Crustless Quiche with Spinach and Mushrooms
Written by joythebaker on May 11, 2009 – 8:54 am -
I’m not sure exactly how to say this, so I’m just going to go ahead and put it out there.
For the first time in…. ever… I had fun at a baby shower. Real time, legitimate good times at a baby shower. I wasn’t even faking it, not even a little bit.
I’m going to stand by what may be an unpopular position. In the past I’ve found most baby showers I’ve had to attend, a troubling combination of boring and humiliating. Between standing around listening to various labor horror stories and playing disgusting baby games that involve Tootsie Rolls and diapers, I typically just barely manage a fake smile.
This weekend’s baby shower was different. My friends Mitch and Lara got together, got married, and made another human that Lara is currently growing in her belly. These people are filled with hilarity, and an uncommon and humble goodness. Watching them open their baby gifts with grace and a downright speedy efficiency (thanks!), I couldn’t help but imagine their little girl filling the onesies, hats and socks they received. While it may sound silly, the reality of this impending life became more lovely and amazing as each gift was opened.
That I may or may not have been able to cheat at one of the baby team relay games has very little to do with me having a great time at the shower. Don’t press me on this. Please.
Now, without a well-crafted transition, I bring you Crustless But Still Dang Good Quiche.
Yes, I think the best part of a slice of quiche is the crust. Yes, I still made this quiche without crust. Sometimes crust, with all of its cutting butter and dusting and rolling pins, seem just a little too daunting for my late morning weekend breakfast. It turns out, if you slather the pie plate with butter, the quiche will bake up beautifully and when sliced, jump out of the dish with no problem.
I used a combination of spinach, mushroom, walnuts and blue cheese in this quiche. Feel free to play around with any ingredients you might have on hand. Next time I make this, I’m going to stay away from blue cheese. The flavor almost took over the whole quiche. I think a nice cheddar or gruyere would work better.
Crustless Quiche with Spinach, Mushrooms and Walnuts
adapted from The Good Egg
1 10-12 ounce bag of spinach, stems trimmed
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped mushrooms
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper
3 large eggs
1 cup half and half
1 cup crumbled blue cheese (I would suggest using cheddar or gruyere instead)
3 Tablespoons chopped walnuts or lightly toasted pine nuts
butter for greasing the pie plate
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch pie dish and set aside.
Place the spinach in a large pot, cover and cook over medium heat just until wilted, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and spoon into a strainer set over a bowl. Let cool.
Press hard on the spinach in the strainer with the back of a spoon to remove most of the moisture, then squeeze in your hands to remove more. Turn out onto a cutting board and coarsely chop Place between two layers of paper towels or wrap in a clean kitchen towel and press to remove more moisture. You should have about 1 cup packed spinach. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minutes more. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, until any remaining moisture has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add a pinch of salt (the cheese is salty, so you won’t need much) and pepper to taste.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until light. Stir in the half and half. Spoon the spinach mixture evenly into the buttered pie dish. Sprinkle with the cheese and nuts. Pour in the egg mixture.
Bake the quiche until puffed and golden brown, about 35 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into generous wedges.
Tags: Breakfast, brunch, cheese, eggs, gluten free, low carb, quiche, recipe, Savory, spinach
Posted in Breakfast, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Savory, Thoughts | 65 Comments »
Mmm, quiche … first one i made was when i was trying to impress my boyfriend on our first picnic together … i made so much food my family and i ate it for the next week to come, so my boyfriend never even tried quiche on that particular day. I did get him hooked on guacamole, though.
Bleu cheese? I’m impressed. Crustless? Always in our house! It’s time to talk about those beautiful plates, Joy. An I love the pattern on the silver fork. Priceless!!!
I just recently discovered the wonders of a crustless quiche. They are so easy and delicious! I love your combination of mushrooms and blue cheese- yum!
I’m not really much of a quiche fan- I blame it on the horrid canned shrimp quiches of my youth… But let’s face it, blue cheese, mushrooms, spinach and walnuts are a world away from canned shrimp. I think I’m in love
Mmm delicious!!
Thx for the education – I really hated giving up quiche when I found out I had a gluten allergy. Now I don’t have to!
Hahhaha, I feel the same way about baby showers! I am glad you had a nice time though, it gives me hope. Usually I find a way to not be able to make it to them (shhh! don’t tell!)
This quiche looks divine! Mushrooms, blue cheese, spinach? I honestly might have to add a little pancetta, but that’s if I’m feeling daring.
Beautiful pics!
Crust will never be made in my house. I’m not that motivated, so this looks like something I will actually try! Yeah!
A friend of mine once asked me, if I invited you and the other guys to a baby shower, would you come? I hesitated, but finally said, well… If we couldn’t get out of it. They just don’t sound very fun… So she asks, what would make you want to come? I was just kidding and said, make it a baby kegger! She really did it! Obviously she didn’t partake in any keg, and really, it was more a nice barbecue with baby gifts than a kegger, but it was awesome!
The blue cheese is a good touch. Yum.
YUM! thanks for the recipe… this is probably gonna be an easy dinner for me.
Crustless quiche! Great idea. I actually have a lot of these ingredients at home right now, and I also have a HUMONGOUS block of feta I got at a wharehouse club for an amazing price of $3.52. I was so amazed at the “deal” I was getting, I didn’t stop to think, “Oh, what am I going to do with all this feta?” I think I’ll make a Spinach Mushroom Walnut Feta Quiche!
I’m not usually a fan of quiche. I may have to give this one a try!
Joy – this quiche looks amazing! Thanks for the recipe. I am hoping to try this for dinner.
In our house we call that a frittata. Yum, the combination sounds delish!!
I like your addition of walnuts. They must add a bit of texture in the absence of the crust’s bite…
Crustless quiches are perfect when you’re in a rush and trying to use up ingredients you have in the fridge, which in my case is always what happens when I make a quiche… a little of this, a little of that.. presto! There’s also nothing like blue cheese and mushrooms, so for me I would stick with the blue! Cheers!
- Brittany
Was there booze at said baby shower?
Glad you had a good time either way!
This weekend, I think I’m going to celebrate the first day of the summer farmer’s market by getting some cheese and mushrooms and then making this for Saturday brunch. Thanks for posting some celiac-friendly recipes.
Joy, you read my mind. I have quiche on my list of things to make this month. Only I ran into a snag when I stepped on the scale and realized I had packed on some pounds since the holidays. I was fretting over a fatty (although delicious) crust. Problem solved! You rock!
Oh, and I’m going to a baby shower on Saturday, hopefully I’ll benefit from your “fun” vibes
i love quiche and i agree, the crust is sometimes daunting. gruyere would be killer, ooh and maybe goat cheese. now i’m craving quiche…thanks joy.
(i hate that tootsie roll in the diaper game too. gross.
Thank-you! I have a recipe for crustless quiche but I really need to jazz it up. I might mix 1/2 cup of blue cheese with 1/2 cup of something mild just to see what I get!
BTW, I’m with you about baby showers; my aversion, however, extends to showers in general!
Would the quiche still turn out if I used a cup of milk instead?
This looks great! i
I’m for sure trying it!
looks wonderfully chunky – and i can only imagine how great the melted cheese would be as a pseudo-crust what with its crunch & all
Thank god we don’t do baby showers in the UK, the games at them always sound terrible.
Luckily we do do quiche!
I’m so with you. Showers (both bridal and baby) can be such a bore – I mean and an embarrassment. That said, shower food is divine – your quiche is fantastic but so are little crustless sandwiches and petits fours. Love that little old lady food.
Oooh, I’ve been thinking of quiches for the past 2 weeks…trying to get up the courage to make one. Now, after your inspired post, I just might. Thanks!
PS: Blessingways are even more enjoyable than babyshowers, IMO. Google it and see.
It looks delicious. I love the addition of blue cheese
This looks to die for!
Great, now I’m craving quiche! This looks scrumptious!
I have to confess I love this recipe even more without the crust — I am not much of a crust person. Thanks for sharing! 
I don’t really know what half and half is and I doubt they sell it over here. What do I need to do to make my own? Google says it’s just milk and cream?
Just a quick word to say that I was linked to your blog by someone on a forum who was praising you and I absolutely love it
It’s funny, interesting and has an absolute tonne of yummy things to try! I’m bookmarking you and will be checking for updates 
Laura
I can totally agree with you on the baby shower front!!! I made a very similar crustless quiche for mothers day this past weekend. So easy and everyone loved it!
Excellent flavor combination! I really need to make a quiche sometime soon.
Ha, I just went to my first baby shower ever this past weekend. It was actually pretty fun, with baby bingo being the “worst” part. We also got to decorate onesies with fabric paints, and considering the crowd there was of the politically incorrect persuasion, there were a lot of “original” designs. There were also lovely desserts (a cake from the new gluten-free bakery in town and a gooey pavlova).
I haven’t made quiche before but it’s yummy and I like your flavor combination!
I love quiche, but very rarely make it. This recipe may change that. You had me at mushrooms.
I have a crustless quiche that I love too – with swiss & ham!! I don’t even like eggs and think it is totally fabulous. Thanks for sharing =)
I’m glad you enjoyed the baby shower! Your quiche looks amazing – I love the walnuts in it! I agree with you that 1 cup of blue cheese seem a little overpowering – I made a quiche with 1 ounce and it was enough for us
Can I come over to dine? That looks incredible!!!!!
This sounds delightful, I’ve got to try it. Just a quick question: what is half and half?
I’m thinking this would work well with asiago in place of the blue cheese, or gruyere as you suggested.
Wow!!! This looks fabulous! I learned a crustless quiche recipe from a friend and it has flour actually incorporated into the egg mixture. I have made it for YEARS but I have a friend with a gluten allergy and was wondering what to make for our upcoming girls weekend…Thank you for this!!!
Loves,
Another Joy;-)
I’m with you and Miranda on the baby-shower issue (there are some exceptions to the rule)…and I’m with you on crustless quiche: Yes, the crust is the best but for some reason I always like the crustless versions I’ve had. Yours looks fantastic.
A beautiful quiche, indeed!
Oh yum! I like the addition of walnuts! This sounds like a good addition to a brunch I’m having!
Hahahaha, I know what you mean about the baby shower thing… Sometimes it’s just down right scary!!!!
The quiche looks so yummy!!!!!!!!! I don’t usually like the crust either, so this is perfect
The quiche looks so beautiful – a little lighter fare than a crust-ed quiche!
Gorgeous! Kind of like a first cousin to a fritatta. Me, I’m not so fond of the crusts on quiches, so this will definitely be on my “must make” list!
I’m making this tonight to utilize some beautiful shiitakes I couldn’t resist buying. Joy, I love your site; it’s beautiful, the recipes are tantalizing, and your general attitude shows you to have been well named. Thank you for sharing!
P.S. Half & Half is just that: half milk & half cream. Popular in the states to pour in coffee. I’m going to use just whole milk, though, & I’m sure it’ll be fine.