The other day I found a recipe for a fruit tart that used quinoa for a crust and I thought that was a unique idea. If the magazine could make a sweet crust with quinoa, I didn’t see any reason why you couldn’t use it in a savory crust as well. Obviously you’d want to use different flavors but simple as… pie. 😉 It’s been a while since I made breakfast for dinner and even longer since I made a quiche, so this seemed like the perfect occasion.
I made a big batch of quinoa so that I had leftovers for later in the week. This recipe is perfect if you already have a batch made. You’ll need about 2 cups cooked and cooled quinoa. You can also make some by following the package directions. I loved the texture of the crust. It got very crispy and sliced out of the dish in perfect wedges.
Spinach and Zucchini Quiche with Quinoa Crust
- 1/2 cup (86g) uncooked quinoa (About 2 cups cooked)
- 1 egg white (46g)
- 1 cup (100g) yellow onion, diced
- 3 cups (85g) fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 medium (100g) zucchini, shredded or spiralized
- 1/2 cup cashew milk
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
- 4 large eggs
- 2 egg whites (92g)
- 1/4 cup (28g) dairy free mozzarella cheese
Prepare the quinoa according to package directions and set aside to cool. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9 inch glass pie dish with non-stick spray. Mix the quinoa and one egg white, stirring well to combine. Salt and pepper if desired. Press into the bottom and sides of the pie dish to form a crush. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly.
Heat a pan over medium heat and spray with non-stick spray. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes until softened. Add the spinach and zucchini and cook for another 2 – 3 minutes until the spinach wilts. Remove from heat.
In a bowl, mix the milk, salt, pepper, red pepper, eggs and remaining egg whites. Whisk or beat with a fork to combine. Spread the spinach mixture evenly in the bottom of the quinoa crust. Pour the egg mixture over the spinach and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes until set and the top is starting to brown.
Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes. Cut into 4 wedges and serve.
Makes 4 servings at approximately 211 calories – 15g protein, 22g carbs, and 7g fat.
Notes
- I used cashew milk and Daiya dairy free cheese due to The Kid’s dairy allergy. You can easily substitute any other type of milk or cheese if you don’t have food restrictions.
- I used my spiralizer for the zucchini and chopped the spirals a bit so they cooked quickly along with the spinach. You can spiralize them, shred them, or even just chop them into smaller sized pieces.
I had the leftovers reheated for breakfast and it held up well. Drizzle a little hot sauce on top, add some salsa, or eat it straight up. Can’t beat those calories for a quarter of the entire thing! It was a massive piece. 🙂
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