Everybody should have a few goodquiche recipes in their back pocket, and this one is a keeper! Spinach quiche is always a hit at Easter brunchwith a fresh fruit salad, candied bacon, and garlicky breakfast potatoes,but it's also great for dinner—especially if you bake it in a beautiful pie pan! The beauty of quiche is that it looks fancy, but it's so darn easy.
This recipe starts with a store-bought pie crust (you can make your own using Ree Drummond's perfect pie crust recipe) and the rest is as easy as sautéing some aromatics and then whiskingeverything together in a big bowl.Check out the quick tips below and you'll learn tomake a perfect spinach quiche every time.
Is milk or heavy cream better for quiche?
This recipe actually uses a mixtures of the two, also known as half-and-half, for the perfect custardy quiche texture! There's somesour cream in the recipe, too, to help thicken things up and add tang.Milk by itselfwon't yield the same creamy, velvety result that you'll get from mixing in some heavycream orusing half-and-half. If you don't have half-and-half on hand, try using one of these half-and-half substitutions.
Can you fresh spinach for spinach quiche?
You can use fresh spinach in this recipe and cook it down, but it's best to use thawed frozen spinach and squeeze the heck out of it to get rid of all the extra moisture. If you choose to use fresh spinach, you'll need to start with about 1 1/2 pounds. Wilt it in a skillet, then squeeze out any extra moisture before adding it to the other ingredients.
Why is my spinach quiche watery?
If you've ever cooked a big bag of spinach, you know that it wilts down to practically nothing! That's because spinach is mostly water. Let the spinach thaw overnight in the fridge or use the defrost setting on your microwave to speed things up. One great trick is to put the thawed spinach in a colander, then squeeze it by the handful until all the water trickles away. (It's also a great way to get out some penned-up aggression!)
Should you sautéveggies before adding them to quiche?
Yes! You'll need to give the peppers and onions a head start by sautéing them in butter before adding them to the quiche. Doing this also imparts more flavor!
Why is the bottom of my quiche soggy?
There are two easy ways to make sure that the crust of your quiche is nice and crispy on the bottom. This recipe uses an easy method of baking the quiche on a preheated cookie sheet. The hot sheet works like a pizza stone, helping the bottom of the quiche cook faster and crispier. You can also par-bake or blind bake the crust, which is simply baking the crust for a few minutes before adding the egg filling.
Do I have to make my own piecrust for quiche?
Absolutely not! This recipe calls for a convenient store-bought crust. But if you want to take your quiche game to the next level, check out Ree Drummond's Perfect Pie Crust.
Advertisem*nt - Continue Reading Below
- Yields:
- 6 - 8 serving(s)
- Prep Time:
- 20 mins
- Total Time:
- 2 hrs
Ingredients
- 1
refrigerated pie crust(from a 14-oz. box)
- 2 Tbsp.
butter
- 1
small yellow onion, chopped
- 1
small red bell pepper, chopped
- 2
garlic cloves, chopped
- 4
large eggs
- 1 1/4 c.
half-and-half
- 1/2 c.
sour cream
- 1 1/2 tsp.
salt
- 1/4 tsp.
black pepper
Pinch of ground nutmeg
- 1
(10-oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 1 c.
shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/4 c.
finely shredded parmesan cheese
Directions
- Step1 Preheat the oven to 375°F with a baking sheet on the center rack. Fit the pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate (about 1-inch deep). Fold the edges of the crust under and crimp as desired. Chill in the refrigerator while preparing the filling.
- Step2In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove from theheat.
- Step3In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, sour cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in the spinach, cheddar, parmesan, and bell pepper mixture. Pour into the prepared crust.
- Step4Place the quiche on the preheated baking sheet and bake until it has puffed in the center, is just set,and the crust is golden, 40 to 50 minutes. Transfer the quiche to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or atroom temperature.
Tip: Spinach quiche can be made up to a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Let it come to room temperature before serving.
Recipe bySloane Layton
Sloane Layton is a trained chef, recipe developer and regular contributor to ThePioneerWoman.com. An avid bread baker and pastry connoisseur, when she’s not proofing sourdough, she enjoys traveling, and is always on the hunt for the flakiest croissant.
