper

The Rules:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Boil spaghetti for approximately 6 minutes, then add in carrots.  Continue boiling until Spaghetti is al dente.  Drain and transfer spaghetti and carrots into a large bowl.  Stir in tomato sauce, 3/4 cup of  mozzarella and ricotta cheese.  Stir well so that spaghetti begins to cool before adding the egg. Then add egg, meatballs, oregano and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and pour into a 9 inch pie dish. Sprinkle top with remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until top is golden brown and bubbly and pie is set. Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing. Serves 4 to 6.

Here is what you get:

We thought it was a really nice change of pace to the usual 'spaghetti and red sauce' that we do so often around here.  I think you should try it this week!

P.S.  In the interest of full disclosure, I did not think up this recipe all by myself.  The original can be found at another blog called Cooking With My Kid.