Kale Harvest – Crustless Cheesy Kale Pie
July 13, 2011 • Side Dishes, Vegetables
One of the best things about my new puppy Ellie is that she gets me up early and is ready to walk when it’s still cool outside. That gets me moving earlier in the day, and gave me time to visit my garden before it got too hot.
We’ve been doused with rain for several nights in a row and the sort of waterproof kale leaves held huge droplets.
Isn’t nature just beautiful?
Last year I got 4 full harvests from one row of Swiss chard by simply cutting it and letting it re-sprout itself, so I am trying that this year with the kale.
That one four foot row of kale filled a tall kitchen trash bag, and weighed about 10 pounds.
I soaked it in a sink of cold water to remove bugs and dirt – I try to keep my garden organic unless I have a horrible outbreak of something – and nearly jumped out of my skin when a daddy long legs spider crawled down my face! It took me an hour to strip all of the kale leaves from the inedible stems.
Kale wilts down like spinach, but it’s tougher, so I actually blanched it in boiling water for a minute on each batch before draining it (in my new colander from Costco which I love!). Believe it or not, that full bag of kale only yielded 3 pounds of cooked kale. I bagged up 2 pounds in individual bags for use in stews this winter…
…then made a really simple crustless kale pie with the rest. Mix chopped cooked kale with softened onions, feta, goat cheese, mozzarella, eggs, salt and pepper.
Nutmeg really sets off the flavor of greens. I forgot I had this cute nutmeg grinder so was happy to pull it out to use.
Pour the mixture into a baking dish, cover and bake. You can eat this as a vegetarian entree or serve it up as a side dish.
And it’s a great way to get more of this super-food into your diet.
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 pound cooked kale, squeezed dry and chopped
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
- 4 ounces creamy goat cheese
- salt and pepper, to taste
- ground nutmeg, to taste
- Heat oil in a skillet and cook onion until just barely soft, about 5 minutes. Combine onion and kale and stir in beaten eggs. Add cheeses and stir, then season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg and stir once more time.
- Pour into a greased 8 x 8 inch glass baking dish, cover with foil, and bake at 375 degrees until set, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly before slicing and serving.
Comments
14 Comments • Comments Feed
Joan Nova says:
This looks delicious. I’ve recently been experimenting with crustless pies and loving it. Hadn’t tried kale yet.
July 13, 2011 at 12:29 pm
Lea Ann says:
I don’t know what possessed me but I bought a package of frozen kale at Whole Foods about two months ago each time I open the freezer I think “what the heck am I going to do with this?” Now I know! I suppose it’s like spinach, just make sure all the water is out. Love the two cheese combinations in this and I’m a fan of crustless quiche’s. Look forward to you hosting this month. See you then.
July 13, 2011 at 3:49 pm
Sandra's Easy Cooking says:
This is amazing idea! I love Kale and I think that I will make this soon!! You did fantastic job, it looks absolutely delicious!
July 13, 2011 at 8:15 pm
Kathleen says:
Love this! I need more recipes that include this nutritional powerhouse!
July 14, 2011 at 3:08 pm
Sara @ Saucy Dipper says:
Wow – these pictures are amazing. I can’t believe you had a trash bag full of kale! The only kale recipe I remember trying involved mashed potatoes…I really enjoyed it but the husband didn’t seem to care. I think he’d feel different about this. He loves his cheese.
July 15, 2011 at 8:17 am
Jo says:
no where in here could i find the temperature at which to bake – am i missing something? I also must say, I was amused that it said uptop that your prep time was 5 minutes – with all that kale! You’re a super woman!
November 4, 2011 at 1:56 pm
Michele says:
Jo, thanks for bringing it to my attention that I forgot the cook temp – I updated the recipe to include that. The reason that prep time says only 5 minutes is that the ingredients call for kale that is already cooked and chopped because I harvest mine, cook it, chop it and freeze it for later use. Yes, the that takes some time to prep!
November 5, 2011 at 9:39 am
Doug says:
I made this today. It was excellent! I added cayenne pepper, omitted the goat cheese and added more mozz and feta. I will add mushrooms next time. Even my “kale-hating” wife said if she had to have kale, this would be the way.
January 15, 2012 at 6:57 pm
carol says:
I was not expecting this to be so delicious! I didn’t have the exact ingredients, so I only put in 4 oz. of shredded quality Swiss and 4 oz. of feta. It was still really good! I will definitely make this regularly.
August 14, 2012 at 4:07 pm
Nic says:
This recipe sounds amazing! I typed “kale pie” into the search engine and this was the first hit. I was looking for something quick to make for dinner with the mountain of kale that I got from the farmers market, and this fitted the bill perfectly. I modified the recipe slightly, (as I usually do) do fit with the ingredients that I had in the fridge, I used blue cheese, feta and mozzarella, plus I added in zucchini, Spanish onion, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes, all to the pan while I was frying off the kale. Plus I added a little bit of milk to my eggs, then I topped it with pine nuts. It’s in the oven now and it smells divine!!
December 16, 2012 at 11:07 pm
Michele says:
Nic, your version sounds wonderful and I’ll look forward to trying that when my kale harvest comes in next year!
December 17, 2012 at 8:17 am
Leigh says:
This was really, really good. I was looking for a way to use up our kale plants fom the garden before it gets too hot and I stumbled upon your website. I did use a storebought, pre-baked pie crust as I enjoy a flakey, rich crust especially with a vegetarian dish. I used the cheeses we had on hand which were feta, parmasean, Boursin (garlic and herb) and mozzarella. My family gobbled this up and pronounced this one of the best dishes I’ve ever made (and I’m a pretty good cook and baker). I can’t wait to make this again in the Fall when I plant Kale again. Thank you for sharing!
June 20, 2014 at 5:05 pm
Debbie says:
Delicious! I used Munster cheese instead of mozzarella because that is what I had. I used red onion and added minced garlic, I forgot to add the nutmeg but it was still wonderful. my husband and five year son both loved it and gave it two thumbs up
July 6, 2018 at 4:30 pm
Debbie says:
Delicious! I changed the recipe slightly to accommodate what I already had. First I used Munster instead of mozzarella. I used diced red onion and added minced garlic. I used the same amount of eggs and feta. I also omitted the nutmeg because I forgot to add it. Nevertheless it was still a wonderful meal. My husband and five year old son both gave the entree a double thumbs up
July 6, 2018 at 4:34 pm