Description
Made with fresh spinach, mushrooms, Gruyère cheese and milk, this spinach and mushroom quiche recipe makes a healthy breakfast, brunch or lunch.
Ingredients
Crust:
- 9“ deep-dish frozen pie crust
OR
- 1 1/4 (150 g) cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, very cold, cut into 1/2″ cubes
- 4 to 6 tablespoons ice water
Filling:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 shallot or small onion, minced
- 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
- 4 cups spinach, roughly chopped
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup Gruyère cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and begin by preparing the pie crust.
- If you are using a pre-made pie shell, remove it from the freezer and thaw until just soft, about 10 minutes, then prick the bottom all over with a fork.
- If you are making a homemade pie crust, add flour and salt to a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. (*If you don’t have a food processor, see note below about doing this by hand.) Add the butter and pulse for a few seconds at a time, until coarse crumbs of butter form the size of large peas. Sprinkle the mixture with 4 tablespoons of ice water (make sure there are no ice cubes in the water!) and pulse again. Continue to add water until a dough forms. You know that the mixture is ready if when you pinch some of the crumbly dough together with your fingers, it holds together. Carefully empty the crumbly dough mixture from the food processor on to a floured surface, gather the mixture into a mound and gently form into a disc with your hand. Wrap the disc in plastic wrap and set in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours. Once the dough has chilled, roll out the crust so that it fits a 9″ pie dish and then line the dish with the dough. Fold the excess dough inward, pressing the edges to double the sides. Prick the bottom all over with a fork and then refrigerate again for 30 minutes or freeze for 15 minutes.
- When the pie shell is ready, transfer it to the oven and bake for 20 minutes until partially cooked. (*See note below about blind baking.) Once baked, remove it from the oven, set aside and turn the oven temperature down to 325°F.
- While the crust is baking, prepare the filling. In a large skillet or pan on medium heat, warm the butter.
- Add the shallot and cook for 5-6 minutes until tender and slightly translucent.
- Add the mushrooms and continue cooking for an additional 5-6 minutes until mushrooms have roughly reduced in size by half and are golden brown.
- Add the spinach, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 1-2 minutes until all of the spinach is wilted. Stir to combine with the shallot and mushrooms and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the eggs, milk, cream, nutmeg and salt and whisk until well combined. Set aside.
- Once the pie shell is cooked, layer with the filling ingredients. Add half of the Gruyère cheese, top with spinach mushroom mixture, top with remaining cheese and then pour with the egg mixture over top.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 50-55 minutes until the centre is set and the top is lightly golden.
- Once cooked, remove the quiche from the oven and allow to cool slightly before slicing, 5-10 minutes.
- This spinach mushroom can be served immediately, hot or cold, stored covered in the fridge for 3-4 days or tightly covered in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
MAKING DOUGH BY HAND: If you do not own a food processor, you can make the dough by hand. In a large bowl, mix flour and salt, then add the cubed butter. Using your hands, begin ‘cutting’ the butter into the flour by rubbing the cold butter between your thumbs and fingers until the butter is the size of large peas. Add the water and knead the mixture in the bowl until the dough starts to hold together. See here for additional tips on making pie dough by hand.
BLIND BAKING: It is essential that the dough is chilled before blind baking, do not skip this step. For the best results, fill the pie shell with pie weights or dried beans before baking. Simply carefully line the pie shell with parchment paper, then pour in pie weights or dried beans to help weight down the crust. See here for additional blind baking tips.
CRUSTLESS OPTION: Simply omit the crust and grease the 9-inch pie dish with a little butter before adding the filling and bake in the oven at 350°F for 30 minutes or until the centre set.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 263 calories
- Sugar: 2 grams
- Fat: 19 grams
- Carbohydrates: 13 grams
- Fiber: 1 gram
- Protein: 11 grams
Keywords: crustless, gruyere, cheese, easy, healthy, milk
