Artichoke Heart and Spinach Quiche? Yes, please

Marinated artichoke hearts and spinach create a subtle, flavorful base for this vegetarian quiche. Recipe below.

I AM ALWAYS READY FOR QUICHE. If we’re out somewhere and see it on the menu, that’s what I’m ordering. I’m also a big fan of artichoke hearts. So recently, when Kalyn Denny shared her recipe for Artichoke, Kale and Ricotta Pie, my first thought was “that looks delicious”—closely followed by my second thought: “artichoke hearts would make a great quiche.”

Quiche is the kind of French cooking I most enjoy. Not formal or fussy, but a handful of simple, well chosen ingredients prepared in a straightforwardly perfect way. At its heart, quiche is an egg, cream and cheese custard baked in a pastry crust. Vegetables and either meat or seafood can be—should be—added to make it a heartier dish.

Bacon-laden Quiche Lorraine is the most popular variety, but whether we’re adding bacon or not to our quiches, we do want a good deal of vegetables in ours. In this version, marinated artichoke hearts and spinach take the lead, delivering a sublimely subtle, delicious (and vegetarian) meal. Thanks for the inspiration, Kalyn—we’re including a link to her dish in the Kitchen Notes.

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Artichoke Heart and Spinach Quiche

Marinated artichoke hearts and spinach create a subtle, flavorful base for this vegetarian quiche.

Course Main Course

Cuisine French-inspired

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 1 store-bought pie crust, a deep 9-inch one, if frozen (see Kitchen Notes for other options, including a recipe for making your own)
• 1 15-ounce can of marinated artichoke hearts
• 5 ounces fresh baby spinach
• olive oil
• salt
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup half & half
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1-1/2 cups coarsely grated Gruyère
• 1/4 cup coarsely grated Parmesan

Instructions

• Par-bake the crust. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. While the oven is heating, put the pie crust in its tin on the counter and let it thaw slightly, so you can prick it all over with a fork. Line the pie shell with foil or parchment paper, then weight it with dried beans or pie weights (does anyone actually buy these?). Bake the crust until slightly golden on the edges, about 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and remove weights, simply picking the foil or parchment at the corners.
• Meanwhile, make the filling. Thoroughly drain the artichoke hearts, then coarsely chop them. Heat a large, deep sauté pan over medium flame. Add enough oil to coat the bottom, about 2 tablespoons. Add artichoke hearts and spinach to pan (you may need to add the spinach in batches. Season very lightly with salt (the artichoke hearts and cheese will add plenty saltiness to the finished quiche). Toss everything to coat with oil and cook, stirring frequently, for 7 or so minutes, until spinach has cooked way down (hint: the filling needs to fit inside the pie crust). Using a slotted spoon, transfer the artichoke/spinach mixture to a paper towel-lined plate and let it cool slightly, then top with another paper towel and gently press down to squeeze moisture from it.
• Beat eggs in a bowl, then add half & half and beat to combine.
• Assemble and bake the quiche. Spread the Dijon mustard in the bottom of the crust (this is optional, but the mustard sharpens the cheese flavors without imparting its own taste). Put artichoke/spinach mixture into the crust and gently spread with a fork to evenly distribute it. Sprinkle cheese evenly over the filling. Pour the egg mixture over the top, using your fork to gently help it settle in around the filling.
• Transfer to the middle rack of the oven and bake the quiche until it has puffed up and is set and beautifully browned, about 25 to 35 minutes. You can test with a sharp knife to make sure the middle is set.
• Cool on a rack at least 10 minutes, then serve. You can also serve it room temperature, but I think warm is best. See Kitchen Notes about reheating leftovers.

Kitchen Notes

Let’s talk crust. If you use a frozen crust, go for a deep 9-inch one to accommodate all the filling. We’ve also been using fresh rolled pie dough you find refrigerated in stores. When you’re ready to use one, just let it come to room temperature, then gently roll it out into your lightly oiled or buttered pie plate (they suggest glass), then press into place. And if you want to make your own crust, you’ll find our simple recipe here.

Reheating leftovers. We reheated ours in a toaster oven because we were just doing two slices; the same approach works for the oven. Here’s how:

• Remove quiche from fridge and let it come to room temperature.
• If you’re just reheating a slice or two, cut those and transfer to a sheet of foil that will fit in the toaster oven on its wire rack. You might also put strips of foil over the crust edges to keep it from browning too much.
• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Transfer quiche slices, still on the foil, into the oven. Heat until thoroughly warmed through, 10 to 20 minutes—you can remove the foil from the crust for the last few minutes to let it brown a little.
• If you're reheating an entire quiche, definitely use your oven; you can leave it in the pie plate to do it.
• Do NOT microwave your quiche. The crust will turn soggy.

Our inspiration. You’ll find Kalyn’s delicious-sounding Artichoke, Kale and Ricotta Pie recipe here.