The cruel rule of thumb with dinners is the less time and thought I put into making it, the more my family loves it.
And I know it’s not just my family where this inverted equation of effort and household acclaim holds true. Once I taught an Instant Pot cooking class and a guest vouched that her family’s favorite dinner was boneless, chicken breasts cooked in barbecue sauce. “I just take them straight from the freezer and add a bottle of BBQ, and that’s it!”
Sorry, I don’t have her recipe. The one I’m here to share is a classic in my family. Best of all, it’s a 1980s throwback recipe that takes only a few ingredients.
Back of the Box Magic
I’m a true blue fan of Bisquick. I don’t use it often now, but back in the day it was a staple in our house for making the obvious: biscuits and pancakes.
My mom found another recipe, though, and it quickly became a regular in our dinner rotation. Impossible Pie is an invention of Bisquick wherein you forgo making a crust and instead add a little Bisquick to a custard-y or quiche-y filling before baking it. The name makes it sound like a crust-like layer magically forms as the pie bakes, but it’s more of a hybrid frittata/egg bite: an eggy, crustless affair that holds an edge when you slice it.
Betty Crocker offers Impossible Pie recipes galore, both savory and sweet. For my money, the savory ones are where it’s at.
Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu
A Light Dinner That You Can Double
My daughter and I eat the heck out of this. It’s been a fallback for us ever since she became a vegetarian. One 8×8 pan makes about 2.25 hearty servings in our house, meaning the two of us nearly demolish it all in one sitting. You might want to make two pies or double the recipe and bake it in a 9×13-inch dish. Leftovers are great packed for lunch; I’ve also enjoyed them for breakfast. To bulk up the meal, make a substantial side like a three bean salad or potato salad.
Improvise Away
We almost always make Impossible Pie with just broccoli and cheese, but you can get a bit more elaborate.
- Switch up the broccoli for diced zucchini or cooked chopped spinach
- Omit the cheese or switch it up, using Swiss, Jack, or whatever you please
- Add diced cooked sausage, ham, chicken, or a few slices of crumbled bacon
No Bisquick? No Problem
If I’m out of Bisquick, I don’t let it hold me back. I’ll make Impossible Pie with my ad-hoc faux Bisquick, measuring out 3/4 cup of flour and adding 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and a pinch of salt, plus a little drizzle of olive oil. In this recipe, you can’t tell the difference.
Eggy Delights
Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu
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