Artichoke, Spinach, and Ricotta Pie

Please don’t look at my spinach.

It’s embarrassing.  I got this beautiful, fresh spinach in my farm share box and I let it linger in my fridge too long.  It’s definitely not bad, but it’s not picture worthy.  It’s tired spinach.

But the good news is that even the weariest of spinach (or kale, or chard for that matter) is made new again with the addition of a little cheese and eggs.  All of a sudden, that sad leafy green is the perfect lunch.  Sitting here eating it is taking some of my guilt away.

I realize that I should save my vegetable guilt for more important things, like when I let the little guy watch two episodes of Curious George in a row while I fold laundry, or when I hide the girls scout cookies in the back of the freezer so my husband won’t eat them all.  What?! Who said that? I don’t do that.  (Note to self: Find new hiding place.)

Ok, back to this pie.  “Pie” isn’t the best descriptor for this, but it’ll do.  It’s somewhere between a quiche and a fritatta and a something else.  It’s much easier than a quiche, of course, because of the lack of a crust, and it’s clearly better than a fritatta because the cheese is present in equal amounts to the egg.  When you’re pulling it together, you may think, “Is that right? Seems like a lot of cheese for four measly eggs.”  But it is right. So, so right.

Now, I can rarely get away with anything resembling breakfast for dinner around here (read: anything with eggs), but I’ve made this for all three meals, and it’s always been happily devoured.  It’s become one of our “fast food” meals, because I almost always have what I need to make it in the fridge, and there is a minuscule amount of chopping, peeling,  and dish-washing involved. I’ve made it with kale and spinach, with equally good results, so it’s not picky. I like to serve it with a cold, peppery salad with a tangy vinaigrette on top.  It might seem like a lot of greens, but it just works.

Even the baby liked it, which made me feel better about, you know, the whole hour-of-curious-george thing.  See how this guilt thing comes full circle?

Artichoke, Kale & Ricotta Pie 

adapted from this recipe

Olive oil

4 eggs

8 ounces ricotta cheese

4 ounces Parmesan, grated

1 cup marinated artichokes, roughly chopped

1 bunch spinach, kale, or other sturdy greens, thinly sliced (about 3-4 cups)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 9-inch cake pan (or pie dish, or quiche dish) lightly with olive oil.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, ricotta cheese, and Parmesan. Roughly chop the artichokes and greens and add to the cheese and egg mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir until combined.

Pour contents of bowl into the greased pan and drizzle with olive oil. Cook until custard is set, about 40 to 50 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes and serve.