Layered Spinach, Swiss, Bacon & Basil-Flower “Pie”

This isn’t really a pie. Nor is it a quiche. Perhaps it’s more like a “breakfast bake”, but in a much smaller sort of way. It didn’t happen in a huge pan for a big crowd, like breakfast bakes normally do. It was just a way to use up the end of a loaf of bread and some basil flowers and make a nice lunch for myself in the process. Actually, it wasn’t just a lunch. It was my lunch, mid-afternoon snack and dinner, all in one bowl. I just kept happily munching on this all afternoon and evening.

Growing basil indoors in the winter is a wonderful experience … you can have fresh herbs all winter long, and pretty little purple flowers will grace your life right there in the middle of all that winter white and gray-ness. The trick to keeping your basil going all winter is to water it well, and cut off the flowers. If you don’t cut the flowers, the basil plant thinks it is “done” and dies off. The super lucky thing about having to cut off basil flowers is they are VERY pretty, and very edible, and very delicious.

Layered Spinach, Swiss, Bacon & Basil-Flower Pie

• Several fresh sprigs of basil, with flowers (if you have flowers. if you don’t have flowers, don’t worry, basil leaves will work just fine … or if you must, you can substitute dried basil)
• 2 very thin slices of bread
• 2 to 3 Tablespoons of bacon crumbles (bacon, fried till crisp, then drained well on a clean towel and crumbled into bits)
• About 1/2 cup of shredded swiss cheese
• About 1/4 cup of freshly shredded parmesan and/or romano cheese (I used a mix of both)
• About 1/2 cup of frozen spinach, thawed, use a towel to “sponge” out the excess moisture and chop it into pieces
• 1 small potato, peeled and diced, then cooked
• Chopped green onion
• 1 egg + 1 egg white
• 3/4 cup of low-fat milk
• Red robin seasoning (or your favorite seasoned salt)
• Freshly ground pepper

What I did here was take the last slice of my Speckled Pepperoni Cheese Bread and cut it into two thin slices. I sprayed an oven-safe bowl with cooking spray, put one of the thin slices in the bottom of the bowl and sprinkled it with bacon and basil flowers.

Then I topped it with about 1/2 of the spinach, some potato and cheese, and some more basil flowers / leaves.

Then I topped it with the other slice of bread and repeat the whole layering process (spinach, potato, cheese, basil flowers) and on the top I added a bit of chopped green onion.

Now in a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, egg white, and milk, then sprinkle liberally with Red Robin Seasoining and lots of freshly ground pepper. Mix it all up well, then pour it carefully into the bowl, pouring sort of around the edge so the bowl fills in with the egg mixture.

Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or so or until the egg is set. Touch the egg lightly, it should spring back when you touch it.  If there’s any liquid oozing out, let it bake a little longer.

I wanted you to see the layers of this delicious and very lovely “pie” …

This recipe was shared at Fit & Fabulous Fridays.