Spinach Pie

It was the photo that caught my attention on the Epicurious website. I was searching for something, and this distracted me. Spinach pie. A simple, beautiful Irish recipe.

Savory tarts, pies, and quiches are some of my favorite things to serve for lunch, especially for company. They’re not much work, as long as a pie crust doesn’t worry you. Plus, they look so much more special than, say, a casserole.

On this blog there’s a leek and cilantro pesto tart, a recipe by Eugenia Bone, which is more quiche-like, marbled with a cilantro pesto.

I also have a tomato tart on the blog, a recipe by Guliano Bugliali. It’s like a cross between a quiche and a rich tomato soup.

There are just so many ways to create something savory in a crust.

Then I read the recipe through, and there’s no crust in this recipe! So there are no excuses not to make this!

Here is the recipe from Epicurious.com:

Spinach Pie
from Irish Country Cooking

1 lb. 4 ounces spinach, washed
1 onion, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
10 ounces cottage cheese
10 ounces Parmesan, freshly grated
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Steam the spinach, drain well, and roughly chop it once it cools down.

In a large bowl, mix the cooked spinach with the onion, beaten eggs, and both types of cheese. Beat well and season with pepper and nutmeg.

Transfer the mixture to one large pie dish, (9″) or individual dishes if using. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

And that’s it!

I served the pie with a simple salted tomato salad, so as to let the pie filling shine.

If I had been thinking, I might have puréed the spinach mixture so that it was more green than mottled with the cottage cheese.

Or, maybe checked with Conor Bofin, from the blog, “One Man’s Meat,” to see if Irish cottage cheese is more like a farmers cheese or even ricotta cheese.

Nonetheless, the taste was lovely.

And I copied the purple flower idea since my borage flowers were blooming!

Reprinted with permission from Irish Country Cooking: More than 100 Recipes for Today’s Table by The Irish Countrywomen’s Association. © 2012 Irish Countrywomen’s Trust. This Sterling Epicure Edition published in 2014.

By Published On: July 21st, 201760 Comments on Spinach Pie

About the Author: Chef Mimi

As a self-taught home cook, with many years in the culinary profession, I am passionate about all things food-related. Especially eating!

60 Comments

  1. Aria Smith July 21, 2017 at 7:25 AM - Reply

    It’s looking very colourful, I usually like to prepare this weekend, thanks for this, I look forward and trying more of your recipes.

    • chef mimi July 21, 2017 at 2:43 PM - Reply

      You are welcome – savory pies are the best! (Unless you have a sweet tooth!)

  2. atthetablewithme July 21, 2017 at 7:54 AM - Reply

    The spinach pie recipe looks delicious. I cannot wait to make it! Thanks for sharing.

  3. Tasty Eats Ronit Penso July 21, 2017 at 8:31 AM - Reply

    This looks so tasty and light. Perfect for the summer!:)

  4. sallybr July 21, 2017 at 8:47 AM - Reply

    Very nice, I rarely make savory pies, usually a quiche is my default for those. Very tempted to try your spinach concoction… yes, I think I would try processing the spinach, see how that would change it.
    by the way, your tomato pie is also stunning!

    • chef mimi July 21, 2017 at 2:42 PM - Reply

      It’s definitely prettier all green, but it was still good. That tomato pie is something I’ve actually made more than once, which is rare!

  5. catnrat July 21, 2017 at 10:45 AM - Reply

    This looks so delicious and I am DROOLING! This may be our Sunday brunch this weekend. Thanks for sharing!!

  6. Teagan Geneviene July 21, 2017 at 12:30 PM - Reply

    This is a wonderful idea, Mimi. I’ve been craving spinach lately. Yum! Hugs.

    • chef mimi July 21, 2017 at 2:41 PM - Reply

      Craving spinach. That’s a new one! I love it too!

  7. Megala July 21, 2017 at 1:57 PM - Reply

    It looks amazingly beautiful!

  8. gerlinde July 21, 2017 at 4:00 PM - Reply

    You have some tasty tarts on your blog and I like your spinach one. It would be good for any time of the day.

  9. Mary July 21, 2017 at 4:12 PM - Reply

    This looks really good as there is no crust. I am thinking it would be nice to try a mixture of both cottage and ricotta cheese – and I wouldn’t purĂ©e the spinach. Then you can see it is a leaf. Looking forward to tasting this yummy looking quiche.

    • chef mimi July 21, 2017 at 7:50 PM - Reply

      That makes sense, but the greener pie is definitely pretty!

  10. LB July 21, 2017 at 9:59 PM - Reply

    This looks so wonderful! I have never had an Irish spinach pie – just a greek Spanikopita – but I definitely want to try this!

    • chef mimi July 22, 2017 at 8:38 AM - Reply

      This isn’t as “flavorful” as Spanikopita, with feta and oregano, if my memory serves… but the spinach really shines in this pie!

  11. Blogtastic Food July 21, 2017 at 10:39 PM - Reply

    Wow the color of looks gorgeous. Always love the way you present your food (:

    • chef mimi July 22, 2017 at 8:36 AM - Reply

      Well that’s quite a compliment! Thank you!

  12. Fine Dining at Home (@fdathome) July 22, 2017 at 6:35 AM - Reply

    Glorious, I had no idea there was no crust until you mentioned it!

    • chef mimi July 22, 2017 at 8:35 AM - Reply

      I never realized it either! And I didn’t miss it.

  13. chezlerevefrancais July 22, 2017 at 8:40 AM - Reply

    Love the combination of cheese and spinach and such a great colour too!

    • chef mimi July 22, 2017 at 10:29 AM - Reply

      It was really good! I would normally have added nutmeg and some white pepper, but I left it as is!

  14. Jeff the Chef July 22, 2017 at 9:00 AM - Reply

    That pie is the loveliest shade of green! Delicious-looking. I’ve never heard of a borage flower, but what a fantastic garnish. Your photographs are so beautiful.

  15. indianeskitchen July 22, 2017 at 11:14 AM - Reply

    Oh my that looks so good!!!

  16. Sofia July 22, 2017 at 1:06 PM - Reply

    I love spinach but amazingly enough I’m often short on ideas for what to do with it. This seems fabulous! xx

    • chef mimi July 22, 2017 at 3:23 PM - Reply

      If you love cooked spinach, this is a perfect recipe for you!

  17. Frank Fariello July 23, 2017 at 6:50 AM - Reply

    I actually like the mottling a lot—so much more visually interesting than an uniform green would have been, in my opinion. On the other hand, I would definitely substitute ricotta or farmers cheese for the cottage cheese, which I’ve never liked. Although I suppose with enough spinach and cheese it might be palatable… ;-)

    • chef mimi July 23, 2017 at 7:46 AM - Reply

      I really should have looked into what Irish cottage cheese is, instead of using American cottage cheese. Or, blended it first before incorporating the spinach. But either way, it’s a very good pie!

  18. anotherfoodieblogger July 23, 2017 at 9:37 AM - Reply

    What a fantastic spinach pie Mimi! And when I read “no crust” I was sold, lol! I’m no good at crusts. :)

    • chef mimi July 23, 2017 at 1:54 PM - Reply

      Eh, I’m sure you’re great at them. To me, the more rustic the better! At least, that’s my excuse!

  19. Cocoa & Lavender July 23, 2017 at 12:08 PM - Reply

    This sounds wonderful, Mimi! The color is great and I love the contrast with the borage. So, I will be making this AND the tomato tart! Thanks for the great ideas!

    • chef mimi July 23, 2017 at 1:56 PM - Reply

      Oh, that tomato tart is one I’ve made more than a few times, which is a rarity for me. Mostly my one pescatarian daughter asks for it. It takes a lot of time waiting for the tomato mixture to reduce, and it’s easy to become impatient, but just wait until it’s super thick. It’s really incredible.

  20. chefkreso July 23, 2017 at 2:32 PM - Reply

    Yummy! I love spinach and don’t always find spinach recipes as much, so I’m happy to read a recipe delicious as your!

  21. Culinary Flavors July 24, 2017 at 12:14 AM - Reply

    Your pie is certainly eye catching with its beautiful green color and I am sure it is equally delicious! If you love spinach pies you should try Greek spanakopita. You can find an original recipe at my blog.

    • chef mimi July 24, 2017 at 6:43 AM - Reply

      Oh, I have. My mother introduced us to Greek food, as well as many other international cuisines when I was growing up, and I still think her baklava is the best ever!

  22. Lisa @ cheergerm July 24, 2017 at 1:57 AM - Reply

    What a Fabulous green pie this is Mimi. The borage flowers are very pretty and I imagine ricotta cheese would work just as well in this?

    • chef mimi July 24, 2017 at 6:44 AM - Reply

      Cottage cheese is pretty flavorless, as is ricotta, when used plain, so i definitely think ricotta would work. Plus it would blend better than the curdy cottage cheese.

  23. A Cookbook Collection July 24, 2017 at 9:19 AM - Reply

    That looks beautiful Mimi, almost like a frittata. Honestly, I prefer the way the spinach is in your photo, much more interesting than being pureed.

  24. sippitysup July 24, 2017 at 12:18 PM - Reply

    I make a handheld version I like a lot. But the presentation is so much more elegant in this full pie beauty. GREG

  25. Freda @ Aromatic essence July 24, 2017 at 4:53 PM - Reply

    This pie looks so gorgeous! And it’s crustless, bonus!! I love crustless pies :D

    • chef mimi August 1, 2017 at 7:00 AM - Reply

      You will definitely love this pie then!

  26. Loretta July 25, 2017 at 6:59 AM - Reply

    All the healthy ingredients in one sitting, wonderful! Love the wee purple flowers, what are they? I’m sure this went down a treat for a beautiful summer lunch or supper. Love the crustless element too.

    • chef mimi July 25, 2017 at 7:13 AM - Reply

      They’re borage flowers! So pretty, and edible!

  27. dimplescookbook July 25, 2017 at 2:10 PM - Reply

    Wow… It is so tempting…

  28. Eha July 25, 2017 at 10:48 PM - Reply

    Have read your comments ‘forever’ but come visiting for the first time today, post-Conor, to get a wonderful recipe I’ll try as soon as my food delivery arrives :) ! And I for one like the ‘mottled’ appearance!

    • chef mimi July 26, 2017 at 6:02 AM - Reply

      Thank you Eha! I’m not sure which I prefer, but the taste is wonderful!

  29. Tuan Tran September 25, 2017 at 2:01 AM - Reply

    UI… so beauty and delicious pies! great recipe :))) Thank you!

    • chef mimi November 20, 2018 at 5:54 AM - Reply

      Thank you!

  30. patty November 15, 2018 at 12:22 PM - Reply

    I would love this tart, thanks for the recipe!

    • chef mimi November 20, 2018 at 5:54 AM - Reply

      I think it would be prettier blended, but I just love green!

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