This healthy crustless cottage cheese quiche is ideal for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Eggs, cottage cheese and veggies are a healthy combination with plenty of protein to keep you feeling full. Quiche made with cottage cheese is low-fat and low-calorie, great for meal prep and quick and easy to make.
Recipe Summary: Healthy Cottage Cheese Quiche
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6
Key ingredients: Cottage cheese, eggs, veggies, optional cheese
Nutritional highlights: Low fat with over 10g protein for only 130 calories
Allergy info: Gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free
Convenience: Stores well for up to 3 days, can be served hot or cold
Why make quiche with cottage cheese
- Healthy cottage cheese quiche has a creamy texture - with no cream! That means it's much lower in fat and calories. This healthy quiche has less than half the calories of a traditional recipe and only 15% of the saturated fat. Yet it tastes delicious, and is a good source of protein to keep you feeling full - all for only 130 calories for a generous slice!
- Crustless cottage cheese quiche is quick and easy to make, and it's lower in carbs. It's also naturally gluten-free
- The recipe is flexible - add your own choice of veggies and protein. I used leeks and peas, which are sweet and delicious. But there are lots of other combinations that you could try (see suggested variations below)
Quiche is a go-to recipe for me in the spring and summer as I like to include plenty of high-protein eggs in my diet. It's ideal as a quick, healthy meal prep lunch with a bowlful of salad. I often pop it in the oven to cook after dinner. You can also save time by cooking extra dinner veggies to add to the tart.
Ingredients
Eggs. This recipe uses a relatively high proportion of eggs, which makes for a good texture with plenty of nutrition and protein.
Cottage cheese. This can be either low-fat or fat-free. I used plain cottage cheese, but you could also use cottage cheese with chives added for an extra twist.
Tip: if you've got leftover plain cottage cheese, did you know you can add cottage cheese to smoothies?
Seasoning and nutmeg. Nutmeg goes very well in egg dishes, but omit it if you prefer. You could also add a pinch of mustard powder.
Olive oil for pan frying the vegetables, or use another healthy oil. If you want the recipe to be even lower in fat, use an olive oil spray.
Leeks and peas. This combination goes really well together and adds a slight sweetness. Peas also add extra protein.
Cheese is optional. If you are aiming for a low-calorie quiche, bear in mind that full-fat cheese will add extra calories. However, it adds an extra layer of flavour, and helps the top of the quiche to brown nicely. Use a strong-flavoured cheddar or parmesan for maximum flavour.
How to make crustless cottage cheese quiche
Start by preparing the vegetables. Wash, trim and slice the leeks into half centimetre pieces. Heat the olive oil in a pan over a medium high heat, and fry the leeks for 5 minutes until starting to soften and turn brown.
Turn off the heat, and stir in the peas.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese and seasoning. If you'd prefer a completely smooth texture, you can use a hand blender.
Tip the vegetables into a greased 22 cm (9 inch) pie dish or tart tin. Tip over the egg mixture, and top with the cheese if using.
Bake for 40 minutes in a preheated oven at 170 degrees (150 fan).
If you are serving your healthy cottage cheese quiche hot, leave it to firm up for a few minutes before cutting into slices.
Low fat cottage cheese quiche variations
I've made this easy cottage cheese quiche crustless as it's much quicker and healthier, but if you want to add a crust, you could use this gluten-free oat flour and olive oil pastry, dairy free pastry with olive oil or a healthier wholemeal pastry from this cheese and onion quiche recipe.
This cottage cheese and vegetable quiche recipe is very flexible, ideal for using up the veggies from the bottom of your fridge.
- Courgettes and eggs go very well. Try a combination of courgettes and onion with some basil or thyme. Saute the onions and courgettes. You could also add a few slices of tomato to decorate the top of the tart.
- If you're in a hurry, and don't have time to pan fry your veggies first, try using spinach which you can add to the mix raw. If you want to use frozen spinach, you'll need to defrost it and squeeze the water out. You could also add the sliced green tops of spring onions.
- Asparagus quiche is a real treat. Steam the asparagus spears lightly first to ensure it cooks through evenly.
Other than spinach and spring onions, it's best to precook the vegetables before adding them to the quiche. Ensure that any excess moisture has been removed before you add them to the eggs. You can either steam the moisture off in a pan or blot the veggies with kitchen paper.
Of course, you could also use leftover cooked veggies to add to your quiche. Roast vegetables work very well. Use no more than around 1.5 cups of add-ins otherwise your crustless quiche might fall apart!
You can also add cooked meat to a cottage cheese quiche if you like, which will make it higher in protein and more filling. For a lighter take on Quiche Lorraine, fry some cubed bacon with chopped onion before adding to the recipe. Or add a couple of handfuls of sliced ham.
Serving and storage
You can serve this delicious crustless quiche warm or cold. It's great for meal prep as it'll store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Cold crustless quiche has a firm texture which can easily be transported in a lunch box.
Serve with a salad or vegetables. Try it with this healthy coleslaw, waldorf salad or this quick courgette ribbon salad.
You can also freeze healthy cottage cheese quiche. I find it best to freeze individual slices, well wrapped.
Frequently asked questions
This crustless cottage cheese quiche is about 3cm deep when baked in a 22cm dish. You could also use a 20cm square tin. If you want a slightly thinner quiche, you could use a bigger dish. I use a lightly greased glass dish, and it's easy to remove the quiche in slices. You could also use a non-stick loose-bottomed tin, but it's not essential for this recipe.
This healthy quiche, made with cottage cheese in place of cream, is much lower in fat and calories than a traditional recipe. It's got plenty of protein from the cottage cheese and eggs. The leeks and peas are also nutritious, and you could make your meal even healthier by including extra veggies or salad on the side.
One of the main reasons quiche can go watery is adding fillings such as vegetables that are too wet. It's very important to precook vegetables and ensure all the liquid has been removed before you add them to the mixture. Of course, the proportion of eggs to dairy and baking time also affects the texture of the quiche, so follow the recipe carefully. I've made this cottage cheese quiche in my own kitchen many times and it sets perfectly!
Other healthy quiche recipes
You might also like these other quiche recipes. They are all healthy and made without cream.
Alternatively, if you are in a hurry, why not make this simple red onion omelette and serve it with a big salad on the side?
Other healthy cottage cheese recipes
Cottage cheese is a staple ingredient in my fridge as it's very versatile and adds lots of protein to sweet and savoury recipes. It also gives a nice creamy texture without using cream or fat, and can easily be blended to a smooth consistency if you are not a fan of the lumps!
Recipe
Healthy Cottage Cheese Quiche
Equipment
- 22cm (9 inch) pie dish or tart tin or 20 cm square tin
Ingredients
- 1 leek
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 200 g frozen peas
- 200 g cottage cheese
- 4 eggs
- salt and pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 40 g grated mature cheddar optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees (150 fan).
- Trim and wash the leeks and cut into 0.5cm slices.1 leek
- Heat a frying pan over a medium high heat, and add the olive oil. Fry the leek for 5 minutes until starting to soften and turn brown.½ tablespoon olive oil
- Remove the leeks from the heat and stir in the peas. Set aside.200 g frozen peas
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and cottage cheese with the seasoning and nutmeg if using. If you prefer, you can use a hand blender for a completely smooth custard.200 g cottage cheese, 4 eggs, salt and pepper, ⅛ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- Tip the vegetables into a greased 22cm pie dish and level out. Top with the egg mixture. If using, sprinkle with the grated cheddar.40 g grated mature cheddar
- Bake for 40 minutes, turning partway if necessary. The quiche should be golden and set.
- Cottage cheese quiche can be served warm or cold. If you are serving it straight from the oven, leave it on the side to firm up for a couple of minutes before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note nutritional information is per serving and is provided for guidance only.
B says
not bad for cottage cheese! However not really a quiche, more a flan as it has no cream. Quiche must contain minimum 10%
Wendy Faulkner says
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it, even without the cream:)
Di says
I love quiche and thought I'd give this a go as it was an easy recipe. I will admit, I was dubious as to how this would turn out; I LOVE it. So easy to make and tasty too.
Wendy Faulkner says
Thank you so much, that's lovely to hear:)
Alia says
Really tasty and filling, even without a crust. Will make regularly thanks.