Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Crustless Spinach Quiche

“If you want to learn to make great cakes,” my father said, “talk to your Aunt Peggy. But for great pie, learn from your mother.” Since I adore pie crust, to this day, that was good advice, and I have no trouble mixing up and rolling out a variety of tasty crusts. But some writing days, I can’t take that time. And a crustless quiche is great to have in your repertoire if any of your family or occasional guests are gluten-free.

We make this one with bacon and either fresh or frozen spinach – the classic called Quiche Lorraine – but the basic recipe can be easily adapted to any veggies you like or have on hand. Remember that some, like onions and mushrooms, will be happier on the tongue and tummy if you saute them lightly first. Bake the bacon while you assemble the other ingredients, and do any sauteeing.

The classic French way to eat quiche is for a light dinner, with crusty bread and a chilled glass of white wine. Bon appetit!

Crustless Spinach Quiche 

5 slices bacon
8 large eggs
1-1/2 cups milk (we use whole milk, but 2% would work fine)
½ cup chopped white onion
1 - 16 ounce package frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained OR 1-1/2# fresh spinach, well-rinsed
1 cup grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese
a pinch of nutmeg
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake the bacon on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, about 20 minutes on one side, turning and cooking about 10 minutes on the other side. Drain well.


Raise oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Rinse the fresh spinach, or make sure the frozen spinach is well-drained. If you are using fresh spinach, saute it lightly in a large pan with the onion and about 1 tablespoon olive oil. You can add the spinach in batches, as it will cook down quickly, in only 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.




In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs and stir in the milk. Add the nutmeg and seasonings.




Spray a 9 or 10 inch pie plate or tart pan with cooking spray, and crumble or snip the bacon into the pie plate. Add the spinach and onion, then the cheese.





 Pour the egg mixture on top and carefully place into the oven. Bake until the quiche is puffed and set, or a knife stuck in the middle comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Allow to rest briefly, then cut into wedges and serve. 







This quiche reheats beautifully.



Murder heats up Seattle’s Pike Place Market in GUILTY AS CINNAMON, the second Spice Shop mystery from the national bestselling author of ASSAULT AND PEPPER. 

"A zesty mix of a mystery with all the right ingredients to keep readers turning pages as quickly as possible. Delicious!" -- Suspense Magazine

"Leslie Budewitz is quickly becoming one of my favorite cozy mystery writers! I love how she blends together world building and character development to create just the perfect atmosphere for her stories.” -- Fresh Fiction 



Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries—and the first author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction. The president of Sisters in Crime, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat Ruff, a cover model and avid bird-watcher.

Connect with her on her website or on Facebook.

9 comments:

  1. This recipe is fantastic. Is my husband the only person in the world who likes wilted spinach on it's own with only butter as a garnish? How does it become so yummy in recipes? Guilty as Cinnamon arrived in my mailbox a few days ago. Can't wait to read it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just butter? Add a little seasoning -- salt and pepper -- and I'd be happy!

      Enjoy CINNAMON!

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  2. I can almost taste this.
    Now I"m hungry!

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  3. Quiche is my go-to dish, and I've always thought the best part of (any) pie was the pie crust!!! Yup, I'm a carboholic. But since I am trying to lose weight I made crustless mini quiches for Christmas brunch. Next time I will try a large quiche and give your recipe a try.

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  4. Guilty as Cinnamon was under our Christmas tree. Yay! And the quiche looks great but I love pie crust, although growing up I really did not like pie crust.

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    Replies
    1. What a fun present, Elaine -- enjoy!

      And like you and Sharon, I love pie crust, too. But Sharon's right -- going crustless is one way to cut carbs. In this recipe, use skim milk. But -- omit the bacon? NOOO!!!

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  5. I love crustless quiche. Bring it on!

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  6. Yum...I think I could do this one too...Matter of fact I have the ingredients...thanks for the recipe.
    Marilyn

    ReplyDelete