July 6, 2020

Vegetarian Quiche (Easy Quiche with Vegetables)

Name: Vegetarian Quiche (Easy Quiche with Vegetables)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 large eggs; 1 cup heavy cream; 1/2 cup whole milk; Pinch cayenne; Pinch nutmeg; Pinch salt and ground black pepper; 1 refrigerated pie crust; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced; 4 ounces shitake mushrooms, sliced; 2 cups baby spinach; 1/2 cup sliced sundried tomatoes; 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves; 6 ounces shredded Gouda cheese

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Vegetarian Quiche can be simple and perfect. Use this easy-to-follow recipe with culinary school tips to make it the best it can be!

Overhead photo of quiche filled with vegetables, cut into pieces, with serving spatula removing a piece.

Quiche is something that I traditionally make for my mom as part of our celebration on Mother’s Day, along with Crispy Brioche French Toast and easy bacon in the oven (for more on hosting a perfect morning meal for a crowd, see my how to host the best brunch buffet post).

Quiche is one of her very favorite foods, and who can blame her? It’s delicious.

We didn’t get to have our usual Mother’s Day gathering this year (my husband made me waffles and ice cream instead), and it turns out, I kind of missed the quiche.

That, coupled with the fact that I apparently have not ever published a quiche recipe on this blog (I can’t believe it!) makes this long overdue. This quiche is right up there with Greek yogurt pasta as one of my favorite vegetarian meals ever.

Culinary school tips make this the best vegetarian quiche recipe!

I was taught to make a proper quiche in my “Breakfast and Pantry” class in culinary school. The chef instructors were VERY particular about what constituted a good quiche, so we had lots of practice.

Below, I will share a few tips that translate to home cooks.

Overhead image of savory egg pie with vegetables in round white pan on rustic wood surface.

Beat the egg custard with a stand mixer or hand mixer.

Instead of using just a mixing bowl and hand whisk to whisk the egg custard mixture, use a stand mixer or a handheld electric mixer, if you have one.

You’re already dirtying a bowl and a whisk for this recipe anyway, so it won’t add any more dishes to your sink at the end of the project.

But, using an electric mixture will ENSURE a silky smooth custard by FULLY incorporating all of the eggs into the cream in a way that is much harder to achieve through whisking by hand.

Blind bake vegetarian quiche pastry for a crispy crust.

I think it’s very important to “blind bake” the pie crust for quiche before adding the vegetables, cheese and custard.

Blind baking simply means to bake the pie crust for a little bit, before you add the filling. This allows the crust to get a head start on crisping up.

Nobody likes a soggy bottom crust, but that’s what you’ll be left with if you don’t blind bake, unfortunately.

To blind bake, I recommend arranging the crust in your quiche dish, then covering the crust with a piece of parchment paper.

On top of the parchment, place a handful of dried beans or pie weights. This will weigh the crust down so it doesn’t puff up during the blind baking.

After the blind bake, remove the weights and parchment and fill your quiche.

Psst – if you bought a box of two pie crusts, you’ll have an extra one to use for mini shepherd’s pie!

Overhead image of small white place with slice of egg pie and spinach on the side.

Make it easier to transfer in and out of the oven.

A little tip that might change your life: place your quiche pan on a rimmed baking pan before putting it in the oven.

We always did this in culinary school, because this just makes it WAY easier and safer to transfer to and from the oven, rather than trying to grab a thin, circular dish with oven mitts on (or, in culinary school, the flimsy kitchen towels we’d always use).

I don’t know about you, but I’m quite clumsy with oven mitts on, and I’ve been known to drop a dish if I can’t get an good grasp on it.

What vegetables are best for quiche?

Just about any vegetable you love is perfect for quiche. However, keep in mind that most vegetables need to be pre-cooked a little bit before putting them in a quiche.

Otherwise, they may not cook all the way through, and you’ll end up with half-raw veggies in your finished quiche.

For this particular vegetarian quiche, I’ve used shitake mushrooms, spinach, sundried tomatoes (like in my spinach gemelli pasta salad), and a bit of red onion.

Can you freeze a vegetarian quiche?

Yes! Quiches freeze beautifully, and were one of our favorite freezer meals when my husband and I were on parental leave.

Simply bake the quiche per the instructions below, and then allow it to cool completely.

Wrap well and freeze for up to 2 months. To serve, place frozen quiche in a 350 degree oven and heat until warmed through.

More delicious brunch recipes:

Whether it’s sweet or savory or somewhere in between, a leisurely weekend morning meal is my favorite!

Yield: 8 servings