GastronomicGallivant: Tuscan Pot Pie( With Macaroni N Mozzarella)

Although this Tuscan-Style Pot Pie is adapted from TLC Online, this is my take on it. The minute I saw this, I road tasted with "all" vegetarian filling last week.Loved this Tuscan-style shortcut version(that uses refrigerated crescent-rolls dough on the top) so much that I made it again with new ingredients -Meat, Mac,Mozzarella Cheese and Broccoli-Rabe to make it a one-pot wonder. It is a very pleasant alternative to the Savory Pot Pie that I usually do make. Me, my hubby and my little boy polished the entire thing at one sitting. Recipe can be made all-veg or meat-veg with just one ingredient change. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 8 oz Refrigerated Crescent Dinner-Rolls - 1
• Broccoli Rabe or any bitter-greens - 1/2 bunch, trimmed, cleaned and chopped
• Pinto beans - 1/2 cup, cooked or canned
• Macaroni - 2/3 cup, cooked
• Mozzarella Cheese - 1/2 cup
• Finely Chopped Mushrooms - 1 cup (OR) Lean Ground Turkey/Pork/Chicken - 1 cup
• Tart Apple - 1/4 cup, grated (optional)
• Pasta Sauce - 2 tbsp
• Dry Red Chilli - 1, crumbled (OR) Red Pepper Flakes 
• Cracked Pepper - 1/2 tsp
• Salt for taste
• Garlic - 2, cloves, minced
• Onion - 1/2, medium, fine diced
• Olive Oil - 2 tbsp
• Fennel Seeds - 1 tsp

Tool:

• Oven proof 8-inch cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet

Procedure:

• In a wide skillet, heat the olive oil and add fennel seeds, garlic, onions and saute until the onions are browned.
• In a separate pot, bring water to a boil and add the bitter greens. Boil for 3-4 minutes. Drain and plate it on a paper-towel lined plate. Boiling bitter greens lessens bitterness.
• Add the mushrooms or ground-meat and saute for 5 minutes.
• Throw in the Broccoli Rabe, Pasta to the skillet.

• Sprinkle Salt, Pepper, Pepper flakes and stir gently.
• Switch off the stove and add beans, pasta,mozzarella cheese and grated apples if using.
• Cool the mixture partially.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Transfer the mixture to the 8 inch oven-proof skillet and tightly pack it with a spatula.
• Unroll the dinner-rolls dough and arrange it on the top of the pan so the points meet at the center.

• Bake on the top rack for 12 minutes and cool prior to serving.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Enjoy!