Crustless spinach quiche is an easy, healthy weekday dinner. Omitting the pastry means that this recipe is so much quicker than a traditional quiche. There's no pastry to make, no rolling out, and no pre baking. It is also much healthier than a traditional quiche recipe, and of course it is gluten free.
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What you'll love about the recipe
- Easy to make. Making a quiche without a crust is much quicker. It'll be ready to go in the oven in just 15 minutes. Suddenly quiche is an easy mid week dinner!
- Healthy. This crustless spinach quiche is much lower in saturated fat than a quiche made with cream and butter.
- Packed with the goodness of spinach. A portion of this quiche will provide one of your 5 a day. (Frozen spinach counts as one of you 5 a day too - most of the nutrients are very similar to fresh!)
- Low calorie. Using less fat also means reducing the calories. A generous slice of this crustless spinach quiche has just 126 calories. And cutting out the pastry also means that it's low in carbs.
- This crustless spinach quiche is also vegetarian and gluten free.
Ingredients
Frozen spinach is very convenient and makes this quiche a store cupboard recipe. There's no prep required, and there's no need to defrost the spinach so it's very quick and easy to use. Frozen spinach is packed full of nutrients. A portion of this crustless spinach quiche will provide all of your vitamin A and K, and a healthy dose of folate.
If you've got some leftover frozen spinach, you might also enjoy these spinach and lentil pasties. Or pop some into this spinach and apple smoothie.
Eggs are also packed full of goodness. They are a great source of proteins and healthy fats. Eggs also contain the nutrients choline and lutein which are very good for your brain and eyes.
Milk. Although many quiche recipes use cream, I find using whole milk in this crustless quiche recipe makes it just as delicious.
Onion adds a lovely sweetness and partners perfectly with the spinach. Although it means using an extra pan, I find it is worth cooking the onion before adding it to the quiche. It becomes sweeter and also ensures that it is cooked through properly.
Seasoning. I like to use grated nutmeg as well as salt and pepper to season the mixture. Nutmeg goes really well with spinach, eggs and cheese!
Cheese adds extra flavour and richness to the recipe. It's good to use a stronger tasting cheese such as mature cheddar so you get maximum flavour. You could also use parmesan if you prefer.
How to make crustless spinach quiche
Heat a large pan and fry the onions in olive oil for a few minutes.
Add the spinach to the pan and leave on the heat until the spinach is defrosted and the water has evaporated. You want the mixture to be quite dry so that the quiche sets properly. Stir in the seasonings and remove from the heat.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk.
Stir the beaten eggs into the spinach mixture and add the grated cheese. Pour into the prepared pie dish, and bake for 40 minutes in a preheated oven.
I used a 9 inch round pie dish for this recipe. But a square 8x8 would also be fine. You can cook the mixture in individual tins, but it will be easier to remove the quiche from the tins if they have a loose bottom.
Whilst you have the oven going, you might like to pop in some roast veggies to accompany your crustless spinach quiche. You'll have a complete meal with 3 of your 5 a day.
Variations
You can easily vary the vegetables in this recipe. Courgettes, peppers, and garlic would be a delicious variation for the summer. Cook the vegetables first with the onion. And kale would also work well (wilt it first in the pan when you have cooked the onions). Whatever mixture you use, it's important to ensure that all the moisture has evaporated before you add the eggs and milk.
I find myself making crustless spinach quiche much more often than I used to make a traditional quiche. It is so much quicker, easier and more healthy!
Serving and storage
This healthy quiche is delicious hot or cold, or somewhere in between. The texture of the tart will become firmer as it cools.
Spinach quiche is delicious in the summer with big helping of salad on the side. Try this mayo free coleslaw or a healthy Waldorf salad.
Leftover quiche will store in the fridge really well for up to 3 days. You can also freeze slices of quiche - just pop them in an airtight container.
Frequently asked questions
To stop a quiche going watery, it's really important to ensure that all the liquid is removed from the vegetables or other additional ingredients that you are adding. The mixture should be quite dry before you mix in the eggs and milk.
Yes, absolutely. The eggs in a quiche help to set it, and also provide a natural creaminess in the yolks. So a quiche made with milk will still taste delicious.
With this crustless spinach quiche recipe, the spinach will defrost in the pan with the heat of the onions. Leave the spinach on a low heat until all of the water has evaporated. If you are using a different quiche recipe with frozen spinach, defrost the spinach in a pan over a low heat. Either leave the water to evaporate, or squeeze the water out through a sieve.
Other healthy quiche recipes
This crustless cottage cheese quiche is also healthy and lower in fat. Or, if you want to try a quiche recipe with pastry, these no cream mini cheese and onion quiches are simple to make with a healthy wholemeal pastry crust. You can also make this healthy tuna and sweetcorn quiche with or without a crust.
Recipe
Crustless Spinach Quiche
Equipment
- 9 inch round pie dish or use a 8 x 8 inch square tin or dish
Ingredients
- 1 onion peeled and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 300 g frozen spinach
- salt and pepper to taste
- grating of nutmeg or use ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 150 ml whole milk
- 3 eggs
- 50 g mature cheddar, grated
Instructions
- Grease a 9 inch pie dish and preheat the oven to 180 degrees (160 degrees fan)
- Heat the oil in a large pan, and fry the onion over a medium heat for 5 minutes until starting to soften and brown slightly.
- Add the spinach and leave it on the heat until the spinach has defrosted and the water has evaporated. Add the seasonings. Remove from the heat.
- Beat the eggs with the milk in a small bowl. Stir into the spinach mixture along with the cheese.
- Tip the mixture into the pie dish and bake for 40 mins.
- Enjoy hot or cold. The quiche will become firmer as it cools down.
Nutrition
Please note nutritional information is per serving and is provided for guidance only.
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