Sausage & Baby Kale "Impossible Pie" - Low Carb and Grain Free

This evening I made a simple dinner since I was (and am) exhausted. I was up all of last night with our little dog, Spike, who abruptly went lame last night, yelping in pain. We were able to get him comfortable with medications until we could get him to our vet first thing this morning. I literally didn't sleep at all and sat with him to comfort him all night long. Whenever he is scared or not feeling well, he is inseparable from me. He's my little shadow to begin with, but when something is wrong he becomes my second skin...literally. The vet thinks it's either a luxating patella (knee cap) or injured cruciate ligament. For now we are treating it with medications and rest and hoping to avoid surgery.

This weekend I picked up a package of organic baby kale and some fresh Italian chicken sausage links to make my Sausage and Baby Kale Quiche. Since I was so tired, rather than make a crust, I opted to make a version that was more like the Bisquick Impossible Pies I used to make many years ago. The great thing about them was you whizzed Bisquick, milk and eggs in a blender and poured it over whatever filling ingredients you wanted in your "impossible pie". The mixture basically made it's own crust like texture that enveloped your filling ingredients. They were so very easy to make as well as versatile. The only thing I didn't like about them was cleaning the blender afterward. While I love to cook, I absolutely hate cleaning up!

Using almond flour, I basically recreated a similar grain-free version of the impossible pie batter to use on my sausage and baby kale pie and I skipped the blender part entirely. I added all of my batter ingredients to my large 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup and whisked the batter together. Because I used the measuring cup as my mixing bowl, it made it super easy to just pour over the pie since it has a spout...and rinsing out a measuring cup beats cleaning a blender any day of the week! I used fresh Italian chicken sausage that I removed from the casings before browning but you can use any kind of ground sausage (or beef) you like and if you don't like kale you can add spinach or whatever other vegetable you like. You can use your favorite type of cheese or whatever you have on hand. I used a mixture of cheddar cheeses this evening and finished up the odds and ends I had in the fridge. I stirred in a few heaping tablespoons of oven dried roma tomatoes packed in oil that I buy at Costco. They add a nice deep rich tomato flavor without adding any liquid to the pie. They are similar to sun dried tomatoes packed in oil but not quite as intensely flavored. I snapped a few photos below as well as included the recipe I used. Enjoy!

Sausage & Baby Kale "Impossible Pie"

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
1/2 cup onion, chopped
5 ounces fresh baby kale
1/2 pound cooked crumbled sausage (I used Italian chicken sausage)
2 to 3 tablespoons oven roasted tomatoes packed in oil, optional
1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, Swiss, Moneterey Jack, etc.)
Sea salt and black pepper
3/4 cup blanched almond flour
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup cream or half-and-half
6 large eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.  Lightly spray a 10-inch pie dish with olive oil spray.  

In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, saute onions in oil until translucent. Stir in baby kale and cook for a few minutes until wilted, stirring frequently. Add cooked sausage and combine. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, Parmesan, and baking powder, breaking up any lumps. Add cream and eggs; beat into a smooth batter. 

Layer sausage and kale mixture evenly in the bottom of pie dish; top with shredded cheese. Pour batter evenly over top. Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until light golden brown, puffed up and done (no jiggling). Pie is done when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.