October 25, 2012

Spaghetti and Egg Pie



Work is sucky. It just is. Corporate is outsourcing our IT department. I like our IT department. And the people taking over are loud and obnoxious and mean. That's right, I said mean. No, I can't give you a security badge just because you say that you're from the company. Why? Because it's a security badge. No amount of yelling at me is going to change that. And if you're secretly a Russian spy trying to break in and steal all our sensitive information, I'm not getting fired over that.

(I should stop watching Covert Affairs before work, huh?)

And if that wasn't enough, we're closing another office with everyone moving in here, so they do all need security badges and name plates and directions to their offices and help with their phones. You know who they come to for that? That's right: me. And we picked up a new contract, so call center went on a hiring spree. Oh, and did I forget to mention this all happens the week Mr. Migraine decides to rear his ugly head? (Well the move has been happening all month, to be fair. But there were 18 this week. Plus the 30 call center people. Plus the mean people. I don't know how many there are of them. I think they multiply.)

I'm currently in migraine-hangover. So if I'm a little incoherent, I apologize. But the pain's mostly gone, and I was actually able to eat a real breakfast, rather than just choke something down to cushion the pain killers. And it's been gloomy and cloudy the last few days, like Mother Nature's trying to help me out by cutting out the sun glare.

Three days of pain and nausea and dizziness and decreased mental acuity (a side effect listed on my migraine meds) calls for comfort food. And what's more comforting than pasta and bacon and eggs and cheese? Baked in the oven and sprinkled with more cheese. Yeah, that's the stuff.

I was flipping through Old Reliable (is anyone surprised?) and saw a recipe for spaghetti with bacon and eggs. I decided to make it with tri-color pasta (of which I had fetuccine, so I used that). I also added in some garlic (because what's pasta without garlic?) and baked it. Then I smothered it with more cheese and baked it just a few minutes longer.
Although it worked well enough with the fetuccine (and was super yummy with the tri-color pasta), I think the pie would be a little more sturdy with spaghetti. I think spaghetti strands would just fit together better.

A few notes about the recipe: I used a 12 oz. box of pasta. It's an odd size, but that's how Ronzoni packages their tri-color pasta, and that's what I had on hand. 16 oz may have been too much.

Also, it's a little onion-y, so feel free to cut down on the onion. I liked it, but I also think my onions may have started to caramelize (I cooked them low and slow while waiting for the pasta to boil; it was entirely accidental).

Spaghetti and Egg Pie {Printable Version}

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients
12 oz. spaghetti, or similar long, thin pasta (I like tri-color)
6-8 slices of bacon, chopped into small pieces
2 small onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
6 eggs
Approx. 1 cup shredded cheese, plus extra for melting (I use a Mexican blend)
Pinch of sea salt
Freshly cracked pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cook and drain the pasta according to the directions on the box, undercooking slightly. Rinse thoroughly with cold water to prevent sticking. In a large, oven-safe skillet* cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon and set aside. Add the onions and garlic to the bacon drippings and continue to cook until the onions are soft. Remove from heat. Add the pasta and bacon to the pan. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the salt and pepper. Add the cheese and eggs to the pan and toss until well mixed. Place the skillet in the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with extra cheese and cook another 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Serve warm.

*If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, add the mixture to a pie or baking dish before putting it in the oven.

Recipe adapted from The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook