Vegetable Torta with Sausage

This is a dish I remember seeing 10-15 years ago at two different family functions. It makes me wonder if this was a food trend that never really took. I remember this beautifully layered pie-like dish with a pastry crust. The hard part was that I was all of 12 years old, so I can't remember that well.

But that's OK. Because I made up my own recipe. I'm calling it Vegetable Torta with Sausage. It's simply pie crust with layers of vegetables, cheese, and meat. I served it with a side salad with balsamic vinaigrette. I'll definitely be making it again - especially since I can sneak in plenty of healthy vegetables.

1 recipe pie dough (refrigerated is fine)

1 lb. butternut squash, peeled and sliced into rounds

1 bunch kale, ribs removed

1 medium bulb fennel, trimmed and sliced thin

1 red pepper, seeded and sliced

3 roma tomatoes, sliced into rounds

Gouda

Mozzarella

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

3/4 lb. ground italian sausage

Prepare the dough if necessary, and roll out into a large round. If you're making your crust from scratch, roll it out into a very large circle. Once the dough is rolled out, line a 10" springform pan with it - ensuring that the dough goes all the way up the sides of the pan. If you are using the homemade dough, you will fold over the excess once the torta is assembled.

Once the pan is lined with the dough, begin laying the vegetables starting with the butternut squash, kale, and fennel. Add a layer of the gouda and sprinkle with the dried spices. Then layer on the red pepper, tomatoes, and mozzarella. The last layer will be the sausage. To ensure that it will span the width of the pan, start by rolling the meat into a ball. On a cutting board, smush down the ball into a flat disc -- until it's about 1/4-inch thick. Once flattened, place on top of the tomato layer. (I topped mine with extra tomatoes). The torta will be taller than the pan, but that is OK - it will cook down. Finish the assembly by folding up the excess dough to seal the torta. If you don't have enough dough, use excess pieces until it's completely sealed.

Cover the torta with foil. Bake at 325 for 1hr 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 60 minutes until golden and bubble start to ooze out from the seams.

Let cool for 10-15 minutes. Slice into pies.