Lisa Vento's Sausage Spinach Pie

Posted by artsycook at recipegoldmine.com 12/6/2001 12:40 am

1 pound sweet Italian sausage links, casing removed
6 large eggs
20 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry,
    or 1 pound fresh salad spinach leaves, stemmed
1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
5 1/2 ounces (1/2 container) ricotta cheese
1/8 teaspoon pepper
10 to 11 ounces piecrust mix or 2 (9-inch) deep dish pie crusts

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Crumble sausage in a medium skillet and brown meat over medium heat, breaking up with a spoon. Drain on paper towels.

If using fresh spinach, bring a large pot of water to a boil and put spinach in water. Boil 1 minute and drain; squeeze dry.

Separate 1 egg. Combine 5 eggs with 1 egg white, sausage, spinach mozzarella, ricotta and pepper and set aside.

Prepare pie crust mix if using. Lay 1 pie crust in pie pan and spoon mixture into it. Lay another crust on top and flute with a stand-up edge. Carefully cut a 2-inch circle out of the top crust.

Mix egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water and brush on top of pie. (Can decorate with scrapes of dough) Bake for 1 hour, 10 minutes until golden and bubbly. Check crust after 1 hour and put foil on edges to prevent over-browning. Let stand 10 minutes and cut OR chill uncovered until cold; cover and refrigerate until serving cold.