Try this Swiss Chard & Ricotta Pie (LC & GF) recipe
- Carbohydrate 456.891744476824 g
- Cholesterol 1921.03850738845 mg
- Fat 537.899428039357 g
- Fiber 4.76800006187879 g
- Protein 478.700861172808 g
- Saturated Fat 294.870418368036 g
- Serving Size 1 1 pie, 12 muffins, or 24 mini muffin (5889g)
- Sodium 10389.094857422 mg
- Sugar 452.123744414945 g
- Trans Fat 32.1484245619289 g
- Calories 8537 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan and add the onions and garlic.
- Cook for several minutes or until soft.
- Add the swiss chard (or other greens of your choice) and cook for about 5 minutes until the leaves are wilted and the stems have softened.
- Add the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.
- Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a large bowl.
- Add the ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.
- Stir in the sauteed greens.
- If making the large pie, you will have to roll out your sausage or press it into the pie tin uniformly.
- Then pour in the filling, place on a cookie sheet (to catch any dripping oil from the sausage) and bake at 350 degrees (F) for about 30 - 35 minutes or until firm.
- If making the muffins, use your fingers to press the sausage into place, lining the cups about 1/4 inch thick.
- Then spoon in your filling - don't overfill because they will puff up slightly when baking.
- Make sure you bake these on a cookie sheet, as the grease from the cooking sausage will overflow the cups and you will have a mess on your hands if you don't put something underneath it to catch it!
- Also, by all means add more cheese on top if you so desire.
Failing to press moisture out of leafy greens creates a watery, structural failure in crustless meat-lined pies. When raw greens encounter heat, cellular walls rupture and release substantial amounts of internal water that must be evaporated during the initial sauté phase, which typically takes about five minutes until the leaves are fully wilted and the stems soften. Without this crucial dehydration step, that trapped liquid leaches directly into the dairy filling during baking at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, resulting in a curdled and unstable consistency instead of the firm, sliceable wedge desired. Mastering this dish requires understanding how moisture management dictates the final structural integrity of the ricotta and cheese matrix.
Forming the exterior shell requires pressing ground meat uniformly into the tin to create a solid retaining wall, a technique that relies entirely on temperature control and fat rendering during the thirty to thirty-five minute bake time. Placing a cookie sheet underneath the baking vessel is non-negotiable for catching excess rendered grease that inevitably escapes the meat casing. Substituting the greens with spinach introduces significantly more water content than Swiss chard, meaning cooks must double the drainage time in a colander or risk compromising the setting capabilities of the three beaten eggs used as the primary binder.
