Mediterranean Vegetable-Cheese Pie

“And it’s so healthy!” My father exclaims, digging into a huge bowlful of salad.

My siblings and I are used to these conversations. I twirl another forkful of spaghetti and my sister blots the grease from her slice of pizza, both of us aware of the fact that our dinner choices are probably ten times healthier than my father’s. My brother smiles to himself as he cuts into a steak: he doesn’t care whether what he’s eating is healthy or not… he’s got the metabolism of, well, a teenage boy.

“I could eat this for every meal, every day. It’s just so fresh! Do you think you could make me a salad like this for dinner?”

“Sure…” My mom answers, in the same voice she used to use when we used to ask if planting watermelon seeds in the backyard would sprout real watermelons. She’s a preschool teacher, and she’s very good at egging on our childish plans. She doesn’t bother to correct my father and tell him that she makes a salad with dinner every night that’s ten times healthier than the one he’s eating.

My father suffers from the same jilted look on reality that so many Americans do: he thinks that anything with vegetables–even a salad laden with dressing, salt, cheese and croutons–is healthy. He thinks that anything with grill marks is oil-free. I used to believe him, until I started cooking myself and realized how much oil goes into some of the “healthy” options that we’re all used to.

As a food blogger, I sometimes have trouble with portion control, with tasting all of the things I make for this blog just a few too many times. Luckily, Ann from Redacted Recipes has provided a recipe truly worthy of the title “healthy,” with deliciousness to boot.

This pie, made up of vegetables, eggs and lowfat cheeses is truly worhty of the title “healthy.” And, like Ann, I feel no regret in finishing half the pie myself and calling it dinner.

Mediterranean Vegetable-Cheese Pie (adapted from Redacted Recipes)

Olive-oil cooking spray
2 medium potatoes, sliced in 1/8-inch rounds
1/2 cup diced onion
8 oz (about 8 cups) baby spinach, from frozen, thawed
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 whole eggs
3 egg whites
1/2 cup ricotta
1/2 cup nonfat cottage cheese
3 tbsp finely chopped basil, plus more for garnish
1 zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1 1/2 tbsp grated Asiago or Parmesan
salt and pepper

Heat oven to 350°. Coat a 9″ pie plate with cooking spray. Line bottom of plate with potato slices. Cut remaining slices in half and arrange around side of plate. Season with salt and pepper. Lightly spray them again. Bake 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Coat a sauté pan with cooking spray and sauté onion over low heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute about 1 minute. Add the spinach and stir until just heated through. Remove from heat. Drain excess fluid from onion and spinach mixture.

In a bowl, beat eggs and egg whites. Stir in ricotta and cottage cheese. Add half the basil and a pinch of salt and set aside.

Spoon onion and spinach mixture into pie plate over potatoes. Layer on egg mixture, then slices of zucchini.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until egg is set and a knife inserted into pie comes out clean. Sprinkle grated cheeses evenly over top of pie and top with basil garnish. Return to oven for 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Cut pie into 4 wedges. Serve immediately.