National Pie Week Recipes

Healthy Recipes, Weight Loss and Healthy Tips

It’s National Pie week and to celebrate we have found some tasty, low-calorie pie recipes which are bound to impress your friends and family. Whether you’re after something vegetarian, hearty and healthy or something to entertain your sweet tooth, these 3 delicious recipes are filling and satisfying.

Crispy Greek-style pie

This crispy pie is the perfect meal to impress your vegetarian friends with its deep flavours and can be adapted to suit anyone’s taste by adding chicken and any extra vegetables you wish!

250 kcal per serving

You will need:

200g bag spinach leaves
100g jar sun dried tomato in oil
150g feta cheese, crumbled
2 eggs
½ 250g pack filo pastry

Method:

Put the spinach in a large pan and pour over a couple tbsp water. Cook until it’s just wilted.
Tip the spinach into a sieve, leave to cool a little and then squeeze out any excess water and roughly chop it up.
Roughly chop up the tomatoes and put them into a bowl along with the spinach, feta and eggs and mix well.
Carefully unroll the filo pastry and cover it with some damp sheets of kitchen paper to stop it from drying out.
Take a sheet of pastry and brush it liberally with some of the sun dried tomato oil.
Drape the oil-side down in a 22cm loose bottomed cake tin, so that some of the pastry hangs over the side. Brush the oil on another piece of pastry and place in the tin, just a little further round.
Keep placing the pastry pieces in the tin until you have roughly three layers, then spoon in the spinach, feta and egg filling.
Pul the sides that are hanging over into the middle and scrunch them up and make sure the filling is covered. Brush with a little more oil.
Heat your oven to 180C/ fan 160C/ gas 4. Cook the pie for 30 mins until the pastry is crisp and golden brown.
Remove from the cake tin, slice into wedges and serve with salad.

The ultimate makeover: Chicken pie

This classic recipe has been reinvented to create a healthier chicken pie to make dinner hearty, healthy and low calorie.

320 kcal per serving

You will need:

450 ml chicken stock, from a cube
100 ml white wine
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 thyme sprigs
1 tarragon sprig, plus 1 tbsp chopped tarragon leaves
225g carrots, cut into batons
4 skinless chicken breasts (500g/ 1 lb 2oz)
225g leeks, sliced
2 tbsp corn flour, mixed with 2 tbsp water
3 tbsp crème fraiche
1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
1 heaped tbsp chopped parsley
70g filo pastry
1 tbsp rapeseed oil

Method:

Pour the stoch and wine into a large, wide frying pan.
Add the garlic, thyme, tarragon sprig and carrots and bring to the boil. Then, lower the heat and simmer for 3 mins.
Lay the chicken in the stock, grind over some pepper, cover and simmer for 5 mins.
Scatter the leek slices over the chicken, cover again then gently simmer for 10 more mins, so the leeks can steam while the chicken cooks.
Remove from the heat and let the chicken sit in the stock for about 15 mins, so it keeps moist while cooling slightly.
Strain the stock into a jug – you should have 500 ml (if not, make this up with water.)
Tip the chicken and vegetables into a 1.5 litre pie dish and discard the herb sprigs. Pour the stock back into the sauté pan, and then slowly pour in the corn flour mix.
Return the pan to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the crème fraiche, mustard, chopped tarragon and parsley. Season with pepper and then heat the oven to 200C/ 180C fan / gas 6.
Tear or cut the chicken into chunky shreds. Pour the sauce over the chicken mixture, and then stir everything together.
Cut each sheet of filo into 4 squares or rectangles. Layer them on the top of the filling, brushing each sheet with some oil as you go.
Lightly scrunch up the filo so it doesn’t lie completely flat and tick the edges into the sides of the dish, or lay them on the edges if the dish has a rim.
Grind over a little pepper, place the dish on a baking sheet, then bake for 20-25 mins until the pastry is golden and the sauce is bubbling. Serve immediately.

Photo Credit: Angela Nilsen via BBC Good Food

Spring Strawberry Pie

Enjoy this refreshing pie with its tangy accents of strawberry and the slight crunch of graham cracker crumb crust for dessert, or as an afternoon treat.

229 kcal per serving

You will need:

For the crust –

1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
Cooking spray

For the filling –

2 cups sliced strawberries
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
6 cups small strawberries

For the topping –

3 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon chopped hazelnuts or almonds
1 ½ teaspoons butter, melted

Method:

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees
Combine the 1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs, 3 tablespoons of melted butter and 2 tablespoons of sugar together in a bowl, tossing with a fork until moist.
Press the crust mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9- inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Bake at 175 degrees for 15 mins and leave to cool on a wire rack.
To prepare the filling, combine the strawberry slices and vinegar in a medium non-stick skillet.
Place the berry mixture over medium-high heat; cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in ¼ cup sugar and combine the water and cornstarch in a small bowl.
Add to the pan and bring to a boil. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Remove from the heat and stir in the juice and let cool completely.
Arrange whole strawberries, stem sides down in the crust and pour the cooled strawberry mixture over whole strawberries. Cover it loosely and chill for 4 hours.
To prepare the topping, combine 3 tablespoons of cracker crumbs, nuts, and 1 ½ teaspoons melted butter in a small bowl. Place crumb mixture in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook for 2 minutes or until golden brown; cool. Sprinkle crumb mixture over pie and serve.