The glory of quiche is that it can be created in endless variations, simply by building on a core of an egg custard filling in a flaky pie crust. Well-known recipes like quiche Lorraine have established ingredients, but others, like our vegetable quiche, can shift based on what’s in season or what’s in your fridge.
Our vegetable quiche filling features complex flavors ranging from robust, meaty mushrooms to lighter vegetables like summer squash and spinach. Swiss cheese adds a slightly nutty taste in the egg-and-cream custard, and fresh rosemary layers a bright, spicy dimension into the quiche. A straightforward single-crust pie dough makes it easy to bring these ingredients together, mixing and matching them based on what’s available in your kitchen.
Vegetable Quiche Ingredients
- Pie dough: Go for store-bought or homemade here, whichever you decide. (A homemade crust will definitely showcase the fresh vegetables and rich creamy filling this quiche!) A sturdy butter pie crust holds up well under the weight of quiche filling and has a rich flavor and texture.
- Fresh vegetables: Sauteeing the vegetables before you add them to the quiche ensures they cook evenly. It also reduces their water content, preventing the quiche from becoming runny.
- Heavy cream: Whisking heavy cream with the eggs creates a rich filling that sets up consistently, browns nicely on top and supports the load of vegetables.
Directions
Step 1: Prepare the crust
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into an 1/8-inch-thick circle.
Transfer it to a 9-inch pie plate, trim it to 1/2 inch beyond the rim of the plate, and flute the edge. Refrigerate the crust for 30 minutes.
Editor’s Tip: If you’ve just made the pie dough, let it rest in the refrigerator for about an hour before you roll it out so that it ends up light and flaky.
Step 2: Blind bake the crust
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line the unpricked crust with a double thickness of foil, letting it extend beyond the edge, and then fill it with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice. Bake on a lower oven rack until the edge is golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights; continue baking for three to six minutes longer or until the bottom is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
Step 3: Saute the vegetables
Reduce the oven setting to 350°. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, mushrooms and squash. Cook, stirring, for three to five minutes or until tender. Add the spinach and garlic; cook one minute longer.
Step 4: Layer in the vegetables and cheese
Spoon the sauteed vegetables into the crust, distributing them evenly. Sprinkle the top with cheese.
Step 5: Add the egg mixture
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, salt, rosemary and pepper until blended. Pour the mixture over the filling.
Step 6: Bake the quiche
Cover the edge of the crust loosely with foil. Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let the vegetable quiche stand for 10 minutes before cutting.
Vegetable Quiche Variations
- Make it chef’s choice: Use the vegetables and cheese of your choice, as long as you stick to the same overall volumes: 1-1/4 cups mixed raw vegetables (not counting the onion) and 1 cup shredded cheese. The onion and garlic make a flavorful base layer, so replace those only if necessary or to taste.
- Roast the vegetables first: Substitute kale for the spinach, and roast the vegetables for deeper caramelization. All of the vegetables can be roasted at 425° but may need to be added to the baking sheet in stages, with whole garlic cloves needing the most time and fresh kale the least.
- Make it a crustless quiche: For a quicker meal, skip the crust and simply coat the pie plate with butter or cooking spray before layering in the filling and baking. Set aside some cheese to sprinkle on top halfway through the cooking time for a little crispiness on the surface. For other filling ideas, check out our top quiche recipes.
How to Store Vegetable Quiche
To store your vegetable quiche, let it cool after baking. Stored in an airtight container or storage wrap in the refrigerator for up to four days or in the freezer for up to three months.
Can you make vegetable quiche ahead of time?
It’s best to bake off the quiche as soon as it’s assembled. However, the pie dough can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator or freezer (or use a store-bought crust for an impromptu meal!). See what our Test Kitchen pros have picked for the best premade pie crusts. Also, the vegetables can be sauteed two days before you assemble the quiche, packed in an airtight container and refrigerated.
Vegetable Quiche Tips
Do the vegetables need to be cooked first for quiche?
Heat takes the bite out of vegetables like onions and garlic, making them sweeter and softer. Also, most vegetables are more than 80% water, so cooking them before you mix them into a quiche helps the filling set up instead of becoming runny. After cooking your veggies, drain any liquid from the pan, and gently squeeze the sauteed vegetables if they still seem watery. If layered raw into the quiche, most vegetables will cook more slowly than the egg mixture, leaving them hard in the center when the egg custard is done (not ideal).
Does the crust need to be prebaked?
Prebaking the crust before you add the quiche filling is important. This is a technique called blind baking, and it keeps the crust from becoming soggy. Resting the dough in the fridge before you roll it out helps keep it flaky rather than tough, and chilling it again between fitting it into the pie plate and baking it with pie weights helps prevent shrinkage.
