Simple spinach dish is good any time of the dayquick cooking

When family life gets crazed with after-school sports and parent meetings, my 12-year-old daughter, C.C., often takes over the cooking duties and makes us her specialty - cheese omelets. There's just something about cracking eggs that is appealing to children, and this week I'm offering a recipe that is simple enough for a child to prepare (and they get to crack some eggs), is packed with flavor and is great served morning, noon or night.

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My ham and spinach pie pleases both the children and adults in my house and starts with a package of frozen creamed spinach.

All creamed spinach is not created equally when it comes to fat content, and I usually use Green Giant brand because it contains the least fat, 2.5 grams per serving.

Birds Eye's label says that it contains real cream, which ups the product's fat grams to 7 per serving, and Stouffer's weighs in at 10 grams per serving.

The creamed spinach is combined with diced, lean ham, which you can find in 8-ounce packages in the fresh-meat section of most supermarkets. There usually are two choices, one with a large dice and one diced small, and I usually use the small dice in casseroles and quiches and the large for soups, jambalaya and gumbo.

The spinach and ham are combined with mozzarella and ricotta cheeses, then beaten eggs, grated nutmeg and freshly ground black pepper are added. Nutmeg is a classic addition to egg dishes, but can be omitted according to your preference.

I like to use a frozen deep-dish pie crust for the recipe, but you can substitute a prepared pie crust from the dairy case. Alternately, you can pour the custard directly into a deep-dish pie plate that you've sprayed with nonstick cooking spray for a crustless, lower-fat version.

If your family is not a fan of spinach, substitutions abound in the freezer case. Make a ham and corn pie by substituting a 10-ounce package of creamed corn, or substitute shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese for the mozzarella and use a 10-ounce package of broccoli in cheese sauce.

The pie can be served at brunch, lunch or dinner with sides of bakery muffins and fruit kebabs or a fruit salad, or you can serve your favorite tossed salad. Salad greens tossed with mandarin oranges, golden raisins, chopped pecans and poppy seed dressing also pair well with the pie.

Ham and Spinach Pie

1 9-inch frozen deep-dish pie shell

1 8-ounce package diced, lean ham

1 10-ounce package frozen creamed spinach, defrosted

1 cup frozen part-skim mozzarella cheese

1 cup reduced-fat or fat-free ricotta or cottage cheese

4 eggs, beaten

1 pinch grated nutmeg

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Stir the ham, creamed spinach, mozzarella, ricotta or cottage cheese together in a large bowl. Add the eggs and season with the nutmeg and pepper to taste. Pour mixture into the pie shell and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until center is set. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Nutritional information per serving: 420 calories, 26 grams fat (10 grams saturated), 196 milligrams cholesterol, 1,315 milligrams sodium, 28 grams protein, 15 grams carbohydrates, 0.66 grams fiber.

Nutritional analysis provided by Registered Dietitian Rachel B. Drew, the nutritional education specialist for the Richmond County School Nutrition Program, in conjunction with the Augusta Area Dietetic Association.

Coming next week: Microwave Mushroom Risotto lets you create a delicious risotto almost unattended. See Karin prepare the recipe at noon Tuesday on WJBF-TV (Channel 6).

Write to Karin Calloway in care of The Augusta Chronicle Newsroom, P.O. Box 1928, Augusta, GA 30903-1928. Or send e-mail to karin.calloway@comcast.net. You can find previous Quick Cooking recipes through the online archive at augustachronicle.com/karin.