Pie... it's what's for dinner!

Mmm... last night I made a delicious pie for dinner, spinach and ricotta pie that is. I will tell you though that it was a Rachel Ray recipe. I have a love/hate relationship with Rachel Ray. I like her magazine in that she has quick "everyday" recipes that include ingredients one would normally have in their kitchen arsenal, on the other hand, her voice annoys the crap out of me and I hate that she acts like she invented EVOO. Also, she could probably afford to add a few more healthier options to her recipe collection, for everybody's sake! Although, me being the hypocrite that I am ultimately made this recipe less healthier by adding a pie crust. The recipe called for making it crustless but sometimes I just think and eat like a fat kid, therefore, I added a pie crust to support the bottom. Here's the recipe if you'd like to give it a try... very basic really but there are so many fun ways to make it your own. I always add extra cheese, in this case I simply added more ricotta. You can also add roasted red peppers, basil, a little parm... whatever you fancy. Oh man, now that I am thinking about it I should have added bacon! Oh well, next time.

Ingredients:

One 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed
One 15-ounce container ricotta cheese (I prob used about 20 oz. +)
8 ounces garlic-herb spreadable cheese (I had eaten some the night before with some crackers so I know you can get away with not using all 8 oz. if need be)
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup chopped marinated artichokes

1. Grease a 9-inch pie pan with olive oil. (or substitute a pie crust) Preheat the oven to 375°. Wring the spinach dry. In a large bowl, whisk together the ricotta cheese, garlicherb cheese and eggs. Add the spinach, artichokes, 1/2 teaspoon salt (I used garlic kosher salt) and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and stir to combine. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until golden, about 45 minutes.

Keep in mind that if you are opting to use a pie crust you may want to keep the pie rim covered with foil for the first 25 min to avoid it burning. Enjoy it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!