I have a basic spinach quiche recipe that goes like this:
**Spinach Quiche **
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
4 eggs, beaten
1 (16 ounce) package ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9 inch pie or quiche pan.
Place spinach in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until soft. Drain off any remaining liquid. Stir in green onions, eggs, cottage cheese and Cheddar cheese. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Return to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes, until eggs are set.
I like the fact that this quiche is crustless and doesn’t call for a gallon of heavy cream or somesuch - I want to keep the calorie count somewhat under control.
However, as is, I think it is going to be bland - there’s no call for seasonings at all, for one thing, not even salt and pepper. So I am trying to think of what I can add to this that will add flavor without adding a zillion more calories (and I’d like to leave meat entirely out of the question too - we eat more than we should as it is). I’m kind of coming up empty.
Anyone got any ideas out there? Seasonings? Maybe a different type of cheese?
Try subbing in some Parmesan or Pecarino. It’s low-fat and packs a lot of flavor, especially if you let it soak for awhile in the egg mixture before cooking.
Try feta instead of ricotta – great accompaniment to spinach
Seasonings! You needs some for sure. Try:
[ul]
[li]Dill[/li][li]Oregano[/li][li]Basil[/li][li]Red pepper flakes[/li][li]Black pepper[/li][li]Pizza seasoning (really!)[/li][li]Tarragon[/li][/ul]
I was thinking about trying to use some feta, but as the texture is completely different from ricotta, would it work to leave the ricotta (for the creaminess) and sub the feta for the cheddar? It may be too soft and/or not ‘melty’ enough to do that … but I dunno.
Crustless Quiche with no cream? Wouldn’t that be a fritatta? I always though making a custard of cream & eggs is what makes it a quiche.
I suppose you could made my recipe crustless - and although there is a half cup of cream - it isn’t too fattening of a recipe.
Anyway - this is my favorite quiche recipe:
1 tenderflake pre-made crust
4 eggs
1/2 cup cream
2 oz soft goat cheese
2 oz Parmesan cheese
4 slices of bacon
2 green onions
2 handfuls of fresh spinach (baby spinach is best, but if it is larger chop the spinach loosely)
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Fry bacon until crisp and then drain on paper towel
Crumble bacon into the bottom of the pre-made pie shell
Slice onions thinly and add to pie shell
Add two handfuls of fresh uncooked spinach on top of the bacon and onions
(don’t worry if the spinach looks like it is quite a bit higher than the pie shell - while the quiche cooks the spinach will wilt and combine with the rest of the ingredients)
Whisk eggs, cream, crumbled goat cheese, cardamom, thyme, salt and pepper until fluffy and well combined. (If you blend the cream & goat cheese first, ethe eggs blend in easier - but if you’d like some goat cheese chunks - just put the goat cheese in after the eggs are well whisked with the cream).
Slowly pour the the egg mixture over the other ingredients already in the pie shell,
then cover add the parmesan cheese on the top of the quiche.
Cook for 25 to 35 minutes or until eggs are set.
Right out the the oven, this quiche usually has risen at least an inch above the pie crust - and it is the lightest and fluffiest quiche I have ever had.
You can tell if the eggs are set using a knife an checking if it comes out clean.
You could add some nice color and nutritional value with chopped, roasted red peppers. Maybe a little zing with Tobasco sauce or cayenne pepper. And, can you go wrong with sauteed mushrooms in anything??
Try using a popover crust. Place the filling in a greased 10" glass pie dish, with a 1" clearance between the spinach and the edge. Beat together 1C flour, 1 egg, 1C of milk, pour it over the filling. Bake about 45 minutes at 350F.
And nutmeg is always a nice flavor to accompany spinach, so get some of that in there.
Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I think I am going to sub Asiago cheese for the Cheddar. Still working on the seasonings. Unfortunately I can’t use nutmeg, as when it is combined with dairy products it tastes like soap to me. Weird.
Yeah, I didn’t know there was a quiche without some milk or cream, etc.
I wonder if buttermilk could be used. That Calorie Commando guy was always using it in his substitutions.
I’ve got a recipe for Quiche Lorraine around here somewhere and I think it calls for 1/4 tsp of cayenne. A variety of savory herbs would probably be good as well but whatever you do, don’t forget the freshly ground black pepper.
I use crescent roll dough as a crust. I have an awesome quiche recipe that I use as a base (very similiar to yours), and then add whatever veggies I have leftover such as:
-sauted mushrooms
-carrot (julienne - salad leftover, sauted with mushrooms and or spinach)
-spinach (+a dash of nuttmeg)
-cottage cheese
-broccoli
-cheddar
I usually saute the mushrooms and add the spinach to cook out most of the moisture and it works out pretty well. Instead of a bunch of cream I use just about 2Tbs of milk and add some simple seasoning, pepper and some Mrs. Dash.
I also like to freeze the lil quiches when I make them in a mini muffin pan. Just warm in the microwave and eat…omgz!
I made this last night. It wasn’t bad - but still needs a bit more work.
Here’s what I ended up with:
Spinach Quiche
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
4 eggs, beaten
3 oz. sauteed mushrooms (bottled)
1 (16 ounce) package ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded Asiago cheese
1 tsp. Italian herb seasoning (a mix of oregano, basil, thyme, marjoram and rosemary)
Another extra teaspoon of oregano
Another extra teaspoon of basil
1 clove garlic
A dash of cayenne
Salt and pepper to taste
For the topping:
1/4 cup bread crumbs
2 TB. pecorino romano cheese, grated
The mushrooms were a good addition. The next time around, I think I will add some sun-dried tomatoes too, and add all the herbs separately until I get the right mix. I’ll be leaving the rosemary out, but using the oregano, basil, thyme and marjoram. I’ll also increase the cayenne - couldn’t taste it at all this time around - I want it to be subtle, but ‘undetectable’ is a little too subtle!
The green onions add nice texture, but I am not sure they have the flavor I want. I may try sauteeing some onions or shallots in a little butter first and then adding them to the mix.
This was going to be my suggestion. Mustard + cheese is usually a safe bet. Other than that, honestly, I wouldn’t add anything other than pepper and perhaps a little bit of salt to the main recipe. It looks good to me as is. I also like garlic or onions with spinach, so I might sautee the spinach with one of those. Heck, if you’re going in that direction, you can substitute feta for the cheddar. I’d also garnish it with a freshly chopped green herb of some sort, parsley, dill, tarragon, or lovage, whatever happens to be around.
Personally, I wouldn’t overpower the dish with dried woody herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano, and marjoram. This dish looks like it’s best served simply and with more delicate, fresh green herbs.
These flavors worked, though, with the exception of the rosemary. I want something that is going to be very flavorful, to make up for the fact that there is no meat in the dish. That means a strong cheese (I already have another quiche recipe that uses feta, which is why I am avoiding that and trying to use something different) and flavorful herbs.
Basically I’m trying to develop a non-meat-containing item here that a manly man will eat, not some fussy delicate French thing.
I just ate a second piece for lunch and it’s actually better the next day. I am really liking the general texture of it, it just needs a bit more punch.
Anyone got any thoughts on a good strong cheese that melts well? I like pecorino romano a lot, but 2 cups of it could in fact be too much! Maybe a cup of that and a cup of something else.
Bacon of course would work in the flavor department, but as I said in the OP, there’s to be no meat in the dish, as tempting as it is (and if I did add meat, it absolutely would be bacon, since a little goes a long way). We already eat too much meat as it is. And we’ve signed up for a CSA this year, which means vegetables will start arriving by the bushel in a couple months. And spinach will be one of the first ones!
