Every once in a long while I find a recipe I know will become one of my everyday favorites. To make it into that category the recipe must be quick and easy to assemble and have tons of flavor and eye appeal. That it is super versatile and and uses up little bits of this and that in the fridge is added bonus. And what gives this recipe a “+” beside its 10 is that the leftovers are delicious. I have seen many recipes for crustless quiche and, despite the fact that the crust is usually my least favorite part of a traditional quiche, I have never tried to make one. It’s not that I don’t love crust, I do, but no matter what recipe I try and no matter how I prepare it, the crust always ends up soggy and, except for the nicely brown fluted edge, I don’t eat it. After I read this recipe it finally dawned on me…why use a crust at all!
On a recent visit to a firend blog I found a recipe Chris posted for Spinach and Gruyere Quiche with Rosemary Prosciutto and Lemon Zest – Crustless, that looked delicious . I knew this would be perfect for Sunday brunch and I would have the chance to try the intriguing crustless quiche. I was a little skeptical about this because, even though I didn’t eat the soggy crust it does serve to absorb the liquid from the cream and egg mixture. Other than the basic eggs and yogurt I didn’t have the ingredients Chris used in her quiche so just went with the bits of this and that that I did have… bacon, green chilies, onion, pepper jack cheese…the makin’s of something with Southwest flavors. All I can say is WOW…WE LOVED IT! The egg mixture didn’t weep at all and the bottom of the quiche was nicely browned. I know if I have a few basics in my pantry and eggs in the fridge I can put together a delicious meal in an hour, or even make it ahead because the quiche reheats so nicely. I’m thinking a seafood version or maybe something with fruit (yes?…no?)…endless.
I served little bowls of sour cream and salsa with this quiche along with a romaine salad with chipotle ranch dressing.
Smoky Bacon, Green Chili and Pepper Jack Crustless Quiche
Ingredients
- 4 slices smoky bacon cut into ¼ inch pieces
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- ½ cup onion diced
- ½ red bell pepper diced
- ⅓ cup diced green chilies or to taste
- 6 cups fresh spinach roughly chopped
- 10 large eggs lightly beaten
- ¾ cup plain non-fat Greek Yogurt
- 1 cup pepper jack cheese grated
- 1 cup medium cheddar cheese grated
- ¼ cup fresh parsley coarsely chopped
- pinch red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 8 or 9-inch dish with cooking spray or lightly grease with vegetable oil.
- Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add bacon and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until it begins to crisp. Remove bacon from pan, then add onion and red bell pepper to the bacon drippings. Saute for 3-4 minutes, add garlic and red pepper flakes and saute another minute. Return bacon to pan. Add spinach and cook just until spinach starts to wilt. Turn off heat and set aside. Spinach will continue to wilt.
- Place Greek yogurt in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Add eggs, two at a time, whisking after each addition until smooth. Add grated cheese and salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour egg mixture into prepared quiche dish. Top with spinach mixture (much of the spinach mixture will sink into the eggs).
- Bake in a preheated oven until eggs have set, about 35-40 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
