In the summer of 2007 I was kicking off the third trimester of my pregnancy. I was definitely not your glamorous yummy mummy-to-be, but I didn’t care, I was pretty darn excited. One of the many joys of pregnancy, in addition to how beautiful you feel (not!), is that all sorts of people volunteer to celebrate your impending parenthood with baby showers. I was very fortunate that several friends and family members decided to get in on the party-throwing action. The gist of each event was a gathering of good friends, the giving of gifts to the baby-to-be, lots of rubbing my belly and many platters of delicious food.—
This vegetable pie was served at my baby shower on Martha’s Vineyard. The minute I got home from this event I called the hostess, to thank her for the car seat, of course, and politely beg for this recipe. I loved it at first bite because it is really a cross between a quiche and a pie. It is egg-y, cheese-y and full of vegetables which are all baked into a wonderful buttery pie crust. The beauty of it is that you can really substitute any vegetables you want as long as you keep the ratio of eggs, cheese and cream constant. It has become one of my go-to recipes for brunch when we entertain at home. It is fun to change up the flavors seasonly, I tend to use whatever vegetables are fresh at the farmer’s market.
Vegetable Pie
1 pie crust (I am no stranger to Pillsbury frozen pie crust, but feel free to make your own if you have the time)
1 red pepper, chopped (or any other vegetable you feel like!)
1/2 purple onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tomato, sliced
1 T. fresh basil, roughly chopped
4 eggs
1 c. half & half
2 c. Monterey Jack, shredded
1/3 c. Parmesan, grated, plus more for sprinkling
Salt & Pepper to taste
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare pie crust in a 9″ pie dish according to directions.
2. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil and saute vegetables until softened and fragrant. Add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes more. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, in a bowl whisk the eggs, half & half, monterey jack and parmesan.
4. Add cooked vegetables to the egg mixture and combine and stir. Then add the chopped basil and combine.
5. At this point I recommend adding salt & pepper to taste and perhaps seasoning it with any other herb that might be fresh at the time your making it.
6. Pour mixture into prepared pie crust and place sliced tomatoes on top. Sprinkle lightly with parmesan cheese.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes.
8. You can tell when the pie is done by making sure the center is set when you lightly jiggle the pan. Serve hot.
