Spinach Pie

I want to shout out one of my favorite food blogs, Budget Bytes, and this fabulous spinach pie recipe. This recipe is easy, inexpensive, yet totally elegant and company-worthy. A simple filling of frozen spinach, cheese, and seasonings is tucked into a store-bought puff pastry sheet. Somewhere between a spinach quiche and spanakopita, this dish could be served for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or as an appetizer. 

Because I can't leave a great recipe alone, I make a few modifications to simplify and amp up the flavor even more to my tastes. I bump up the garlic to 1 T minced, sometimes substitute 4 oz cream cheese instead of the cottage cheese, increase the grated parmesan to a heaping 1/3 cup, and add 1/2 t Italian seasoning instead of nutmeg. Instead of brushing an egg wash on the outside of the pastry, I just sprayed it with some olive oil. Pro tip: be sure to follow her directions and thoroughly squeeze excess liquid out of the thawed spinach. This is key to a crispy pie crust.