Kitchen Curious: Tortillas are secret weapon for simple, savory pie

When I developed a recipe called Veggie Tortilla Pie a decade ago, I thought I was the smartest home cook on the block. At the time, my husband would have lunch weekly with work buddies at a Mexican restaurant. He always ordered the tortilla soup, but never ate the accompanying flour tortillas. He’d wrap them up and bring them home. Finding clever uses for leftover tortillas became my kitchen project.

One of my aha moments was when I snipped the tortillas into wedges to finagle a quick-pinch crust for a savory pie. I felt like a champion economy cook. Calorie watchers can feel like medal winners, too: This dish is a whole lot leaner than one made with a pastry crust.

The filling is its own fun game. I tend to change it up during spring, summer and fall, the times when the garden is abundant with produce. What never changes are the sturdy greens that I saute and sneak in hoping that leaf haters will have their own moment of enlightening. Mushrooms, too, are a fine addition, and can easily sub for the ham if you want to go the vegetarian route. The Swiss cheese lattice top is about as cheffy as a home cook really needs to be.