One of my New Year’s resolutions is to better manage the contents of my refrigerator so I don’t throw any food away. I saw an article about the percentage of food thrown away in this country and it was too high.

And, I know I’m guilty of this. You buy a can of coconut milk to make a Thai noodle bowl and the rest sits in the refrigerator until it’s so old you have to toss it. A bag of spinach, ditto.

So, when I see an ingredient in a recipe and know I won’t use it all, I go searching for a second recipe that will use the rest. Then, I plan to make both dishes the same week.

So far, it’s working out fine. This recipe is a perfect example. I had a half a ham steak left over. We had the other half with steamed broccoli and baked sweet potatoes. It was just enough ham for this “Impossible Pie.”

Anyone of a certain age remembers the “impossible pie” created by Bisquick in the 1970s. You mix a bunch of ingredients together in a blender (with Bisquick, of course) and then pour it into a pie plate and bake it. The “crust” ingredients settle to the bottom as it bakes.

They’re OK. I only really like the coconut custard version.

A repeat episode of “Cook’s Country” on PBS recently took the idea and tried to improve on it. I made this for dinner on Sunday night and it was great. And, wedges easily reheated on low in the microwave for breakfast the next morning.

Baking the pie on the bottom rack of my electric oven browned the bottom too much. I will use the next highest rack next time. And, a rasp grater (citrus zester) was perfect to get the Parmesan finely grated for the “crust.”

Sprinkle it carefully over the buttered pie plate and shake it to distribute evenly. You can’t touch it without smearing the butter.

I didn’t have any Gruyere, so used Swiss cheese instead. And, you could obviously use cubed chicken or crumbled, cooked sausage instead of the ham. I want to try adding fresh herbs or a different type of cheese.

And, with fresh spinach left over, a spinach salad seemed like a perfect accompaniment. I took a teaspoon and a half of bacon fat I had saved, melted it in a large bowl, whisked in a little white balsamic vinegar, tossed it with the spinach, piled it on the plates with the pie and added some halved cherry tomatoes.

Watch a video of the pie being made at www.cookscountry.com. Type “impossible pie” into the recipe search box in the upper righthand corner on the homepage.

“Impossible ”Ham-and-Cheese Pie

from Cook’s Country

Serves 8

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened, plus 2 tablespoons melted

3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese (use a rasp-style grater or the smallest holes on a box grater)

8 ounces Gruyére cheese, shredded (2 cups)

4 ounces thickly sliced deli ham, chopped

4 scallions, minced

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup half-and-half

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350°F. Grease 9-inch pie plate with softened butter, then coat plate evenly with Parmesan.

Combine Gruyére, ham and scallions in bowl. Sprinkle cheese-and-ham mixture evenly in bottom of prepared pie dish. Combine flour, baking powder, pepper and salt in now-empty bowl. Whisk in half-and-half, eggs, melted butter, mustard and nutmeg until smooth. Slowly pour batter over cheese-and-ham mixture in pie dish.

Bake until pie is light golden brown and filling is set, 30 to 35 minutes. A sharp knife inserted into the center should come out clean. Let cool on wire rack for 15 minutes. Slice into wedges. Serve warm.

Finger food: To serve the pie as an hors d’oeuvre at your next party, forgo the pie plate and instead bake it in an 8-inch square baking dish. Slice it into 1-inch squares and serve warm or at room temperature.

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