Spring Quiche Recipe
Once spring is finally here, all of the green grass, leaves, and foliage outside reminds us that we really need to be adding more green stuff to our diets, too. Either that, or it's the fact that we realize warm weather means no more bulky sweaters to hide behind! Whatever the reason, spring is a great time for lighter, healthier menu options, such as this greens-packed spring quiche recipe.
Recipe developer Erin Johnson says the best thing about quiche in general is how versatile the dish is. As she tells us, "You can swap out almost any ingredient to accommodate your preferences or what you have on hand," which makes it a great way to use up leftovers or produce that might otherwise go bad. With this particular quiche, Johnson says, "If you don't have leeks, onions would work. If you don't have spinach, you could use kale. No goat cheese? Try feta!" With such a refreshing and versatile recipe, we think that this spring quiche will be a breakfast and brunch go-to all season long.
Gather the ingredients for spring quiche
This quiche starts with a pre-baked pie crust, something Johnson says she defaults to when making quiche "since I want to pull things together fairly quickly in the morning." You can, of course, feel free to bake your own crust, and you can also serve the quiche for lunch or dinner instead of a morning meal.
You'll also need eggs to make this quiche, of course, along with half-and-half and two types of cheese: Parmesan and goat. The spring veggies you'll be using include leeks, spinach, and arugula, while you'll be using garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper for flavoring.
Sauté the vegetables
Start your preparations by preheating the oven to 400 F. As it heats, sauté the leeks in a frying pan until they start to soften. At this point, add some of the spinach to the pan and cook it until it wilts, then add more spinach, wilt it, and keep repeating until all of the spinach fits in the pan. Stir in the garlic and some salt and pepper, as much of these latter two seasonings as you like, then turn off the heat under the pan.
Fill and bake the quiche
Beat the eggs and stir in the Parmesan. Now, take the pie crust and fill it with the spinach mixture. Pour the eggs over the top of the bottom vegetable layer, then sprinkle the crumbled goat cheese over the top. Bake the quiche for about 50 minutes, or until the eggs are set.
Top the quiche with an arugula salad
Whisk the olive oil with the lemon juice, then drizzle this mixture over the arugula. Toss the greens until they are coated with dressing, then arrange this salad over top of the cooked quiche. If you would prefer, though, you can serve the salad alongside the quiche instead. In fact, Johnson advises topping individual slices of quiche with the salad if you won't be eating the entire pie in a single sitting, as she notes that "the dressed arugula won't keep well on top of the quiche for leftovers."
If you leave the salad off the top, though, Johnson does say you can "keep [the quiche] in the fridge for a few days before the crust starts to go soggy," and suggests reheating it either in the oven or the air fryer.
- 2 leeks, chopped
- 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup half and half
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 premade pie crust
- 4 ounces crumbled goat cheese
- 2 cups arugula
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Sauté the leeks in a skillet until they begin to soften.
- Add spinach to the skillet in batches and allow it to wilt before adding more, continuing until all of the spinach fits into the pan.
- Add the garlic to the vegetables along with salt and pepper to taste, then turn off the heat.
- Beat the eggs, half and half, salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix the Parmesan cheese into the eggs
- Fill an unbaked pie crust with the leeks and spinach.
- Pour the eggs over the vegetables and top with goat cheese.
- Bake the quiche for 50 minutes, or until the eggs are set in the middle.
- Whisk the olive oil with the lemon juice and pour the dressing over the arugula, tossing to coat.
- Top the cooked quiche with the arugula salad.
| Calories per Serving | 428 |
| Total Fat | 28.1 g |
| Saturated Fat | 13.0 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 192.0 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 27.8 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1.7 g |
| Total Sugars | 3.4 g |
| Sodium | 507.0 mg |
| Protein | 16.7 g |
