Turkey Spinach Spaghetti Pie

This savory spaghetti pie delivers in flavor while still remaining on the healthier side. Even being Weight Watchers friendly, the fact that there is only 4 ounces of pasta in this whole pasta pie is amazing, and it is SO cheesy!

Ingredients:

4 oz. Barilla Veggie Spaghetti, broken in thirds, cooked and drained
8 oz. cream cheese, 1/3 less fat
3/4 c. liquid egg whites
1/2 c. light sour cream
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
1 tsp. garlic powder
10 oz. chopped cooked turkey (I used Oscar Mayer Carving Board)
10 oz. pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 c. shredded Marble Jack cheese
1 chopped roasted red sweet pepper, from bottle

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 inch springform pan with non stick cooking spray. Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add in the egg whites and sour cream and mix until combined. Stir in the basil, garlic powder, turkey, spinach, shredded cheese and roasted pepper.

Add in the pasta, stir and pour into the prepared dish. Spread out in an even layer. Bake uncovered for 50-55 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

(Makes 8 servings, 8 Weight Watchers Smart Points per serving)

French Coconut Pie

If you are a lover of coconut and want a gooey and very sweet slice of pie, than this is a pie for you! A small slice topped with whipped cream will definitely cure that sweet tooth craving that you are having. You can always substitute the store-bought crust for homemade, but regardless, this is one easy pie to put together.

Ingredients:

3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 c. toasted coconut
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 Tbs. white wine vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 store-bought pie shell

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pie crust into the pie dish and crimp the edges using a fork. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, unsweetened coconut, melted butter, vinegar and vanilla together until everything is well combined. Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust. Line the "edges" with the toasted coconut. Bake in the oven for 1 hour. Let cool completely before trying to cut into slices.

Reubenburger Pie

This recipe is from the cookbook that I made of my Aunt Jean's favorite recipes. It seemed like a perfect recipe for the upcoming St. Patty's Day Holiday!

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
2/3 c. oats
1/2 c. Thousand Island dressing
1 egg
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1 (16 oz.) can sauerkraut, drained
2 c. shredded Swiss cheese
1 1/2 tsp. caraway seeds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a quiche or pie dish with non stick cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, mix the beef, oats, dressing, egg, salt, pepper and garlic powder together (use your hands!).

Pour into the prepared pan and spread out evenly, pressing up the sides. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes. Carefully drain at least half of the extra liquid by slightly tilting over the sink.

Combine the sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and caraway seeds in a small bowl with a spatula.

Pour the sauerkraut mixture into the middle of the meat crust and spread out evenly. Bake in the oven for another 8-10 minutes until the meat is golden brown and the Swiss cheese is melted through.

Let the pie cool for at least 5-10 minutes before slicing (this gives the juices time to soak back into the meat, making it easier to cut and serve).

Pecan Pie Cookies

 

I....don't even like pecans that much. Or pie crust. But these cookies? To die for! All of the flavors of pecan pie, but hand held, non messy, and still gooey on the inside.

Ingredients:

1 pie crust (homemade or store bought)
2 Tbs. margarine, melted
1/2 c. pecans, chopped
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. corn syrup
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Unroll the pastry and using a rolling pin, thin out the crust. Use a 3" round cookie cutter and cut the dough into circles. Combine the scraps, work into a dough ball again, roll out, and keep cutting circles out until you don't have enough dough to make another circle. Slightly roll up the "edges" of the circles so that they have a slight lip on them. Place on the prepared parchment sheet. 

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat the margarine, pecans, brown sugar, corn syrup, eggs and salt together. Cook on medium-low, whisking occasionally, until the filling is slightly thickened. Pour about a tablespoon into each mini pie circle. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the bottom of the pie crust is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack before serving or storing.

Apple Crumble Pie

My new favorite apple pie recipe! You have to try it out! The apples are soft, and the crumble is so crunchy!

Ingredients:

1 recipe Cinnamon Swirl Pie Crust
5-7 medium apples, peeled and cored, cut into thin slices
1/4 c. sugar
2 tps. cinnamon
1 stick margarine, softened
1 c. flour
1 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbs. sugar
Optional* Caramelized Cinnamon Acorn Squash Seeds

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix the apples, 1/4 c. sugar and cinnamon together. Pour into the prepared cinnamon swirl crust, brushed with the egg. In another bowl, cut the margarine into the flour and brown sugar. Most use a pastry blender for this, I like to use my hands because the warmth of my fingers helps the mixture become buttery crumbles instead of a more dry and flour like consistency. Sprinkle the crumble on top of the apples, trying to cover the entire top of the pie. Sprinkle with the 1 1/2 Tbs. sugar. 

Bake for 55-60 minutes until the crumble is a golden brown and the apples are softened. Let the pie cool before slicing to give the juices from the apples a chance to become like a thick syrup. Top with some whipped cream and a few pieces of caramelized cinnamon acorn seeds!

Cinnamon Swirl Pie Crust

I hate the boringness of it all when it comes to pie crust. This version is perfect. I can still utilize a store bought already made to go pie crust, and jazz it up to make it taste completely different! Don't get me wrong, you could do this with a homemade pie crust also, I'm just using the most simple easy version!

Ingredients:

1 pre-made pie crust (from 15 oz. box)
1 Tbs. margarine, melted
1 Tbs. cinnamon
2 tsp. sugar
1 egg, beaten

Unroll the pie crust out after letting it sit to room temperature. Using a pastry brush, brush the melted butter onto the pie crust. Mix the cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly. Press down slightly with your hands and make sure you spread the mixture out to the "edges". Tightly roll the dough back up. With a very sharp and flat knife (do not use serrated), cut the dough into 1/4 inch, or less, thick slices. Do NOT spray or prepare the bottom of a pie dish. Place two dough pinwheels next to each other in the pie dish and press down, connecting them together and spreading them out. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Use the ends of the dough that didn't end up with a swirl pattern to fill in the holes towards the top of the crust to make it a fairly even layer going around the top of the pie pan. Make sure there are no holes in the dough between the circles. Using the same brush as the butter, brush the egg wash on top before placing your filling inside.

This dough ends up making every kind of pie (that goes good with cinnamon), taste amazing and look beautiful!

Fresh Pumpkin Pie

Ready for that fresh pumpkin pie taste? Look no further! This pie turned out PERFECT! I am not a huge fan of pumpkin pie, but this pie was amazing and it will be hard to make them from canned puree in the future.

Ingredients:

1 recipe for Fresh Pumpkin Puree
1 (14 oz.) can low fat sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
2 Tbs. cornstarch
2 Tbs. molasses
2 Tbs. oil
1 Tbs. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
3 eggs
1 pie crust (homemade or store bought)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Using the food processor with your fresh pureed pumpkin still inside, add the condensed milk, whipping cream, cornstarch, molasses, oil, seasonings and eggs. Puree on high for about a minute, and then pulse until you get the consistency that you are looking for.

Place your pie crust in a pie dish and crimp the edges. Pour the pumpkin pie batter into the prepared pie crust. Bake in the oven for one hour, checking to make sure that the center of the pie is fully cooked. Make sure the pie is fully cooled to room temperature before refrigerating. 

Cherry Pie Bars

Ingredients:

1 3/4 c. sugar
2 sticks margarine, softened
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. almond extract
3 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 can cherry pie filling (about 1 1/2 to 2 cups)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a jelly-roll pan with non stick cooking spray and set aside. In an electric mixer, blend the sugar and margarine together. Add in the eggs and almond extract until you reach a smooth consistency. Slowly add in the dry ingredients (the mixture will be VERY sticky). Spread the mixture out onto the bottom of the pan in an even layer. Spoon the pie filling on top of the dough and spread out. Bake for 25 minutes in the oven until the edges of the dough are golden brown. Let cool fully.
 Drizzle a glaze of 1 c. powdered sugar, 1/4 tsp. almond extract and 1-2 Tbs. milk.

(Makes around 42-45 bars. 2 WW points per bar.)

Mini Cranberry-Date Pies

Ingredients:

1 pre-made pie crust (from 15 oz. pkg.)
1 c. chopped dates
3/4 c. dried cranberries
1/4 c. sugar
2 Tbs. water

In a small saucepan, combine the dates, cranberries and sugar and cook on medium heat until slightly thickened (2-3 minutes). Set aside to cool slightly. Unroll the pie crust and thin out with a rolling pin. Using a small round biscuit or cookie cutter ( about 2 inch diameter) cut out circles. Keep re-rolling the dough out until you don't have enough to work with anymore and roll out. Place 1 tsp. filling in the center of the pie dough circle and fold the dough over. Pinch the edges together and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Using a fork, press the edges again to make sure the dough is sealed. Spray the tops of the dough with non stick cooking spray, and sprinkle with coarse sugar or sprinkles. Bake for 11-13 minutes until the bottom is golden brown. Let cool before serving or storing.

Pear Ginger Pie

Ingredients:

1 store-bought pie crust (or homemade)
5 Bosc pears, peeled and sliced
1 lemon, grated, plus 1 Tbs. juice
2 Tbs. flour
3 Tbs. orange marmalade

3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
5 Tbs. cold butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spread the crust out evenly inside a pie dish and fold the ends over (or do whatever pattern you normally do for pies). Spread the orange marmalade on top of the crust in the bottom of the pie dish. In a large bowl, mix the pears, lemon peel and juice, and 2 Tbs. flour together. Pour into the prepared crust and spread in an even layer. In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and butter together either with your fingers (I find this much easier) or a pastry blender. Crumble on top of the filling in a somewhat even layer. Bake the pie for 20 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees and continue to bake for 40 more minutes. Let cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Spooky Pumpkin Cheeseburger Pie

Ingredients:

1 1/4 lb. Jennie-O lean ground turkey, 93% fat free

1/2 large yellow onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. fresh cracked pepper

1/4 c. Ketchup

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 (15 oz.) pkg. refrigerated pie crust

1 Tbs. mustard

2 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided

2 Tbs. water

1 egg

Red and yellow food coloring

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large pan on medium heat, cook the first 5 ingredients for about 3-5 minutes until the ground turkey is no longer pink and the onions are slightly translucent. Drain the meat mixture and place in a medium size bowl. Add the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce and stir together. Add 1 cup of cheese to the mixture and stir together. 

Lay the first pie crust out on a slightly greased baking sheet. Spread the mustard out covering the pie crust in a thin layer. Place the meat mixture in the center of the bottom pie crust and spread out, leaving 1-2 inches along the edges. Unroll the top pie crust and cut out your Jack-O'-Lantern face, saving the scraps. Place the face pie crust on top. Pinch the edges together, and then fold under so the seams are together and tucked under the pie. With the scrap pie crust, form a stem and press on to the top. 

In a small bowl, mix the water, egg and 1 drop each of yellow and red food coloring together. Use a pastry brush and brush the top of the pumpkin with the egg wash. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes, fill the eye spaces, nose and mouth with the remaining shredded cheese, tucking the loose ends in so that when the cheese melts it goes in to the holes you made and not on top of the crust. Bake for another 3-5 minutes just to melt the cheese.

Sugar Free Apple Pie

Ingredients:

4 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
2 tsp. Agave Nectar
1 tsp. apple pie spice
1-2 pie crusts, store bought or homemade


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the apples, agave and apple pie spice. Fit a pie crust into the bottom of a pie or quiche dish. Fold the edges of the pie crust over, or pinch together to form a pattern. Pour the apple mixture into the bottom pie crust. For the swirls of pie crust, I used a pizza cutter to cut the other pie crust into strips. Start at one end and roll up towards the other. Press gently into the bottom pie crust and continue to go around the whole pie.

Spray the crust with non stick cooking spray. Gently place tinfoil on top of the crust, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the tinfoil and continue baking for another 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before slicing.