Quiche has so much going for it. It’s easy to make, makes a great impression, and once you get the basic formula, you can dress it up or down with whatever happens to be in the fridge or pantry.
Because quiche requires at least 25 minutes of cooking, we’ve used a lot of shortcuts in its preparation here: store-bought crust (refrigerated or frozen), prepackaged shredded cheese blends, pre-sliced mushrooms and bagged greens all contribute to a speedy preparation time.
And another thing: Many quiche recipes call for special pans with removable bottoms, but you can bypass the fussiness with a glass or ceramic pie pan–it’ll work fine. For the fastest route, many crusts are sold in aluminum pans, ready to be filled and baked.
Menu
Steamed vegetables
Quiche with cheese, arugula and mushrooms
Valentine cupcakes
Sauvignon blanc
Tips
We baked two quiches–one in a quiche pan with a removable bottom and the other in glass. The glass pie pan cooked 5 minutes faster.
Some prepared pie crusts are sold in pairs, so you can double the recipe and bake two quiches. They freeze beautifully.
Quiche is great cold, so leftovers can be packed for lunch the next day, or individual slices can be frozen.
Quiche with arugula, cheese and mushrooms
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
For a single-serve, lower-calorie version, skip the crust and pour the batter directly into oven-proof ramekins. Cooking time also will be shorter.
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 teaspoon each: dried Italian herb blend, salt
Pinch ground red pepper
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup each: baby arugula or spinach, sliced mushrooms
1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
Crust for 9-inch pie pan
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together eggs, half-and-half, herb blend, salt, red pepper and black pepper to taste in a large bowl; stir in the arugula and mushrooms.
2. Sprinkle cheese on bottom of crust; pour egg mixture into pan to two-thirds full. Set pan on a baking sheet to catch drips. Bake until quiche is set and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.
Nutrition information per serving:
246 calories, 61% of calories from fat, 17 g fat, 8.5 g saturated fat, 103 mg cholesterol, 10 g carbohydrates, 14 g protein, 732 mg sodium, 0.2 g fiber
