Cheeseburger Pie

Recently my Mom bought me a "Best of Michigan Cookbook" and I've gotten some really great recipes out of the book so far.  This is one of them, it seemed odd when making it that it didn't have rice or potatoes in it, but it turned out really tasty despite that.  It's like a cheeseburger without carbs!

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.  Brown beef (I used turkey) in a medium pan.  Drain meat through a sieve and return to pan.

Add onion, bell peppers, salt, pepper and 1/4 cup water.  Cover and cook until vegetables are soft, around 8 minutes.

Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray.  Spread meat mixture over the bottom of the pan.

Dot with cottage cheese, I used non-fat. 

Top with cheddar cheese.

Whisk together egg, half and half, 1/2 cup water, and seasoning mix (recipe is below.)

Pour over the meat and cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and set.  

The seasoning mix really gives this dish  ton of flavor.  It's pretty spicy, so make sure you cutback on the cayenne pepper if you're not a spice lover.  I substituted turkey for beef and skim milk for half and half and it didn't taste like it was a low fat version what so ever.  The turkey tasted like sausage, due to the seasoning.  This was a quick week night dinner, and very different from things I normally make.  Hope you enjoy it as much as me!

Cheeseburger Pie

Serves 6

1 pound lean ground beef (or turkey)

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1/4 medium green bell pepper, chopped

1/4 medium red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3/4 cup water (or chicken broth)

1/2 cup cottage cheese

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

4 large eggs, slightly beaten

3 teaspoons "Spice It Up" seasoning *Recipe below

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. 

Brown beef in a medium nonstick pan.

Drain meat through a sieve and return to pan.

Add onion, bell pepper, salt, pepper and 1/4 cup water or broth.

Cover and cook until vegetables are soft, around 8 minutes.

Spray a 9x13 inch pan with non stick spray.

Spread meat mixture over bottom of pan, dot with cottage cheese, and top with cheddar.

Whisk together eggs, half and half (or skim), remaining 1/2 cup water, and seasoning mix. 

Pour over meat and cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes until golden and set. 

Spice It Up Seasoning

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoons cayenne pepper

1 tablespoons crushed parsley flakes

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon Splenda sweetener

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoons tarragon

1/2 teaspoon dried lemon peel