People put quiche on such a pedestal; putting fancy ingredients (I can’t afford fancy mushrooms, sorry) or meats I don’t regularly buy (I’m looking at you, ham). It’s something you only have for breakfast or brunch and is usually perceived as fattening.
Well, my quiche lives on no such pedestal. Quiche is my one stop shop for my veggie odds and ends. My veggie quiches are always packed with greens, onions, and whatever else we’ve got in the fridge that will work well baked or sauteed.
For instance, I bought a bunch of beets at the farmer’s market this morning. Rather than rip off the beet greens and throw them out, I thought they would be perfect for the quiche. I rough chopped their leaves and diced the stalks. Random bunch of scallions? Add that too! Those sweet peppers from my CSA box that they send by the handful? Sure!
The best thing about my quiche is that it’s never the same. There’s always a new combination of vegetables waiting in fridge for me to use and experiment with. Another great thing, the recipe I use debunks the whole “quiche is too rich and fattening” myth. I only use one whole egg and three egg whites. I don’t top it cheese unless I have it (which is not that often). Guilt and worry over.
The recipe below is flexible for you to adapt to whatever you have filling-wise. It’s a good rule of thumb to always start with a onion-type vegetable and garlic, add any vegetables that need more time to saute (peppers, carrots, celery, mushrooms), then add the greens last. Depending on how much I have, I usually go with 2 different kinds of greens.
So when you’re staring inside your fridge and thinking “What I am going to do with a few leaves of this and half of this?” Put it in a quiche!
Ingredients
- 1 whole grain pie shell (I use Wholly Wholesome)
- 1/2 - 1 diced onion, shallot, leek, or bunch of scallions
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
- finely chopped chard, beet, or celery stalks
- diced peppers
- finely chopped carrots
- 2 - 3 handfuls of baby spinach
- 1/2 - 1 bunch of chard or kale, roughly chopped
- mushrooms of any kind, chopped
- Salt, to taste
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 egg
- 3 egg whites
- 1 cup almond milk (or whatever milk you have)
- Handful of grated parmesan cheese
- Grated cheese, for topping
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375. Bake pie shell on a lined baking sheet for 12 minutes. Once done, remove and put aside.
Heat a pan on medium high heat and had a bit of oil. Add onion and garlic and cook until softened. Add other vegetables (carrots, celery, peppers, mushrooms, etc.) and sauté until cooked/softened. Add greens and cook until fully wilted. Add seasonings and mix to incorporate.
Combine egg, egg whites and milk into a bowl and whisk together.
Sprinkle a small layer of grated parmesan along the bottom of the cooked pie crust. Add veggie mixture, then the egg mixture. If desired, top with grated cheese.
Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. Let quiche sit for 5 minutes before cutting.
Notes
Adapted from The Skinnygirl Dish, by Bethenny Frankel