Saturday, February 20, 2010

Feta Spinach Quiche

Ok, let's talk Quiche. They're all delicious, right? I mean, you really can't go wrong with eggs, cheese, and a flaky, bready crust, right?
But what about a quiche that can stand alone even without a crust... now that is a quiche worth talking about! And let me tell you, the one I am about to introduce you to is every bit worthy of that.I was first introduced to this quiche when my first son was born. A sweet friend of mine stopped by and brought it to me for dinner. As most quiches do, it had a crust. It was delicious and it was gone in seconds flat.

Let's move forward a few years. I was still making this quiche (which says a lot) when another friend of mine brought the same quiche to a party...but without a crust. She had simply not had time to make/buy one. I loved it even more - which works out nicely because aside from flavor, the crust isn't adding much but inches on my hips.

And so a tradition was born. I now bake this in a pie dish as usual, but just leave the crust out. This last time I made it, I threw a few Panko bread crumbs on the top during the last 20 minutes of baking along with some cheese for good measure and I thought they added a fun crunch!

Lastly - it gets even better - I have made this quiche a hundred times and it is extremely forgiving as far as cheese type and vegetable combinations go. I usually have feta on hand, but many times I've swapped in swiss, mozzerella, cheddar, asiago, or whatever is around to go along with it. As long as it uses at least 2 different types of cheeses and a portion of one of those is feta, it should come out great. I also have used fresh spinach, asparagus, etc. The base is really great, if you wander a little bit with some of the other ingredients you really can't go wrong!
...As evidenced by the fact that my under-one-year-old son devoured 1/4 of the quiche by himself!

One final tip - quiches are nice because while you are making one, you might as well make two and cook them together and then freeze one of them for in a few weeks when you're in a pinch! Then, just cook as usual straight from the freezer. I just love easy meals!

Find the recipe below or here (although the recipe I am displaying below is just slightly different as I don't use a crust and I use less butter. I also lower the amount of cheese used at well)

Feta Spinach Quiche:

INGREDIENTS:

2 Tbs-1/2 C butter depending on how rich you want it (or you can use a combination of butter and olive oil)

1-2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

About 10 button mushrooms or regular mushrooms, chopped medium small

1 (6 oz) feta (any kind), crumbled

6 oz shredded Cheddar cheese or any cheese on hand

salt and pepper to taste

1 (9”) unbaked deep dish pie crust (optional)

4 eggs, beaten

1 C milk

Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375°F (190 degrees C). In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Saute garlic and onion in butter until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Stir in spinach, mushrooms, feta and 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into pie crust.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into the pastry shell, allowing egg mixture to thoroughly combine with spinach mixture.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle top with remaining Cheddar cheese, and bake an additional 35 to 40 minutes, until set in center. Allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.

1 comment:

  1. Okay Leesh...I'm giving this a whirl! :) I've been thinking about it all week and just happen to have spinach and feta that needs used up. Wish me luck!

    ReplyDelete