Recipe for egg, spinach and two cheese crustless quiche {vegetarian, gluten-free}
What's in a name? In the case of this egg, spinach and two cheese crustless quiche, you could call it an egg casserole, breakfast casserole, even a frittata. In our house, we use the generic term "eggy cheesy thing". Crustless quiche -- the dish we make when we're watching what we eat, and don't want the added calories and carbs in a crust -- accommodates mix-ins of leftover cooked pasta, vegetables, beans, or even shredded rotisserie chicken, in any combination. At least once a week, we eat eggy cheesy things for dinner, because I always keep eggs and cheese in the pantry and the dish comes together with a minimum of work. When I have dark leafy greens like spinach in my refrigerator, I like to make this quiche and portion it for a week's worth of breakfasts, so I know I'm eating my vegetables right at the beginning of the day.
Egg, spinach and two cheese crustless quiche
From the pantry, you'll need: eggs, shredded cheese, olive oil, thyme, fresh black pepper, cooking spray.
Serves 5-6.
Ingredients
Cooking spray (canola or olive oil)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
7 oz baby spinach (fresh, not frozen)
10 large eggs
7 oz grated or shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsp skim milk
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaf
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
2 Tbsp grated romano or asiago cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare a casserole dish by spraying with cooking spray.
In a nonstick frying pan, heat the olive oil, and sauté the onion for 2 minutes. Add the spinach, and stir for 2 minutes, until the spinach wilts. Spread the spinach mixture in the bottom of the casserole dish.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy. Then, stir in all of the remaining ingredients. Pour the mixture into the casserole dish. With a fork, stir gently, here and there, to bring some of the spinach to the surface.
Bake for 35 minutes, until the casserole is lightly browned and a bit puffy. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before eating.
(Can be made up to one day ahead. Cool, cover and refrigerate. To reheat, uncover and place in a 350F oven for 15-20 minutes. Or, cut into individual portions and reheat in the microwave.)
More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Kale, mushroom and caramelized onion breakfast casserole
Egg and cheese casserole with chayote squash and green chiles
Zucchini, goat cheese and basil frittata
Lobster, corn and basil quiche
Egg and cheese casserole with leeks, red pepper and bacon
Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Crab, scallion and tomato quiche, from Cooking On the Side
Purple potato and carrot quiche, from Gluten-free Goddess
Sausage, mushrooms, and feta baked with eggs, from Kalyn's Kitchen
Baked egg breakfast casserole with mushrooms, spinach and salsa, from Cookin' Canuck
Sausage apple egg casserole, from $5 Dinners
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What's not to love? Great idea for a weekend breakfast.
Crustless quiches are definitely growing on me. I would love this also with a sprinkling of salty feta cheese.
Needful Things, Yes, this makes a great weekend breakfast or brunch dish. It always looks so impressive when it comes out of the oven.
Bellini, feta and spinach -- the perfect combo.
I love any eggy cheesy thing and often use them for "fridge cleanouts!"
Carol, I do the same, and come up with some amazing combinations of ingredients and tastes that way. Plus, it makes me feel very New England frugal to use bits and pieces of what's in my fridge.
Oh Lydia, please share how you cut out perfect circles to fit on an English muffin--that looks so cute.
I've done something similar with Red Russian kale & cherry tomatoes, but baked in a muffin tin to make the individual servings.
I make McMadaus sandwiches most weekends (my take on the McMuffin) and when everyone's up at the same time it's a total PIA to fry the eggs. This would be super simple to bake, then top the English muffins with a portion.
Would a tuna can do to cut out the circle? My biscuit cutter is way too small.
Thanks!
Kirsten, I used a round cookie cutter (to be specific, it's a Wilton Comfort-Grip round cutter, which happens to be the exact size of an English muffin!). You could use a knife to trace around the muffin, or just make squares and serve on toast.
This looks delicious, and minus the English Muffin, perfect Phase One breakfast!
This looks like the perfect breakfast! And I love that it makes a nice little egg sandwich, too :)
Kalyn, I usually have this without the muffin, but it was fun to serve it this way for breakfast guests. Glad to know it meets the criteria for South Beach dieters.
Sues, all you need is a 4-inch round cookie cutter, or good knife skills, and you can make these circles to fit right on the muffins.
I am excited to try this recipe for quick and easy heat and eat breakfasts!
Tami, it's easy to make this on Sunday and portion it out for the rest of the week's breakfasts. Enjoy!
Love this crustless quiche Lydia. I wish I had it for breakfast/lunch just now. I am completely famished.
do you think I can make these in muffin pans?
Linda, yes, of course! Just cut the cooking time a bit.