This crustless spinach quiche is very easy to prepare as you will not need to spend time preparing a pie crust. Preparing the crust lengthens the time you need to prepare a quiche. However, once you forget the pie crust, you will find you are very eager to do this recipe. This recipe is versatile, as, it can be served for breakfast, as a side for lunch or even for dinner. When this quiche was made, we had it for lunch and later for dinner.
A Craving for Spinach
Spinach is a nutritious edible green leaf that has three major varieties, flavour and textures. You will find them fresh or canned. Some spinach is added to salads, but many people prefer to cook spinach since they may have a slightly bitter taste. Some people also place spinach in smoothies. Collards, chard, and kale has been used as substitutes for spinach in many spinach-based cuisines.
The spinach I used in for this recipe is bhaji or commonly known as chorai bhaji (choraiya bhaji), or amaranth. Some farmers identify it as spiny amaranth or pigweed. This bhaji grows easily, as one plant can produce more than 100,000 seeds. This is the most common of spinach variety in the Caribbean. The Jamaicans used this to make a callaloo with salted pigtail. In Trinidad, we also use it to make (one of my favourite dishes) bhaji rice. Today, I am using this bhagi to make a crustless spinach quiche. I have been craving for the cheesy, bhagi-taste in egg lately ever since I bought a green bundle of bhagi in the market. My mother-in-law makes a tasty spinach quiche and she was willing to share her recipe and technique.
A Crustless Spinach Quiche
This quiche is crustless because as explained in an earlier post I have decided to avoid wheat and grains for the next few months. So this recipe is gluten-free, grain-free and can also be considered as keto. The quiche is surprising firm, cheesy and has a wonderful golden crust. However, what is a quiche? A quiche is a tart with a pastry crust and a custard filling consisting of eggs, cheese, meat, seafood or vegetables. Earlier I made one with the crust. Here is the link.
Crustless Spinach Quiche
INGREDIENTS:
1 onion, finely chopped
10 oz. chopped spinach, fresh or thawed and drained
1½ cups cheddar cheese, grated
1½ cups Mozzarella cheese
5 eggs, beaten
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp. coconut oil
DIRECTION:
Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9 inch pie or quiche pan or dish.
If the bhagi was frozen, drain a bit to remove some excess water. Chop and set aside.
In a pot, heat two tablespoon of oil over a medium heat. Then add the onions and cook until soft and clear. Add the chopped bhagi, stirring occasionally until soft. Cook until all the excess moisture has evaporated.
Note: This bhagi variety takes a little extra time to cook, compared to the other types of bhagi which are usually softer. This variety is also a bit crunchy with a slightly bitter taste. So the extra cooking is necessary to reduce the bitterness and make it softer. You may have to add some drops of water is the bhaji is drying a bit. Once the bhaji is cooked, it will have pleasant taste and the cooked onion would have added a bit of sweetness to it.
Prepare the cheese. Mix the two types of cheese together.
In another bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the salt and pepper to taste, cheese, and spinach mixture. Stir and then pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan.
Bake uncovered for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to set for 10 minutes before serving.
Note: If you are using a glass pie dish, decrease the oven temperature by 25 degrees F once you start baking your quiche.
Crustless Spinach Quiche
Ingredients
- 1 whole onion finely chopped
- 10 oz. spinach fresh or thawed and drained and chopped
- 1½ cups cheddar cheese grated
- 1½ cups Mozzarella cheese grated
- 5 eggs beaten
- ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp. Coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9 inch pie or quiche pan or dish.
- If the spinach was frozen, drain a bit to remove some excess water. Chop the spinach and set aside.
- In a frying pan, heat two tablespoon of oil over a medium heat. Then add the onions and cook until soft and clear. Add the chopped spinach, stirring occasionally until soft. Cook until all the excess moisture has evaporated.
- In another bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the salt and pepper to taste, cheese and spinach mixture. Stir and then pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake uncovered for 35minutes. Remove from oven and allow to set for 10 minutes before serving.