Crustless Spinach Quiche

A dear friend of mine has recently been diagnosed with a gluten-intolerance and it made me think about how lucky I am not to have any food allergies.  So many people have to worry about whether or not they can eat something or if it will make them sick.  Hopefully this recipe will be one that will fit with some dietary restrictions.  My husband has a minor case of lactose intolerance but the biggest effect it has on me is that we use Lactose free milk in the house, and I really don’t taste a difference.  For Megan, I decided to write a crustless quiche recipe, to eliminate the gluten. 

This is a really a BYO recipe.  I made this one with spinach and a mix of three cheeses, but you could really replace any green, cheese or even add/change it to protein.  (If you wanted your fill of gluten and wanted a crust, just roll out a store bought crust and place it on the bottom before adding the filling.)

The other week I made this same recipe with bacon and arugula and it was fabulous. The only addition was I cooked the bacon and then crumbled it up.  I actually made it the night before and then just placed it in the oven for about 10 minutes before breakfast with a friend. When doing a mix of greens and protein, I just do a less greens than listed here.  In this quiche the spinach is the star, so there happens to be a lot of it, you could always reduce the amount if you like.  This is also one of my go-to’s for a brunch or if I have assorted leftovers that I’m not sure what to do with, throw them all in a quiche. 

• A tbsp. or so of olive oil

• One small-medium onion or half a large onion chopped

• Black Pepper

• 1 bunch of spinach or bag of spinach (or alternatively a box of frozen spinach completely thawed and all the liquid wrung out)

• 1 clove of garlic chopped finely (or if you’re fancy use a garlic press)

• ¼ c of Pecorino Romano cheese grated

• ¼ c of shredded Swiss cheese

•  ½ c of shredded cheddar cheese

• 6 eggs

• ¼ c of milk (I use 1% Lactiad Milk, but whatever you keep in the house is fine!)

1.  Preheat the oven to 350°F

2.  Warm up the olive oil in a skillet set on medium-high heat.  Add the onions and cook until translucent.  Add a few cracks of pepper if desired.

3.  Add the spinach, I don’t de-stem the spinach but you can if you like.  (If you’re using swiss chard or another tough stem green then definitely de-stem).  I tend to either rip the leaves in half or use them whole.  Depends on the size of the leaf I guess.   Cook until wilted, about 3-4 minutes or so.  You may need to add more olive oil as you wilt the spinach.  Use your discretion.

4.  Add the garlic and cook until golden brown, only a minute or so.  Be careful because garlic burns very easily and it becomes bitter when burnt.

5. Let cool slightly and transfer to the bottom of a pie plate.  Try to just get the spinach and onions and not any of the liquid. 

6.  Meanwhile, in fairly large mixing bowl beat the eggs and milk until foamy.  Add a tsp or so of pepper and mix in.  (I am purposely avoiding adding salt because the cheese is very salty so we don’t need any more)

7. Top the spinach mixture with the cheeses, stir gently.  Then carefully add the frothy egg mixture.  

(I place my pie plate on a cookie sheet so that its easier to get in and out of the oven and if it spills it does on the cookie sheet instead of the inside of my oven!)

8. Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes.  The edges should be a lovely golden brown.