Mushroom Spinach Quiche
Mushrooms add "meatiness" to this quiche, creating a satisfying vegetarian meal.
Servings 6 slices
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)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium shallot, chopped—about 1/3 to 1/2 cup
- 2 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (we used button—see Kitchen Notes)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dry (optional, but nice)
- 5 ounces baby spinach, coarsely chopped
- salt
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup half & half
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1-1/2 cups coarsely grated Gruyere
- 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. 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. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium flame. Add shallot and cook, stirring frequently, for a minute or two. Add mushrooms and toss to coat with oil. Add tarragon and toss to coat. Cook for about 3 minutes, turning the mushrooms halfway through.
- Add chopped spinach to pan, salt lightly and toss to combine every thing. Cover with a lid and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring once or twice. The mushrooms will release liquid, helping spinach cook down. Uncover pan and cook another 2 to 3 minutes, allowing excess liquid to cook off.
- 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 mushroom/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.
Pick your own mushrooms. We used button mushrooms, but feel free to substitute crimini or other mushrooms—or a mix thereof.
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.