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Do your kids ever ask you if they can eat something that might be considered to be a special treat as the entire meal? My oldest has a detailed plan for what a 3 course meal made of chocolate might look like (there’s a chocolate fountain involved…it’s quite detailed!). Well today I thought I’d give my family a little surprise by making an entire meal out of pies. With a little help from Marie Callender’s you’ll find it is quite easy to do, and you don’t even have to give up the idea of a more balanced meal to make it happen.
I headed to Walmart yesterday to pick up the ingredients I needed for the meal. The pot pies were ready to go in the frozen meals section of the store.
Oh what a saving grace prepared foods can be for busy families! I have had my share of pot pies over my 34 years on this planet, and in my opinion, the very best out there are from Marie Callender’s. Specifically, my family LOVES the creamy parmesan chicken pot pie. Have you tried it? I’ve actually made pot pies from scratch before, and I am of the opinion that the made-from-scratch pot pies from Marie Callender’s taste better!
Marie Callender’s pot pies can be microwaved in just a few minutes, but I personally like them best when cooked in the oven. Here’s a tip for you if you want to prepare them in the oven, too: place thin strips of aluminum foil around the crust of the pies. This step, which only takes a minute, keeps the edges from burning. The end result is a perfectly golden flakey crust!
Since the main course only required that I preheat the oven and put aluminum foil around the pie edges, my time was freed up to create another pie for our dessert. I decided to keep the Italian theme going and to try my hand at making a pie version of my very favorite Italian dessert: cannolis.
Cannoli Pie
Ingredients:
- 16 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 (14 oz) can of sweetened condensed milk
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups miniature chocolate chips
- 1 (9 inch) pie crust, thawed
Mercy this pie is an easy one, and I can’t say that I mind! The entire meal feels nearly effortless, even with a dish that is homemade! I opted for a pre-made pie crust to make things as easy as possible, so if you are doing the same, be sure to give it some time to thaw (trust me…I tried to force the first pie crust to unroll while it was still frozen and the result was a big mess I had to throw out). Go ahead and preheat your oven to 375 degrees, as well.
In a large bowl combine ricotta, powdered sugar, condensed milk and vanilla extract. Give it a good stir until it is well-combined and smooth.
Now it’s time to add in the chocolate chips! Don’t forget that it’s important to get the miniature chips…that’s more consistent with the cannoli look and feel.
Once you’ve got the chocolate chips mixed in well, simply pour it into your prepared pie shell and pop it into the oven for 30 minutes.
At the 30 minute mark, I actually took the pie out and used the same aluminum foil trick mentioned earlier around the edges so that they wouldn’t burn. I then returned the pie to the oven to continue cooking for another 25 minutes. You’ll want to watch for the middle to be set. You can cook the pot pies on the lower rack in your oven at the same time as your cannoli pie, FYI. That what I did!
The cannoli pie needs to cool entirely before you cut into it. I know, I know…it is painful to have to wait! But good news, friends! You can dig right into your Marie Callender’s pot pies in the mean time!
Want more ideas for great recipes to pair with a Marie Callender’s pot pie? Check out Pot Pie Please for lots of ideas! Another great way to keep up with the latest products and promotions is through the Marie Callender’s Facebook page. And of course, don’t forget to check out the Comforts From Home program to see how Marie Callender’s is supporting our troops. Just one more reason to love this brand!