Meatless Friday: Italian Spinach Pie

For Meatless Friday, Karen Ullo added an Italian spin to a Greek favorite. Download our printable recipe card!

This recipe is inspired by spanakopita, but since I usually find that a little too pungent, and I have no idea how to work with phyllo pastry, I added a more Italian-style flavor profile and used regular pie crust instead.  

Italian Spinach Pie 

Ingredients 

2 pie crusts (buy them in the refrigerated section, or make your own)
24 oz. chopped frozen spinach, fully thawed
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, diced
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes without oil
1 or 2 tbs. oil
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. dried basil
Crushed red pepper to taste
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
3 eggs, divided
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup shredded parmesan cheese 

Directions 

Preheat oven to 350.  

Place the thawed spinach inside a towel, hold it over the sink, and squeeze out as much water as you can. You may want to do this with half at a time. 

Heat the oil in a large skillet, then add the bell pepper and garlic. Sauté until they begin to brown. Add the spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, seasonings, and parsley. Sauté until warm. Remove from heat and allow to cool enough that it won’t cook the eggs when you add them. 

While the spinach mixture is cooling, spray a pie pan with a small amount of cooking spray and lay in the bottom crust. Poke it with a fork in several places to prevent bubbling. If you have a Pyrex pie pan, I prefer those to metal because you can look through them to see if the bottom crust is completely baked. 

Add 2 eggs and both cheeses to the spinach mixture. Mix well, then spread the filling into the pie crust. 

Add the top crust. Use a fork to press the two crusts together along the edge of the pan, then trim any excess from the edges. Cut a pattern into the top to vent the steam. 

Scramble one egg in a bowl, then brush it over the crust to create an egg wash. You won’t need the entire egg. 

Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes, or until both crusts are completely baked. Place foil over the edges to prevent burning if necessary. 

Enjoy!