Crustless Quiche

My crustless quiche is a fantastic and easy egg dish to whip up on a leisurely weekend, without the added steps of preparing a crust. Brimming with crisp pancetta, spinach, cherry tomatoes, leeks, mushrooms and a blend of four cheeses, this veggie-packed crustless quiche recipe is a colorful and delicious way to jazz up breakfast or brunch!

Quiche, No Crust Required

Classic quiche, with its rich, custard-like filling of eggs combined with a few savory morsels, plus a buttery crust, is a dish that's pretty darned irresistible when offered up on the brunch menu of a favorite, local French-style cafe.

I've always been quite inspired by beautiful quiches, my appetite piqued when they're served up with fresh, spicy green salads on the side.

Even I myself have had a fun time creating and enjoying my own take on this delicate little egg dish by way of my asparagus quiche with a savory crust—such a treat!

But sometimes I like to simplify things a bit to save myself some time, which is why I absolutely adore this crustless quiche recipe.

There's no added muss or fuss with preparing a crust; and frankly, I never end up missing it anyway!

Filled with all sorts of savory bells and whistles such as spinach, leeks, tomatoes, a blend of cheeses, plus crispy, salty pancetta, my crustless quiche is at once filling yet light, and a brand new favorite to bake up and enjoy as a tasty and elegant little brunch!

My Recipe for Crustless Quiche

Since there's no crust to prepare, chill, roll out, and blind bake with this crustless quiche recipe, all that's needed is to prepare the delicious filling, which is made with a combination of whole eggs, egg yolks, half and half, cream, plus a few savory add-ins.

I like to add the additional egg yolks in, because this adds a bit more richness and structure to the quiche, and helps it to puff up nicely.

And while you can pretty much use any filling ingredients that you wish for this recipe, I love the flavor and texture of a combination of caramelized leeks, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes, and an Italian four-cheese blend for my own filling.

This combo creates a really savory, earthy flavor with a hint of sweetness from the tomatoes, and offers a little flavor surprise in each bite!

Here's a glance at my crustless quiche recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I crisp up my diced pancetta in a hot pan and remove it, placing it onto a paper towel to drain.
2. In the same pan, I saute my veggies until tender, caramelized and softened.
3. Next, I spoon the sauteed veggies, along with half of the pancetta, into a prepared pie dish spritzed with cooking spray, and allow them to cool for about 5 minutes.
4. Then, I whisk together my whole eggs, egg yolks, half and half, cream, my seasonings, and my cheese, and pour this custard over the veggies in the pie dish. To top it off, I sprinkle over the remaining pancetta.
5. Next, I bake my crustless quiche for about 48 to 52 minutes, until puffed and set.
6. I allow the crustless quiche to sit for about 10 minutes once out of the oven, then slice wedges directly out of the pie dish, and serve the quiche on its own, or with fresh fruit or salad on the side.

Recipe

Crustless Quiche

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

Light and savory, this crustless quiche with pancetta, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes and cheese makes for an extra cozy brunch!

Category: Breakfast
Cuisine: French

Yield: Serves 6

Nutrition Info: 511 calories per serving

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces uncured pancetta, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 small leeks (white part only), quartered and thinly sliced
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 2 cups (packed) baby spinach, roughly chopped
• ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered (depending on size)
• 6 whole eggs (large)
• 2 egg yolks (large)
• 1 cup half and half
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 ½ cups grated Italian blend
• Minced chives, chopped parsley, or torn basil leaves, for garnish

Preparation:

1. To begin, gather and prep all of your ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
2. Preheat your oven to 350°, and mist a 9” pie dish (one that is slightly deeper) fairly generously with cooking spray.
3. To a large, non-stick skillet placed over medium-high heat, add the finely diced pancetta, and caramelize/crisp it up for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until browned. Remove it from the pan and place onto paper towel to drain, and wipe out the pan.
4. Place the pan back over medium-high heat and add in the butter and the olive oil. Once melted together, add in the leeks, along with a pinch or two of salt and pepper, and saute for about 3 to 4 minutes until softened and a pale golden color.
5. Add in the mushrooms, along with another pinch of salt and pepper, and continue to saute with the leeks for about 5 to 7 minutes more, until the mushrooms are golden-brown and the leeks browned.
6. Next, add in the spinach and the halved or quartered cherry tomatoes, plus one more pinch of salt and pepper, and fold those into the leek/mushroom mixture for about 1 minute, just until the spinach wilts and the tomatoes slightly warm through/softened.
7. Spoon the vegetables into the bottom of the prepared pie dish, and sprinkle over about half of the crisped pancetta.
8. Whisk together the whole eggs and egg yolks just until blended. Add in the half and half, the cream, plus add about ¼ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon of the pepper, the Italian seasoning, plus the grated cheese, and whisk to combine. Pour this egg custard mixture over the veggies/pancetta in the pie dish.
9. Using a fork, gently “fluff” or “pick” the veggies to incorporate them into the custard mixture slightly (this is not necessary, it just helps to the veggies to not settle completely onto the bottom), then sprinkle in the remaining pancetta.
10. Bake the crustless quiche for 48 to 52 minutes (mine typically takes 50 to 52 minutes), or until set, covering with foil the last 10 minutes of baking if the top becomes a bit too browned.
11. Allow the quiche to cool slightly for about 10 minutes before topping with your herb garnish of choice, and slicing and serving.

Tips & Tidbits for my Crustless Quiche recipe:

• Pancetta or bacon, for salty flavor: I love that little bit of salty-savoriness that the pancetta adds to this crustless quiche. But you can absolutely substitute bacon instead, if you happen to have that on hand or simply prefer the more smoky flavor of it.
• Swap out a small onion for the leeks: Leeks are a bit unique as they're slightly milder in flavor than onion, so I like that they offer a more subtle note. However, you can substitute a finely diced small white or yellow onion, if you prefer, about a ½ cup.
• Half and half, and cream, for richer flavor: While whole milk is something that can be substituted in a pinch, the best liquid to use for a quiche filling is a cream—a combo of half and half and heavy cream, or all half and half. I’m opting for mostly half and half with a splash of cream in this recipe. All of these liquids have less water and more fat, which keeps the custard creamier and adds some richness without added water. Low-fat milk or milk alternative will not yield the same results.
• How to reheat your crustless quiche: You can place a slice of your leftover crustless quiche into a 325° to 350° toaster oven, and gently reheat just until warmed through. You can also very briefly reheat in the the microwave (about 30 to 45 seconds), but take care not to heat too long or the quiche will become a bit rubbery.

Craving more tasty breakfast or brunch dishes? Check out these Baked Egg Cups, this Shakshuka, this Breakfast Frittata, this Cinnamon Roll Casserole, these Hash Brown Potato Cakes, or this Homemade Breakfast Sausage!