Crustless Quiche with Roasted Peppers ♥

Crustless Quiche with Roasted Peppers, another easy healthy breakfast ♥ A Veggie Venture. Weight Watchers Friendly. Low Carb. High Protein. Gluten Free. Vegetarian.
Hello, morning! Rise 'n' shine because it's time for a quick, healthy breakfast. Today it's quiche. But there's no crust, saving both time and calories. It makes up in minutes with pantry ingredients, save perhaps one. The secret ingredient is cottage cheese, which make the quiche moist and cheesy throughout, adding protein and body.

Weight Watchers Friendly. Low Carb. High Protein. Real Food, Fresh & Flexible. Weekday Easy, Weekend Special. Vegetarian. Naturally Gluten Free.


Merry Christmas To Me.

My best Christmas present to myself? Food magazine subscriptions, three to be exact, re-subscriptions in fact. Bon Appetit. Cook's Illustrated. But the surprise favorite is Vegetarian Times, which I subscribed to many years ago when I wasn't eating meat (Note to Vegetarians).

But back then, Vegetarian Times was a little dusty and hippy-dippy for my taste. My memory is that the recipes required too-regular trips to a low-turnover natural food store; were too laden with fat and especially cheese; and just didn't appeal to my just-emerging affinity to fresh, seasonal food.

But now, in 2012? Without question, I love Vegetarian Times. Love it. Real food. Easy ingredients. Nutrition info, people! Mostly main dishes, just a few sweets. Lots of vegetables. Lots of tips. Each issue shows a shortlist of staff favorites, that's where I start and that's where I found today's quiche recipe. (And for anyone who might wonder, this is NOT paid advertising. It's just me, sharing a happy discovery.)

Is anyone else a former (or future?!!) Vegetarian Times subscriber? What's your take on the magazine? What's your favorite magazine for everyday healthy meatless-meal inspiration?

[SAD UPDATE Vegetarian Times didn't close down, exactly. But in 2017, it converted to an online magazine only. It publishes no new content but you can buy access to the prior years' collection for $59. Sad ... ]

Here's What Makes This Quiche Special

But wait - the recipe! I think you'll love this one, I know I did. It strikes me as totally adaptable, with the "bones" of eggs and cottage cheese. But let's take note, too, how a recipe for quiche can be so low in calories and yet still taste so good.

No crust! Lots of calories saved there. Time too.
Just six eggs, this is no giant quiche.
Lots of vegetables, adding texture and volume, sautéed in water, not oil.
It's cheesy! Quiche isn't quiche without cheese, right? But the amount is fairly small and comes from two sources, the cottage cheese and the cubed cheese.
Flavor! This recipe doesn't skimp on flavor, the peppers have their slightly wet and vinegary essence, the sharpness of the feta cheese comes through.




Just updated. First published way back in 2012.

CRUSTLESS QUICHE with ROASTED PEPPERS

Hands-on time: 30 minutes
Time to table: 1-1/4 hours
Serves 6

1/4 cup water
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 bulb fennel, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large roasted peppers from a jar, drained, patted dry and chopped

6 large eggs, whisked
1 cup (224g) 1% cottage cheese, either plain or puréed until smooth in a small food processor (see TIPS)
2 ounces (57g) good melting cheese, cut into tiny cubes or grated

PREP Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Lightly spray a quiche pan or pie plate.

SAUTÉ THE VEGETABLES In a large skillet, heat the water on MEDIUM (here, water is being used instead of oil to saute the vegetable, this saves calories, feel free to use a little olive oil). Add the onion, fennel and garlic, cook until soft, stirring often. Stir in roasted peppers.

WHISK THE EGG MIXTURE In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and cottage cheese, then stir in sautéed vegetables. If using grated cheese, stir it in as well.

BAKE Transfer the mixture into the prepared quiche pan. If using cubed cheese, sprinkle the cubes over the top, then gently press about half the cubes down into the uncooked egg mixture. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes, until the center is set and the top is golden brown. (Mine was a little underdone, I took it out at 30 minutes.) Let rest 5 - 10 minutes, then cut into slices and serve.

LEFTOVER REPORT Reheats beautifully.

ALANNA's TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
WATER? Here, water, not oil, is used to sauté the onion and fennel. This saves some calories but if you like, use a tablespoon of olive oil instead of water.
NO FENNEL? Fennel adds a lovely sweetness but isn't something I, anyway, keep on hand. Substitute more onion or finely chopped celery.
ROASTED PEPPERS If you like, roast your own peppers, How to Roast a Pepper on a Gas Stove (best for one or two) or How to Roast Peppers in the Oven (best for a bunch of peppers and for cooks with electric stoves). But I kind of like the vinegar-y-ness of some, though not all, roasted peppers (for example, the big jars of roasted peppers from Sam's Club lack that piquancy). That slight pickle flavor contrasts so well with the creamy eggs and cheese. I made a quick half-recipe in a small cast-iron skillet for breakfast one morning, using sautéed bell peppers. It was okay-good, that slight piquancy from jars of roasted peppers adds something. Next time, I'd like to use bigger pieces of pepper, to make the quiche more dramatic in appearance.
COTTAGE CHEESE Use any % fat cottage cheese except non-fat, which at least to my taste, is vile. The inspiring recipe called for "whipped cottage cheese" (apparently there's a product like that sold in some stores) and it was a breeze to whip my own in a mini food processor. I think that an immersion blender might do the same trick, whisking the eggs and cottage cheese together and saving a few dishes. But really, left alone, the cottage cheese melts into the eggs, you won't even know it's there. It's one of my favorite tricks for eggs, see Easy Green Chile Egg Casserole.
WHAT ARE MELTING CHEESES Think mozzarella, cheddar, etc. Some feta cheeses melt, most don't. If you have a pre-grated cheese, sure, use it. But to increase cheesy taste with less cheese, I like to cut the cheese into tiny cubes. Sprinkle the cubes over the top of the quiche, then gently press about half the cubes down into the egg mixture. Lovely! FYI we find 2 ounces of cheese plenty for this quiche but the inspiring recipe called for double that.
TIMING I find the timing for this quiche pretty variable, it seems to vary based on what kind of pan is used, also its diameter. So check watch the quiche for doneness vs relying on the time estimate.
BAKING POWDER? I keep thinking I should add 1/2 teaspoon baking powder to the eggs, it's a great way to lift up the quiche a little.



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Still Hungry?



This Week, Elsewhere

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from Kitchen Parade

~ Irish Beef Stew ~
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~ more St. Louis Restaurant Recipes ~
My Weekly Column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Seasonal Eating: Very Early Spring Across the Years

Cauliflower-Broccoli Cheddar Horseradish Gratin Roasted Parsnips with Pine Nuts Cream of Celery Soup Fragrant Roasted Beets Beet & Walnut Salad Zucchini Lemon-Honey Salad Zucchini Moons with Mint & Parsley Microwave Green Beans with Tomatillo Salsa Dressing Green Chutney Reuben Casserole (< leftover corned beef?) Carrot Cake Cupcakes Roasted Broccoli with Lemon & Garlic Sushi Salad Crustless Quiche with Roasted Peppers (< this week's healthy favorite!) Cauliflower Hummus Creamy Spinach with Artichokes (< a great choice for Easter!) Falafel Burgers (Lentil Burgers)

More Favorite Quiche & Tart Recipes

~ Farmers Market Quiche with Crispy Potato Crust ~
~ Green Pepper Frittata ~
~ Spinach & Feta Quiche ~
~ more vegetable tarts & quiche recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture

~ Never-the-Same-Twice Vegetable Frittata ~
~ Light Tomato Basil Quiche ~
~ Asparagus Custard Tart ~
~ more pie & tart recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade, my food column




Looking for healthy new ways to cook vegetables? A Veggie Venture is home to hundreds of super-organized quick, easy and healthful vegetable recipes and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables. Join "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg to explore the exciting world of common and not-so-common vegetables, seasonal to staples, savory to sweet, salads to sides, soups to supper, simple to special.

© Copyright Kitchen Parade
2012 & 2020 (repub)


Alanna Kellogg
Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

Comments

  1. Yes! I love Vegetarian Times. As a former meat-eating, Southern girl, it was hard to come up with healthy meal ideas that didn't involve meat. Growing up, I loved (and still do) everything fried! This magazine provides lots of "inspiration recipes." For example, last night I made a quiche with whatever I had on hand (sun dried tomatoes and spinach). Thanks for always alerting us to healthy alternatives!

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  2. I just love your recipes, and I appreciate the fact that you include the WW Points.

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  3. Lou GrubaughMarch 20, 2012

    I also subscribe to several foodie magazines but I particularly enjoy Eating Well. Their recipes offer great ingredient and nutritional variety and most ingredients are easily available. They are also generally lower fat and lower calorie and each one offers nutritional counts. Plus there is the bonus of recommendations for special diet considerations, such as heart healthy, diabetic, vegetarian, gluten free and a host of others.

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  4. I've been getting Veggie Times for years. I agree. They have gotten better--I use many recipes from it. I used to get Cook's Illustrated and I do love it, but I found that it was too "meaty" for me.

    Crustless Quiche--mmmm, looks good!

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  5. I like vegetarian times- not a subscriber but I routinely check out back issues from the library. But my vegetarian recipe inspiration mostly comes from (where else but) food blogs!

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  6. I've been wanting a crustless quiche recipe, so I was so happy to see this.

    The recipe says to cook until set. Does the old "knife comes out clean" test work on this?

    If you're not paranoid about calories, do you think that really sauteeing the vegs would work too?

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  7. Catholic Bibliophagist ~ Ah good, I love to make you and others happy! :-)

    I think that yes, the "knife comes out clean" test would work but I skipped it and hmm, maybe the quiche is maybe a little shallow to for the knife to go deep anyway.

    As for really sautéing the vegetables in oil or butter, go for it. Or save the calories for a muffin!

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  8. This sounds delicious. I use cottage cheese a lot in egg dishes and usually just rinse it and use the curds whole.

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  9. Kalyn ~ Ha, interesting, what's the purpose of rinsing the cottage cheese, just to let off liquid?

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  10. I quite like the curds in a cottage cheese, so tempted now to make this twice - once pureed and whipped, and then simply mixed with whisked eggs..

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  11. Fun recipe! I've made crustless quiches before, but it's been ages. I'm guessing the purpose of whipping cottage cheese is so it breaks down easier in cooking? It sounds like it's the milk substitute for making the custard - but with more flavor. Anyway, thanks for this.

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  12. I do love Vegetarian Times now, and had the same experience with them not being so great when I was a true vegetarian and first subscribed. I find myself making 2-4 recipes from each issue now, whereas before they just piled up and I didn't really use them.

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  13. Hi, You asked if any of us were former readers of Vegetarian Times. I am. Subscribed for several years mainly because my daughter is a vegetarian and I needed recipes for when she joined us for dinner and we wanted to cut back on the amount of red meat we were eating. I found the recipes called for many ingredients I didn’t usually have on hand and were a little more complicated than I wanted to make. However, on your recommendation I will pick up a copy and see if I like it any better now. Thanks for the info.

    ReplyDelete

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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe, whether a current recipe or a long-ago favorite. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. ~ Alanna