$5 Dinner (or less): Crustless Quiche
You know when you’re hungry, and nothing sounds good, and you’re just trying to throw something together before you faint? You are motivated solely by hunger and struggling with one of those passing phases of what-to-cook ennui when, shockingly, you create something quite good. That is this quiche.
This “quiche” is a weeknight pinch-hitting blank canvas that can work with whatever ingredients you have; if you have eggs and milk in your fridge you can make this or a version of it. Someone who will remain unnamed said it reminded him of his bachelor days and a dish he used to whip up for the ladies called Impossible Quiche. But let’s not go there.
For me, our ingredients were portobello mushrooms, frozen spinach, and an onion. I found a knob of cheese in a drawer and grated a bit of that to scatter on top. But the rules here are practically non-existent: you could try bacon, ham, bits of leftover roast chicken; asparagus, frozen broccoli, peppers, leeks. Like a little black dress, this quiche can be dressed up or down, and best of all, it will go with pretty much whatever you have in your closet. I mean, fridge.
Crustless Quiche
Serves 4
This is basically a non-recipe, but I like to have a few of these in my back pocket for nights when I’m running low on inspiration.
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 large eggs
¼ cup milk
1½ to 2 cups filling, sauteed
½ cup grated cheese (optional)
Preheat oven to 350° and grease a 9-inch pie pan. In a medium skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil and saute your fillings of choice over moderately high heat until soft. Beat eggs with milk and season with salt and pepper. Pour eggs into pie pan. Add sauteed ingredients and stir gently to mix the filling with the eggs. Sprinkle with cheese if using. Bake for 20-25 minutes and serve with salad and bread, if your cupboards aren’t totally bare.
Some ideas for fillings:
- zucchini, corn and grape tomatoes with pepper jack
- leeks, asparagus and gruyere
- merguez sausage and peppers
- broccoli and cheddar
- swiss chard, onion, and goat cheese
- caramelized onions and brussels sprouts
Abbey: Again, exactly what I needed. Sarah, you are hitting home-runs with these easy and cheep food posts.2 years ago
domestikate: Yum! I do like quiche. Although this sounds quite like some sort of tortilla (you know, a spanish omlette?)? That’s a good go-to for me on nights when there is a sparse selection of random in the fridge and a box of eggs in the cupboard!2 years ago
Dina: i just saw that some people make baby quiche in, of all things, ramekins! how adorable and festive would that be?2 years ago
Lesley: Yum, seconded. Would’ve never thought about quiche as a quick-and-easy meal. (Although I have recently recognized the genius of eggs for dinner — chilaquiles are awesome and fast, too.) Gonna try this as soon as I get back home!2 years ago
Ash: yummmmo! Thanks!! I’ve been waiting for a crustless quiche receipe to fall into my lap.
I’m making it tonight with whatever is in my closet.2 years ago
Julia (Color Me Green): yes domestikate, though this sounds like a frittata to me. love these kind of meals for using up what’s in the fridge!2 years ago
Karen: Thanks! Perfect for a busy night!2 years ago
Abbey, So cheap, so easy!
Dina, I know what wedding present of mine will be put to good use! In addition to indispensible wine glasses, of course.
Domestikate & Julia, Yeah, I went back and forth on what to call this: tortilla? frittata? In the end, I went with crustless quiche. A rose by any other name, right?
Lesley, Oh yum. Chilaquiles sound amazing to me right now.
Ash, So glad to be the recipe in your lap!
Karen, Exactly.2 years ago
Roxanne: Quiche is one of those recipes that scared me. Then I was forced to learn how to make it when I worked at the coffee bistro in my home town. Boy did I feel silly for being afraid. It’s definitely become a go-to recipe when I’m feeling lazy.2 years ago
Christine S.: This is the perfect go to for picky eaters! I love it! Bacon will be added to my version because, well, bacon…need I say more:) Thanks for the recipe!2 years ago
rachael (speirs art): I used to make this when I was a babysittin-teenager. The kids I looked after were sooooo picky.
I used to have them help me make this and would chuck in spinach or kale.
We called it ‘eggie pizza’ (a rose by any other name haha)
pretty much they would eat anything if it had the word ‘pizza’ involved.2 years ago
Roxanne, Isn’t it so funny when that happens? Like me and creme brulee. So easy!
Christine, Bacon. Say no more.
Rachael, Too funny. Are kids always that easy to trick???2 years ago
Starlene: depends on the kids. mine were total suckers. my son wouldn’t eat any meat but chicken. i would make whatever i wanted (scallops for instance) and when he asked me what kind of chicken it was i’d just add chicken to the name (i.e. chicken scallops). worked every time!!!2 years ago
Megan: Perfect, love this. So great, especially if you have a cast-iron skillet on hand (so you can cook the fillings, pour in the eggs, and bake, all in one!).
I did a home-stay study abroad in Aix-en-Provence, France, and my mere used to make quiche with peas and carrots — it seemed bizarre to me at first, but WOW. I highly encourage.
Also, I would suggest you add a Delicious button to your blog, so I can more easily bookmark entries!2 years ago
Margaret: Well, THAT was easy! I just made this last night for dinner, and while it took me a bit of puttering to figure out what I would be sauteing, it came together in no time! It was easy to tell when it was done, even scaling down the recipe as I had to, to fit into a smaller glass pie plate and use the small ‘first-lay’ eggs I’d gotten for free at the market.
Something about putting the eggs in the oven transforms them, and they move from the ‘plain old scrambled eggs’ category to the ‘something luxurious and baked’ category. Yum. I used onion, beet greens (didn’t turn the whole thing pink, just the onions), and topped with chunks of feta cheese. Will be posting on my blog.
AND, I think I just took one more shaky step toward … the Souffle. DUN dun DUN…;-)2 years ago
Margaret: Oh, and I DIDN’T have milk in my fridge. I used a dollup of cream and some water. I figured that approximated milk. Also, when I was scraping feta in, another dollup of the water that sits in fell in. Oops.
)2 years ago
Good thing it all came out well!