An Easy Spinach Pie with Halloween Flair
By: Leah Rodrigues
Published: October 28, 2014

This Halloween spinach pie is an example of how one little detail can spruce up an ordinary dish into a festive one.  This spinach pie is nothing fancy, just a straight up tasty meal.  Similar to a quiche, this creamy spinach pie is made by beginning with a roux - a French cooking technique used to thicken sauces using a combination of butter and flour.  The thickened spinach mixture is added to a couple of whipped eggs and cheese before it is poured into a pie crust.  While this recipe decorates the pie with ghosts cut from the remaining pie crust, you can certainly change up the shapes and include a headstone, a cat or even a pumpkin.  Feel free to play with the recipe.  I sometimes like to add a mixture of greens like collards, kale, and spinach to make one super vegetable packed pie.  Similarly, chopped pieces of chicken or ground sausage would also be delicious additions.
Halloween Spinach Pie
Courtesy of Pillsbury
1 box Pillsbury™ refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
	3 tablespoons butter
	1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
	2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
	1/2 teaspoon salt
	1/2 teaspoon pepper
	2 boxes (9 oz each) Green Giant™ frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed to drain
	2 1/2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend (10 oz)
	2 cups ricotta cheese
	4 eggs
	Heat oven to 350°F. Place 1 pie crust in 9-inch glass pie plate as directed on box for One-Crust Filled Pie. In 12-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion in butter 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook and stir 1 minute. Stir in spinach; cook 1 minute longer.  
	In large bowl, mix cheeses and 3 of the eggs. Add spinach mixture; stir until well blended. Spoon filling into crust-lined pie plate. Unroll second crust on work surface. Using ghost-shaped cookie cutter or other Halloween cookie cutter, cut out 3 shapes. Arrange cutouts on spinach mixture. Beat remaining egg; brush over dough cutouts.
	Bake 45 minutes or until set and top is golden brown. Cool 10 minutes before cutting.