italian Sausage and Egg Pie

Pastry dough for single-crust 9-inch pie
1 tablespoon light olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion (optional)
12 ounces mild or hot Italian New York Style Sausage*, casings removed
8 large eggs
1 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried basil or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese (or Asiago or Parmesan)
1/2 cup shredded mild provolone cheese (or Swedish Fontina)
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Line a 9-inch pie pan with pastry dough.
3. Preheat a nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add olive oil, shallots and onion to the pan. When it starts to sizzle, add sausage and cook, stirring to crumble into small pieces. Cook just until all the pink is gone. Drain off any liquid and set aside to cool.
4. Place eggs in a large bowl and whisk well. Add spinach, seasonings and cheese, and stir until well blended. Fold in cooled sausage.
5. Pour the filling into the pie shell, leaving at least 1/8-1/4 inch of room at the top.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and filling is set in the center. Let cool on a rack.
Makes 6-8 servings.