These little pies are easy to make, relatively inexpensive, and they taste great. The pies also are a good way to use up your sourdough discard without having to bake a big loaf of bread. The pies are filled with vegetables as well as the inexpensive, low-fat chicken sausage, and they are fine on a diabetic diet (in moderation, of course). I maintain a sourdough starter with whole-wheat or white whole-wheat flour, which means that the discard I use to top the pies has a significant amount of fiber and nutrients in it. A starter maintained with all-purpose flour will work fine for the pies, but be less nutritious. You can bake the pies in a regular oven or cook them in an air fryer, and you can make large pies, small pies, or a combination. The pies make an easy dinner with a simple salad, and any leftover pies make nice lunches later in the week. Enjoy!
Chicken Sausage, Spinach, and Feta Pies (Diabetic Friendly) -- Makes 2+
Topping
1 cup of sourdough starter/discard (preferably whole-wheat/whole-grain)
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon of salt
In a medium bowl mix all of the topping ingredients well and set them aside.
Filling
2 cups of coarsely chopped mushrooms
1/2 a small onion, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
2 cups of coarsely chopped fresh spinach
12-ounce package of pre-cooked of chicken (or poultry) spinach feta sausage chopped
into rounds
2 - 3 tablespoons of crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup of low-fat cottage cheese
Put the mushrooms and onion into a large microwave-safe bowl or measure and add a teaspoon or two of water. Microwave the vegetables for 4-5 minutes or until they soften. Stir in the garlic powder, then the chopped spinach. Keep stirring until the spinach melts down into the other vegetables. Stir in the chicken sausage, the feta cheese, and the cottage cheese until completely combined. Spritz two quart-sized dishes with non-stick cooking spray and divide the filling between the dishes. Alternatively spritz 6-8 ramekins or pie tins with cooking spray and divide the mixture among the ramekins (or you can use a combination, depending on what dishes you have!). Spread a little of the topping mixture on each of the pies, dividing the topping as evenly as possible. The topping will sink down into the pies a little. That's fine.
Air Fryer: Air fry the pies at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes for small pies and 40 minutes for large pies or until the topping is crusty brown.
Oven: Bake the pies in a 350-degree pre-heated oven for about 35 minutes for small pies or 45-minutes for large pies or until the topping is crusty brown.
Let the pies cool for 5-10 minutes before serving them.
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