Spinach Quiche

Some days, I just want something completely different for dinner.  Does that ever happen to you?   Chicken, fish, and meat recipes suddenly stop inspiring you?  (Of course, if you’re a vegetarian, that happens daily!)  Last week, I had several of those days.  So we had curried lentil soup one night, and chana masala for another dinner.  And then this wonderfully greens-filled quiche, from items I already had in the house.

I wanted a really comforting vegetarian dinner without stopping at the grocery store.  This quiche is so adaptable that I was able to raid the pantry, fridge, and freezer, and revise Smitten Kitchen’s quiche filling recipe to make it mine.  She says that it’s adaptable, and she’s not kidding.  My favorite part is that it isn’t the more typical heavy-on-the-custard filling, since I’m not a big fan of custard.  You get spinach, onions, and some cheese in every bite, but the eggs and milk are in the background, just holding it all together.  I did not use Martha Stewart’s dough recipe (the one Smitten Kitchen usually uses).  Instead, I made a crust I prefer; it was buttery, flaky, crisp at the edges, and simple to make in the food processor – though, of course, you could also make it by hand.  This was a total hit in our house.  Even my 9 year-old son was sad when it was all gone!

Spinach Quiche

Crust
1 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup extremely cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 tablespoons ice water

Put flour and salt in food processor bowl. Pulse to blend.  (Or mix in a bowl, if making by hand.)  Add butter.  Pulse until coarse meal forms – some pieces of butter may still be as large as peas.  (Or add butter to bowl and mix with a pastry cutter until butter is the size of peas, if making by hand.)  Add 4 tablespoons ice water.  Using on/off pulses, blend until dough comes together in moist clumps, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry, just until the dough almost forms a ball.  (If making by hand, stir with a fork until the dough comes together – do not overwork the dough or it will be tough.)  Dump the flour mixture out onto a large sheet of plastic wrap.  Using the plastic wrap, gather the dough into ball and then flatten into a disk. Wrap and chill at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Roll out dough on floured surface to 14 inch round.  (I use lightly floured parchment paper or plastic wrap under the dough and then lift the dough to the pan with it.)  Transfer to 9 or 10 inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom.  Fold the overhang in and press to form double-thick sides.  Push sides up until they are 1/4 inch higher than the top edge of the pan.  Prick the crust all over with fork.   Place in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Carefully line the dough with foil and use dried beans or pie weights on top of the foil.  Place the tart pan on a cookie sheet.  Bake until sides are set, about 25 minutes.  (Prepare the filling while crust is baking – see below.)  Turn oven up to 425 degrees.  Remove foil and beans or weights carefully to avoid tearing the crust.  Pour in the filling.  Bake about 25 minutes, or until the filling is set and the crust is golden brown.  Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Spinach Quiche Filling
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

3 ounces of soft goat cheese, such as chévre, at room temperature
1/3 cup 1% or non-fat milk
2 eggs
2 egg whites
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess moisture
1/2 cup grated semi-hard goat cheese (or any medium sharp cheese you have around; really, it will work!)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan (feel free to use any hard, salty cheese)
2 tablespoons grated part skim mozzarella cheese (again, use any mellow melting cheese)
4 to 6 green onions, thinly sliced (or ½ cup of any type diced onion)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Beat the soft goat cheese in a medium bowl until smooth.  Gradually beat in milk, eggs, and egg whites.  Mix in the remaining ingredients.  Pour mixture into prepared crust.

Tagged as: brunch, quiche, spinach, spinach quiche recipe, vegetarian main