Crustless Quiche
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Using a mandolin, or a very sharp knife, slice potatoes, length wise, into ovals.
- Toss slices in olive oil and season with 1 tsp each of salt and pepper.
- Arrange in a single layer on baking sheets and bake until tender but not brown. 10-15 minutes.
- Once done, line the sides of a 9" pie pan with pliable slices, overlapping, so they lay above the dish. Line the bottom with remaining slices. Set aside.
- Saute chopped onions, mushrooms, and spinach. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes.
- While veggies/meat are cooling, whisk eggs and half-n-half in a medium bowl.
- Sprinkle 1/2 c shredded cheese over the bottom of prepared potato lined dish.
- Spread prepared veggies evenly over shredded cheese.
- Slowly pour egg & dairy mixture over veggie layer and top with remaining cheese.
- Bake 20-30 minutes or until egg mixture is set (set when a toothpick comes out clean form the center)
I have been fed quiche all my life. It’s not bad. I really do like it. Well, the filling anyway. It is my culinary belief that pie crust is meant to be filled with fruity sweetness, a mousse, or some other custard. It’s for dessert! To be fair, I don’t love the crust on pies either. It’s all about the filling for me.
When I learned that I could make a quiche without the crust, I was so happy, I did a little happy dance.
I might also be a bit biased, to me potatoes are their own food group. Mashed, fried, sliced, diced, wedged, I’m all in.
In all objective fairness, since first making a quiche with a potato base, no one has hinted at wanting the pie-crust quiche to return.
Not a huge russet fan? Swap them out for Yukon Golds or sweet potatoes!
Preparing Potato Base
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
I have used potatoes other than russets (Yukon Gold and New Red Potatoes). All have turned out fine. It’s just a matter of preference. Russets are hardy. Yukons have a rich creaminess to them that we prefer. Red potatoes are a bit in between; hardy and a tad creamy. Regardless which spud you choose one thing rings true; the bigger the better to line your pie dish.
*Side note – I have never used a metal baking dish for this recipe. All I have is glass, such as this one, or ceramic, such as this one. Use what you have or what you prefer.
Using a mandolin, slice the potatoes lengthwise. You don’t have to use a mandolin. A very sharp knife and steady hand will do just fine. Unfortunately, I have neither. That’s why I have a mandolin.
No matter your method, try to cut even slices about a ¼” thick. Too thin and they will easily crisp in the oven and become too brittle. Too thick and they will not cook unevenly and break from being under cooked.
Toss slices in 3 T of olive oil. Lay potato slices out in a single layer on two baking sheets lined with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Season with salt and pepper.
Bake until tender but not browned; about 10-15 minutes. The goal is to get the potato to bend into the quiche dish without breaking because they are too undercooked or too crispy from overcooking. Pliable potatoes!
Once cooled enough to touch, line the sides of a greased 9” pie dish with your potatoes, slightly overlapping. Then repeat with the bottom of the dish. I recommend using the best and biggest slices for the sides. And the not-as-pretty for the bottom. No matter what you do, quiche filling will leak out from the potato base – it’s potato after all. If your quiche is set properly, it will stick to the potato and none will be lost to the dish.
Overlap your potatoes slightly because not only does it look lovely, it also acts like a more complete crust since potatoes don’t come with straight edges and won’t fit like a satisfying game of Tetris.
P.S. I never have to use all the potatoes and not all come out ‘quiche worthy.’ Add a touch more salt or your favorite seasoning, pop them back in the over for another 10-15 minutes and you have yourself a little stack of snacking potatoes.
Quiche Filling
Before we get to the meat of things, so to speak, allow your oven temperature to fall to 375 degrees for baking your quiche.
Now, this is where you can get creative. You can add nothing to your egg base other than some salt, pepper, and some herbs if you want something incredibly simple. If you’re going for a fancy potato and scrambled eggs, that would be it.
BUT…
If you want a quiche full of savory flavors just think about what you like.
There are the classics like Quiche Lorraine. But for the most part, your imagination is the limit.
Whatever you choose, ending up with 1 1/2 – 2 cups of cooked filling is the goal.
*IMPORTANT – DO NOT PUT RAW VEGETABLES OR RAW MEAT INTO A QUICHE. Unless you want them to remain raw and most likely have a watery, and potentially hazardous quiche.
When adding ingredients into a quiche, the less moisture the better. Remember to drain any fat from your cooked meat.
For this particular one, I chose mushrooms and onions, my daughter’s favorite.
Other great quiche ingredients:
- Spinach (if using frozen, drain until you can’t drain anymore!)
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Onion
- Zucchini
- Other squash
- Bell Peppers
- Tomato
- Asparagus
- Bacon
- Sausage
- Ground beef, turkey, or chicken
Think of a quiche like a fancy, oven baked omelet.
If you putting ANYTHING into your quiche’s egg base, cook it first, and then let it cool slightly or it will start to cook your egg base and the whole thing will be uneven. Potentially causing dry patches throughout the dish which comes out more rubbery – yuck!
Mushrooms & Onion Filling
Evenly slice mushrooms (or buy pre-sliced) and white onion. Add 1 T oil to a pan over medium-low heat. Add sliced mushrooms and onions. Sprinkle with salt. Not only does salt help enhance their flavors, it helps draw out the moisture.
Stir to coat with oil and let it be for 10-20 minutes until moisture has been cooked away, only stirring occasionally. Don’t let it burn though.
Once done, remove from heat and allow mushrooms and onion to cool to room temperature. If you’re impatient like I am, it’s okay. You just don’t want screaming hot ingredients to go into your unbaked quiche.
While your veggies are cooling, mix together the quiche’s egg base. Combine 4 large eggs and 1 ½ C half and half. Whisk together until well combined.
A bit about dairy and its alternatives.
You don’t have to use half and half. You can use regular milk, a bit of cream, or a combination of all three. It’s really a mix and match deal. But the more fat in your dairy, the creamier the egg base.
Need to go lactose free?
Yes, you can use a non-dairy substitute. BUT, it WILL alter the texture. And not all non-dairy milks are created equally. The best alternative is soy because the consistency is the most similar to dairy milk. Personally, I find that non-dairy unsweetened creamer works best of all. It keeps the fat content similar to using dairy cream giving your quiche that nice creamy texture.
Any milk substitute will work though. Which one will be best for you is going to take some experimentation. The liquid-to-egg measurements remain the same no matter your milk choice. Just make sure to use unsweetened non-dairy milk substitutes!
Do NOT use egg whites only! Quiche filling is a type of custard, egg yolks are essential.
If you insist on omitting the yolks, or just happen to only have a carton of egg whites, beat the white until soft peaks form and gently fold in the liquid. Again, the final texture will be altered. A bit more ‘grainy’ and airy as opposed to smooth and silky.
Once your egg mixture is done, it’s assembly time!
Assembly
Because I hate to clean my oven and am overly cautious, I place my pie dish on a baking sheet (covered in foil) just on the off chance that some overflows or I spill it taking it out of the oven.
Let’s talk cheese.
What kind?
Yes.
Typically, cheeses such as Swiss, Gruyere, and fontina are used. As with the rest of your ingredients – what do you like? What goes with the items you’ve chosen.
The amount of cheese also depends on you.
Word of caution: do not go too overboard. Cheeses have oil. Oil can collect and become a not-so-wonderful puddle on and around your quiche. This coming from a cheese lover…
I like to put a thin layer of cheese on the bottom, then my sautéed ingredients, gently pour egg mixture over veggies, and top with more cheese.
First layer – Cheese.
Second Layer – Prepared filling.
If your veggies are particularly aesthetic looking, save a few to decorate the top!
Third layer – Egg & dairy mixture. Pour gently to keep the liquid from splashing everywhere.
Fourth layer – top with cheese.
This is where you can add some of your veggies you saved to decorate. Slices of tomato or fresh herbs.
Bake for 40-55 minutes.
With complete transparency, sometimes this could take up to 60 or 65 minutes. We have a double oven and they are not created equally. They claim to reach a certain temperature, but I’m doubtful. The bottom oven is more reliable and this will take 35-40 minutes. The top oven, however, will take 20 or 50 minutes. I don’t ask questions, I just use the bottom oven.
If your quiche is done, it should have very little wobble. Again, think of it as a baked omelet. If you use a good amount of cheese, a toothpick might not come out clean until it has been baked to a crisp. This is also why I prefer to bake it in a transparent baking dish. I can pick it up, look at the bottom to see if any liquid egg-mixture remains.
Sometimes the top will brown faster than the middle will cook. If your quiche is getting too browned, lightly tent a sheet of foil over the top and continue to bake.
Feel free to sprinkle the top of your finished quiche with some fresh herbs, such as parsley or basil. Not only to give it a pop of color, but enhance the flavor and add a bit of vitamins. I would have preferred to add some parsley, but my daughter is currently against the herb…
I suggest once it’s done baking, let the quiche sit for at least five minutes to set a bit more. It’s like taking piping hot chocolate-chip cookies off the baking sheet straight out of the oven. It can be done, but they are still super gooey and risk falling apart. Plus, the quiche is scorching hot and will burn your mouth!
Serve alone or alongside a fresh salad.
However you decide to enjoy your crustless quiche, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
