You may have heard of “impossible pie” or “impossibly easy pie.” The gist of it is that you don’t need to fool with a finicky crust. Just throw all the ingredients in a pie dish and bake it and voila! A pie-shaped meal or dessert emerges from the oven, warm and tantalizing. All you need is instant biscuit mix, an oven and a few other things.
You can find hundreds of impossible pie recipes out there, with ingredients that lend themselves to breakfast, dinner and dessert.
My go-to sources for all-in-one pies are bettycrocker.com and www.allrecipes.com.
Here are three simple recipes that make it seem like you’ve done something complicated. Don’t worry; your secret is safe with me (and Betty). Bonus: you can use gluten-free biscuit mix in all of them.
Can’t get to your favorite drive-thru for a cheeseburger? I feel your pain. To be honest, Impossible Cheeseburger Pie will not taste like your favorite burger, or any burger. But I can guarantee that this recipe features beef and cheese. So there you go: It’s cheeseburger-esque.
Start with 1 pound ground beef. If you don’t have beef, use ground turkey or chicken — but you may be a purist with your cheeseburgerlike flavors, so I respect that. Brown the meat in a little olive oil with one big, chopped onion and half a teaspoon of salt. When I’ve made this, I’ve added pinches of rosemary, oregano, basil or sage, and a dash of soy sauce or powdered umami flavoring.
Next, turn the oven to 400 degrees and spread the beef mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch pie dish. Sprinkle 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese on top. Try a mix of cheddar jack, or a bit of mozzarella, Edam or Gouda. You could even go for a Swiss-mushroom burger and cook mushrooms along with the beef and onions, topped with Swiss cheese. The important thing is: cheese.
Whisk together 1 cup of milk, 2 eggs and 1/2 cup of instant biscuit mix. Pour this over the top of everything else and bake for 25 or 30 minutes until a knife poked in the center comes out clean. Serve with some vegetables. Sure, ketchup counts as a vegetable, at least during quarantine.
Here’s another hearty variation: Impossible Chicken Pot Pie. This is far easier than “real” chicken pot pie. (I should know! I may hold the record for pot pie fails.)
Turn the oven to 400 degrees. Start with 2 cups of frozen mixed vegetables (the size of most bags). When I made this recently, I didn’t have frozen mixed veggies, so I used frozen peas with canned mushrooms and sauteed onions and carrots. Pro tip: Do not use lima beans. That’s just gross.
Mix the vegetables with a can of cream of chicken soup and 1 cup chopped cooked chicken. Yes, of course you can use canned chicken — most cans are 10 to 13 ounces, so that’s close enough. Pour into a 9-inch pie plate. Consider adding a teaspoon of fresh minced sage, or a dash of powdered sage. A shake of lemon pepper is also delicious.
Then whisk together 1 cup of biscuit mix, 1/2 cup of milk and one egg. Pour over the top of the chicken mixture and bake for 30 minutes or until the top is a nice golden brown. Feel proud.
Today’s final recipe is a sweet pie finish for your savory pie dinner. Ready for Impossible French Apple Pie?
Heat the oven to 325 degrees and grease a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray, or go ahead, just use butter.
Mix 3 cups sliced apples with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. I also add 1/4 teaspoon ginger because I’m crazy for ginger. If you like a sweeter filling, add 1 tablespoon of sugar. My secret ingredient for maximum deliciousness in any fruit pie is to add a dash or two of salt; you won’t taste the salt, but it will enhance the flavor. Put the apple mixture in the pie plate.
Next, stir together 1/2 cup biscuit mix, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup milk and 1 tablespoon softened butter, then pour over the apples.
For the streusel topping, mix another 1/2 cup biscuit mix with 1/4 cup packed brown sugar and 2 tablespoons butter. The Betty Crocker recipe also calls for 1/4 cup chopped nuts, but you could substitute coconut or omit the nuts altogether.
Sprinkle the streusel over the top and bake 40 to 45 minutes, cool for five minutes, and serve each slice of pie with an extra side of pie. If there are any leftovers, they can be stored in the fridge.
