I love this pie! It’s so savory and cozy, especially on a cold winter day. Feel free to experiment with your favorite root vegetables and cheeses. If you don’t like kale, omit it or use less than the recipe calls for. I love this pie with a green salad with some blueberries or pear and walnuts and Garlic Expressions dressing—it adds a nice touch of sweetness, tanginess, and crunchiness to the meal.
Prep Time: 40ish minutes
Cook Time: 50ish minutes
Servings: 6-8
Save Time:
Use a pre-made pie crust
Use pre-cubed butternut squash and pre-chopped kale
INGREDIENTS
Pie Crust
1 pre-made pie crust; this should come in its own foil baking dish (feel free to make your own dough; I don’t make my own dough so store-bought is just fine for me)
Pie Filling
8 ounces mixed mushrooms or mushrooms of your choice, chopped into large pieces
3 cups of butternut squash, acorn squash, or honeynut squash, cut into 1-inch cubes (feel free to purchase pre-cut squash to save time)
1 bunch of kale (I prefer lacinato but any type should work), removed from the stems and chopped
1 medium red onion, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 ½ tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of poultry mix seasoning or thyme or rosemary or any combination of those seasonings
1 ½ teaspoons of salt, divided
¼ teaspoon of black pepper
3 large eggs
¾ cup low-fat milk
1 cup low-fat or non-fat cottage cheese
1 ½ cups grated Gruyѐre cheese, divided
Optional: ¼ to ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes
MAKE IT
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees; line 1 to 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper (like to line mine with foil and parchment paper to minimize clean-up)
If you’re making your own dough, prepare it per your recipe and put it in your pie pan per your recipe’s instructions
Place the mushrooms, squash, and red onion in a large bowl with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper, and other seasonings; gently stir to coat (I like to do this with my clean hands)
Arrange the vegetable mixture on the baking sheets (don’t crown the vegetables – use 2 baking sheets if necessary)
Roast the vegetables in the oven for 20-30 minutes until the squash is easily pierced with a fork or knife and the onion edges are crisping; stir the vegetables at least once at the half-way mark
Sprinkle the chopped kale over the vegetables and roast for another 5 minutes until the kale wilts
Remove the baking sheet(s) from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees
Mix the eggs, cottage cheese, milk, ½ teaspoon of salt, and red pepper flakes (if you’re adding this) in a large bowl; stir in 1 cup of the Gruyѐre cheese
Place the vegetable mixture into the pie crust so that it fills it evenly; you may have more filling than your pie crust can hold – save the leftovers for a savory vegetable side dish another day
Pour the egg and cheese mixture over the vegetables slowly so it fills in the layers of vegetables and smooth the mixture with a spoon so any clumps of cheese are evenly distributed; sprinkle the remaining Gruyѐre cheese evenly over the top
Place the pie on a baking sheet or a piece of foil* with the edges turned up and place in the oven and bake for about 50 minutes until the pie is just set and top is browned; set the oven to broil for a few minutes if you want the top of the pie to brown up even more
Let the pie rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting it into wedges and serving
* The mixture may bubble over so the baking sheet or foil will help keep your oven clean.
Enjoy!
—Morena