Skinny Spinach Tart with a Squash Crust

Quiches and tarts and hand pies...sweet or savory....I love pretty much all foods in a crust.  The trouble is that, no matter how much you skinny up the filling, there's all that butter in the crust.  I have made olive oil doughs before that are tasty and much healthier but still contain the calories.  What to do?

My Pinterest feed is full of cauliflower crust pizza recipes.  Just an egg to bind it and bake away.  I had to try it.  And then I tried it again and added some flour to it.  It's good that I like cooked cauliflower because that's basically what I got.  I know some people like the results but, to me, it wasn't crust.  Squash, on the other hand, helped eliminate the need for most of the fat and gave me a crust that tasted like, well, crust.  You can use either white or whole wheat flour but this recipe isn't gluten free.  Just a skinnier way to shovel in crust.  And I was happy.  Enjoy!





Ingredients

Crust:
1 Cup all purpose flour
1/2 Cup cooked squash (use any cooked squash including canned unsweetened pumpkin)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons low fat milk

Filling:
1 Package (10 oz.) frozen spinach, thawed
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
1 Cup low fat milk
Small pinch of nutmeg
Salt & pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

To make the crust, combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.  Mix in the oil and then the squash and milk.  Knead with your hands until a dough ball forms.  Press it into a 9" tart pan (preferably one with a removable bottom).  Using a fork, poke a few holes in the bottom of the dough and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Remove and allow to cool for a couple of minutes but leave the oven on.

While the crust is baking, make the filling by adding the olive oil and garlic to a large saute pan.  Cook on low heat for a couple of minutes, just until the garlic softens but doesn't brown.  Raise the heat to medium, add the flour and whisk together until a paste forms.  Slowly whisk in the milk and continue cooking until the mixture thickens a bit.  Whisk in the nutmeg and add the spinach.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Add the spinach filling to the crust and sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese.  Return to the oven for an additional 25 minutes.  Makes 8 servings at less than 150 calories per slice.