Crustless Quinoa Spinach Quiche
A simple, healthy alternative to traditional quiche. The quinoa gives the quiche body and the filling is primarily spinach, cheese, onion, and garlic. No crust at all, but it cuts like a quiche
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup quinoa 3.2 oz/90 g
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided + more if using oil to grease the pie pan
- 2 cups onions (yellow), thinly sliced 8 oz/230 g. See note
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, thinly sliced
- spinach, either 16 oz/ g fresh or 10 oz/ g frozen. If fresh, lightly rinse and allow water to drip off. If frozen, defrost, then press most of the water out. 454 g fresh or 284 g frozen
- 3 oz soft cheese - cream cheese, soft goat cheese or a combination 89 g
- 3/4 cup medium hard cheese such as sharp cheddar, crumbled or grated + more if you want to spread cheese on top 3 oz/ 88 g
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon dried dill See note
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350° F/180° C. Grease a 9" deep dish pie plate, either with olive oil or baking spray
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Rinse the quinoa well in the pot or a small bowl - optional. See note below. Put the quinoa and water in the small pot and bring to a rolling boil on the stovetop. Immediately reduce the heat to medium so that the quinoa simmers for about 12-15 minutes, until all the quinoa absorbs all the water and the tiny curls at the end of each quinoa seed begin to uncurl. Once the quinoa is done, set it aside.
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While the quinoa is cooking, heat 1 & 1/2 tablespoons of the oil in a large pan. Once the oil is hot but not smoking, slowly cook the sliced onions on medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until they begin to brown. This will probably take about the same amount of time as to cook the quinoa. At the very end of cooking, add the garlic and continue cooking for about 1 minute.
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Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil to the pan and heat it. Add the spinach and cook on medium heat with cover until the fresh spinach is cooked or the frozen spinach is heated through.
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Let the spinach cool down a bit, remove any excess water, and then add the spinach to the large bowl with the onions and garlic. Add the quinoa, and the medium hard and soft cheeses to the spinach/onion/garlic and mix all those ingredients until they are well combined.
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Whisk the 4 eggs in a small bowl with the salt, pepper and optional flavorings. Add the eggs to the mixture in the large bowl, stir it again and pour the entire mixture into the pie plate. If desired, add some additional grated cheese on top. Bake for about 45-55 minutes. When done the pie should darken slightly at the edges and pull away from the sides. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting into slices. to reheat, microwave on medium-high or put in the oven at 350° F/180° C until warm/hot.
Recipe Notes
I prefer yellow onions. But other types of onions work well, as do shallots.
Do you need to rinse quinoa before cooking it? There is a dispute as to whether you need to rinse quinoa before cooking. Some say quinoa has a bitter taste unless you rinse it (including Bob's Red Mill), while others (e.g. The Kitchn) say that there is no bitterness in unrinsed quinoa and that unrinsed, it retains a nuttier taste. I am in the former camp, but respect those who hold the latter view. Take your pick.