The "Impossibly" Easy 5-Ingredient Dinner I Make Again and Again

The cruel rule of thumb with dinners is the less time and thought I put into making it, the more my family loves it.

And I know it’s not just my family where this inverted equation of effort and household acclaim holds true. Once I taught an Instant Pot cooking class and a guest vouched that her family’s favorite dinner was boneless, chicken breasts cooked in barbecue sauce. “I just take them straight from the freezer and add a bottle of BBQ, and that’s it!”

Sorry, I don’t have her recipe. The one I’m here to share is a classic in my family. Best of all, it’s a 1980s throwback recipe that takes only a few ingredients.

Back of the Box Magic

I’m a true blue fan of Bisquick. I don’t use it often now, but back in the day it was a staple in our house for making the obvious: biscuits and pancakes.

My mom found another recipe, though, and it quickly became a regular in our dinner rotation. Impossible Pie is an invention of Bisquick wherein you forgo making a crust and instead add a little Bisquick to a custard-y or quiche-y filling before baking it. The name makes it sound like a crust-like layer magically forms as the pie bakes, but it’s more of a hybrid frittata/egg bite: an eggy, crustless affair that holds an edge when you slice it.

Betty Crocker offers Impossible Pie recipes galore, both savory and sweet. For my money, the savory ones are where it’s at.

A Light Dinner That You Can Double 

My daughter and I eat the heck out of this. It’s been a fallback for us ever since she became a vegetarian. One 8x8 pan makes about 2.25 hearty servings in our house, meaning the two of us nearly demolish it all in one sitting. You might want to make two pies or double the recipe and bake it in a 9x13-inch dish. Leftovers are great packed for lunch; I’ve also enjoyed them for breakfast. To bulk up the meal, make a substantial side like a three bean salad or potato salad.

Improvise Away

We almost always make Impossible Pie with just broccoli and cheese, but you can get a bit more elaborate.

• Switch up the broccoli for diced zucchini or cooked chopped spinach
• Omit the cheese or switch it up, using Swiss, Jack, or whatever you please
• Add diced cooked sausage, ham, chicken, or a few slices of crumbled bacon

Eggy Delights

• Easy Breakfast Casserole
• Korean Steamed Eggs
• Chorizo and Eggs
• Menemen (Turkish Scrambled Eggs)
  

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Position a rack in the center of the oven. Grease an 8x8-inch baking dish, 9-inch round cake pan, or 10-inch pie plate.

Steam the broccoli:

Steam the broccoli just until it’s bright green and you can easily pierce it with a paring knife (yet it’s not mushy). This will take about 3 minutes in the microwave or 4 to 5 minutes in a stovetop steamer. Drain and set aside.

Add the broccoli and cheese to the dish:

Scatter the broccoli, cheese, and meat (if using) evenly in the greased dish. Set aside.

Make the batter:

Beat the eggs with a whisk or electric mixer in a large bowl until they’re a little frothy, about 2 minutes. Add the baking mix, salt, and pepper and beat until smooth and only some tiny lumps remain. Add the milk and beat until combined.

Bake:

Pour the batter over the broccoli and cheese in the dish. Bake until the eggs are puffed and golden brown around the edges and the center is firm when you lightly press it with your fingertip, 30 to 45 minutes (the shallower your dish, the shorter the baking time will be). Cool for 5 minutes, then serve.

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