Simple Spinach & Ricotta Pie

This is a super simple, gluten free mid-week dinner that you can so easily substitute with whatever veggies are lying in your vegetable crisper. As long as you've got brown rice in the pantry and eggs and ricotta in the fridge, you can make this yummy pie happen whenever you like, and the leftover slices are absolutely perfect for lunch boxes. This recipe is an adaptation of an original recipe by the amazing Dr Natalie Kringoudis. It was a seminar by Dr Nat back in 2013 that well and truly catapulted me into an obsession with holistic concepts, foods and practices. It was as if she had read my mind, the way she was able to articulate the same symptoms and concerns around PCOS that I was literally thinking to myself every day following my diagnosis, and she was able to offer natural, practical solutions that made perfect sense... and worked. She has such a deep understanding of hormones and how fundamental they are to our health, and it is a joy to hear speak - the woman speaks my language! For more information on Nat's books and e-books, podcast, blog, nation-wide speaking events and her Melbourne-based TCM clinic, click here.

The original of this recipe features in Nat's book 'Well & Good', and is a perfectly simple, hormone-balancing, healthy meal for the whole family. I've tweaked it by adding leek, paprika and parmesan, but you could literally add whatever you please to make it your own.

Makes one pie (8 serves)

Ingredients 

Base 2 cups cooked brown rice 40g melted butter 2 organic egg yolks (keep the whites for the filling)

Filling 500g ricotta 2 organic eggs, plus the egg whites reserved from above 1 leek, sliced (white part only) 2-3 large handfuls of baby spinach 1 tsp paprika Salt & pepper to taste Handful of grated parmesan Extra parmesan and parsley to garnish, if desired

Method

Preheat oven to 200C. Combine all the base ingredients in a bowl, then press into the base of a tart or pie tin until firmly packed. Bake for 15 minutes.

While the base is in the oven, sauté the leek in a frypan over medium heat until soft. Leaving the parmesan aside, combine the cooked leek and all the remaining filling ingredients in a bowl, and mix until smooth. Tip mixture over the cooked base, and spread evenly. Sprinkle the parmesan on top and bake for 20 minutes, or until the pie starts to brown.

Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving. Garnish with extra parmesan and parsley if using.