I’m not sure exactly how to say this, so I’m just going to go ahead and put it out there.
For the first time in…. ever… I had fun at a baby shower. Real time, legitimate good times at a baby shower. I wasn’t even faking it, not even a little bit.
I’m going to stand by what may be an unpopular position. In the past I’ve found most baby showers I’ve had to attend, a troubling combination of boring and humiliating. Between standing around listening to various labor horror stories and playing disgusting baby games that involve Tootsie Rolls and diapers, I typically just barely manage a fake smile.
This weekend’s baby shower was different. My friends Mitch and Lara got together, got married, and made another human that Lara is currently growing in her belly. These people are filled with hilarity, and an uncommon and humble goodness. Watching them open their baby gifts with grace and a downright speedy efficiency (thanks!), I couldn’t help but imagine their little girl filling the onesies, hats and socks they received. While it may sound silly, the reality of this impending life became more lovely and amazing as each gift was opened.
That I may or may not have been able to cheat at one of the baby team relay games has very little to do with me having a great time at the shower. Don’t press me on this. Please.
Now, without a well-crafted transition, I bring you Crustless But Still Dang Good Quiche.
Yes, I think the best part of a slice of quiche is the crust. Yes, I still made this quiche without crust. Sometimes crust, with all of its cutting butter and dusting and rolling pins, seem just a little too daunting for my late morning weekend breakfast. It turns out, if you slather the pie plate with butter, the quiche will bake up beautifully and when sliced, jump out of the dish with no problem.
I used a combination of spinach, mushroom, walnuts and blue cheese in this quiche. Feel free to play around with any ingredients you might have on hand. Next time I make this, I’m going to stay away from blue cheese. The flavor almost took over the whole quiche. I think a nice cheddar or gruyere would work better.
Crustless Quiche with Spinach, Mushrooms and Walnuts
adapted from The Good Egg
1 10-12 ounce bag of spinach, stems trimmed
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped mushrooms
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper
3 large eggs
1 cup half and half
1 cup crumbled blue cheese (I would suggest using cheddar or gruyere instead)
3 Tablespoons chopped walnuts or lightly toasted pine nuts
butter for greasing the pie plate
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch pie dish and set aside.
Place the spinach in a large pot, cover and cook over medium heat just until wilted, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and spoon into a strainer set over a bowl. Let cool.
Press hard on the spinach in the strainer with the back of a spoon to remove most of the moisture, then squeeze in your hands to remove more. Turn out onto a cutting board and coarsely chop Place between two layers of paper towels or wrap in a clean kitchen towel and press to remove more moisture. You should have about 1 cup packed spinach. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minutes more. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, until any remaining moisture has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add a pinch of salt (the cheese is salty, so you won’t need much) and pepper to taste.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until light. Stir in the half and half. Spoon the spinach mixture evenly into the buttered pie dish. Sprinkle with the cheese and nuts. Pour in the egg mixture.
Bake the quiche until puffed and golden brown, about 35 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into generous wedges.
Elisa
YUMMY AND GF!! Today I did one with asparagus! Waiting for it to bake now!
Justine Piggott
what is half and half ???
Elisa
here is a site that explains half and half. It also provides directions for substitutions for it. Hope that helps.
Sonia from Homemade Hints
Thanks for this recipe. Exactly what I was looking for. Love the addition of nuts.
Elsie
I made this with spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, and feta! It was so delicious!! Thanks for the inspiration Joy!
Suzanne
What can I use instead of half and half? Would soy creamer, soy milk, or nonfat lactose free milk work?
joythebaker
I’m too sure, the fat in the half/half is important. I don’t think it would taste right with a substitute, but I guess you can call it an experiment?
Susan R.
Just made this wonderful dish! Alittle of this and that, added bacon, 3 types of cheese and ta-da breakfast! Crustless was a plus.
We will be making this more often. Thank you!
Joanna Rogers
Hi Joy,
Do you think this would work with goat cheese? I am goat cheese fanatic.
xox
Joanna
joythebaker
i think yes!
Catalina
Hey joy! I’m so excited i’m making this today for lunch!! Thank you for this creative recipe and i also love that it doesn’t have a crust!!
Do you think it will work if i just combine half a cup of milk and half a cup of heavy cream? It should work, right? Thank you again!!
laura
Delicious! I sauted a little shallot, and used Jarlesburg cheese. Fantastic! Thanks for posting recipe, and your wonderful story. Fortunately most of my friends are now beyond the baby shower stages!
Cheers!
Sarah
I made this for fathers day this year and my father absolutely loved it! I had to leave out the mushrooms but I did use gruyere cheese instead of blue cheese and it was DELISH! much recommended!
thanks for the recipe Joy!
Terri Lea
I made this tonight with a frozen pie crust, too. Also used crumbled goat cheese and crushed walnuts. Didn’t have half and half, so used buttermilk instead. Had to substitute a few things cause of what I had on hand, but was still good. Thanks for sharing, Joy!
Karen
I made this with frozen pie crust and it was delicious. I agree that the crustless version would be just as good. Gruyere is an excellent choice; swiss could be a decent substitute too. I didn’t chop the spinach because it’s not really necessary, but removing the excess moisture is key!
penelope
re: half and half vs. whole milk!!
i made this just tonight for a picnic tomorrow. made sure all ingredients were bone dry, followed all instructions to the letter – except when it came to the half and half because i didn’t have any on hand and it was suggested whole milk would work ok so i put in a little less than 1C of it. milk was a baaad choice! the quiche came out really quite watery, and the whole thing is more scrambled than quiche like. the flavours are all there but as i’m serving it to friends i’m a bit embarrassed at the texture and how it looks. wish i had ducked out for some cream :(
Ling
Hi Penelope,
I made this thrice – first 2 times successful but the 3rd time was watery. I used a mixture of buttermilk and evaporated milk. I think my mistake in the 3rd attempt was that I didn’t whisk the egg long enough to get a light consistency. Hope that this helps :)
Donal Welch
My dear friends, Monica and Bill, made this delicious quiche for our New Years Day (2011) breakfast. It was perfect. I was astonished at how well it came out of the pie dish…without crust. And toasted pine nuts added a wonderful but subtle richness.
mel
hi joy, is it advisable to use frozen spinach? and does heavy creem = whipped cream? sorry, i’m not really a baker!
Kate
I made this for a potluck and it was really delicious! Will definitely make again soon
Munchkin
Joy, OMG! I made this for dinner and added little slices of sausages and it was really delicious. My husband told me, “Make sure you say Thank you to Joy”. Thank you. Great pics too : )
devon @ lickmyspoon
holy breakfast batman!!
thanks for linking this to your adorable/embarrasing brunch date post – i cannot WAIT to try!
Geraldine
Ok Joy this is another staple now. I take any and all leftovers and do a great on the go quiche. My son will even eat this. Today I did spinach and leftover turkey meatloaf from TTK .with aged sharp cheddar. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO yuimmy!!!!! I’m thrilled is that weird to be so excited?? Joy I was so disappointed with Big Sur Cook book. Not for the faint of heart. I live in San Francisco so I’m very familiar with Big Sur. JOY WE need you to compile all your favorites and make a BOOK !!! I not buying one more cookbook til I buy yours.
Rebecca
I bought a container of shredded gruyere and I’m three ounces short, blaah. Is gruyere a mild swiss? Can I just use a little of that?
joythebaker
sure! feel free to use whatever cheese you have on hand! it’ll still be delicious!
Beds for children
Isn’t a quiche without a crust just an oven baked ommelette? *feels silly for asking*
joythebaker
don’t feel silly!
i guess you could call it an oven baked ommelette.
wait.. how the heck do you spell omlette? i’m confused.
Leah the Nosher
I love the inspiration of walnuts in a quiche.
My mother in law makes this perfect salad with walnuts, spinach, pears and blue cheese. I wonder if this would work with sliced pears or a pear bread on the side…
Mondo
love the crustless quiche for my gluten free bff! will probably sub almond milk for the half and half, though. thanks a bunch for the recipe.
ikh
I made this the other day with white cheddar for a cheese-centric Iron Chef party…I think I’ll make another with my leftover half & half :)
Jessica
I made this with cheddar as you suggested and pine nuts. Yummm! And the reason I decided to make this today is because it’s Pi Day…since I’m cool like that. :P
Kyrie
Just made this tonight for my gluten/dairy free family- I subbed So Delicious Coconut Milk creamer for the half and half and left out the cheese, and made it with broccoli, mushrooms, and ham, since that’s what I had on hand. Divine! Thank you!
TheRoosterChick
Simple and elegant.
Jenna
Not only are your recipes just amazing and the photos beautiful but you have the most amazing writing style to boot! I love how you put a quirky flavour into your posts which makes reading them so much fun and at the end, we get a great recipe! Thanks so much! :D
Kevin
That quiche looks really tasty! I am going to have to try going crustless next time.
KarWar
this was delish! with white cheddar? perfect
kimberleyblue
I never eat the crust with quiches, just scoop all the delicious filling out….so this is perfect for me. Looks packed with goodness – yum!
leemz
thanks a gazillion girl :)
joythebaker
Half and Half is a mixture of whole milk and heavy cream. If you can’t get a hold of half and half, I bet whole milk will work just fine!
leemz
Any alternatives for half and half girl? :S
heidi leon
I couldn’t agree with you more, about baby showers (and bachelorette parties) and the bad boring-humilliation combo they are (most of the times) but also agree with you on the most important thing: sometimes even a quiche screams no crust on it.
thanks!
h
DessertObsessed
This looks SO So SO good! Gorgeous photos!
Mary G
I only know of baby showers that involves TONS of booze. I mean, honestly, it’s just an excuse to party round here. The mom of course doesn’t drink, but she loves her presents I guess that keeps her occupied. lol…At least you get a tootsie roll…we have a hunk of chocolate that’s melted then SMEARED over the diaper…and all sorts of other gross stuff! lol…
Mmm…quiche…making that tonight with a small salad on the side! Thanks Joy! :)
Alisaurus Rex
I’m making this tonight to utilize some beautiful shiitakes I couldn’t resist buying. Joy, I love your site; it’s beautiful, the recipes are tantalizing, and your general attitude shows you to have been well named. Thank you for sharing!
P.S. Half & Half is just that: half milk & half cream. Popular in the states to pour in coffee. I’m going to use just whole milk, though, & I’m sure it’ll be fine.
expat
Gorgeous! Kind of like a first cousin to a fritatta. Me, I’m not so fond of the crusts on quiches, so this will definitely be on my “must make” list!
Lauren
The quiche looks so beautiful – a little lighter fare than a crust-ed quiche!
Tram
Hahahaha, I know what you mean about the baby shower thing… Sometimes it’s just down right scary!!!!
The quiche looks so yummy!!!!!!!!! I don’t usually like the crust either, so this is perfect :)
Alwaysroom4dessert
Oh yum! I like the addition of walnuts! This sounds like a good addition to a brunch I’m having!
Jodye
A beautiful quiche, indeed!
unconfidentialcook
I’m with you and Miranda on the baby-shower issue (there are some exceptions to the rule)…and I’m with you on crustless quiche: Yes, the crust is the best but for some reason I always like the crustless versions I’ve had. Yours looks fantastic.
Joy Elise
Wow!!! This looks fabulous! I learned a crustless quiche recipe from a friend and it has flour actually incorporated into the egg mixture. I have made it for YEARS but I have a friend with a gluten allergy and was wondering what to make for our upcoming girls weekend…Thank you for this!!!
Loves,
Another Joy;-)
Teri
I’m thinking this would work well with asiago in place of the blue cheese, or gruyere as you suggested.
callas
This sounds delightful, I’ve got to try it. Just a quick question: what is half and half?
Jennifer
Can I come over to dine? That looks incredible!!!!!
Kerstin
I’m glad you enjoyed the baby shower! Your quiche looks amazing – I love the walnuts in it! I agree with you that 1 cup of blue cheese seem a little overpowering – I made a quiche with 1 ounce and it was enough for us :)
Noreen
I have a crustless quiche that I love too – with swiss & ham!! I don’t even like eggs and think it is totally fabulous. Thanks for sharing =)
Cate O'Malley
I love quiche, but very rarely make it. This recipe may change that. You had me at mushrooms.
anna
Ha, I just went to my first baby shower ever this past weekend. It was actually pretty fun, with baby bingo being the “worst” part. We also got to decorate onesies with fabric paints, and considering the crowd there was of the politically incorrect persuasion, there were a lot of “original” designs. There were also lovely desserts (a cake from the new gluten-free bakery in town and a gooey pavlova).
I haven’t made quiche before but it’s yummy and I like your flavor combination!
Alisa - Frugal Foodie
Excellent flavor combination! I really need to make a quiche sometime soon.
stephchows
I can totally agree with you on the baby shower front!!! I made a very similar crustless quiche for mothers day this past weekend. So easy and everyone loved it! :)
Laura
Just a quick word to say that I was linked to your blog by someone on a forum who was praising you and I absolutely love it :) It’s funny, interesting and has an absolute tonne of yummy things to try! I’m bookmarking you and will be checking for updates :-D
Laura
Visi
I don’t really know what half and half is and I doubt they sell it over here. What do I need to do to make my own? Google says it’s just milk and cream?
Nirvana
Great, now I’m craving quiche! This looks scrumptious! :) I have to confess I love this recipe even more without the crust — I am not much of a crust person. Thanks for sharing! :)
Treehouse Chef
This looks to die for!
The Food Hunter
It looks delicious. I love the addition of blue cheese
Terresa Wellborn
Oooh, I’ve been thinking of quiches for the past 2 weeks…trying to get up the courage to make one. Now, after your inspired post, I just might. Thanks!
PS: Blessingways are even more enjoyable than babyshowers, IMO. Google it and see. ;)
Dana McCauley
I’m so with you. Showers (both bridal and baby) can be such a bore – I mean and an embarrassment. That said, shower food is divine – your quiche is fantastic but so are little crustless sandwiches and petits fours. Love that little old lady food.
Jenny
Thank god we don’t do baby showers in the UK, the games at them always sound terrible.
Luckily we do do quiche!
shez
looks wonderfully chunky – and i can only imagine how great the melted cheese would be as a pseudo-crust what with its crunch & all :)
Jennifer
This looks great! i
I’m for sure trying it!
Amanda
Would the quiche still turn out if I used a cup of milk instead?
GS
Thank-you! I have a recipe for crustless quiche but I really need to jazz it up. I might mix 1/2 cup of blue cheese with 1/2 cup of something mild just to see what I get!
BTW, I’m with you about baby showers; my aversion, however, extends to showers in general!
cindy
i love quiche and i agree, the crust is sometimes daunting. gruyere would be killer, ooh and maybe goat cheese. now i’m craving quiche…thanks joy.
(i hate that tootsie roll in the diaper game too. gross. :)
Chelle
Joy, you read my mind. I have quiche on my list of things to make this month. Only I ran into a snag when I stepped on the scale and realized I had packed on some pounds since the holidays. I was fretting over a fatty (although delicious) crust. Problem solved! You rock!
Oh, and I’m going to a baby shower on Saturday, hopefully I’ll benefit from your “fun” vibes ;-)
Tess
This weekend, I think I’m going to celebrate the first day of the summer farmer’s market by getting some cheese and mushrooms and then making this for Saturday brunch. Thanks for posting some celiac-friendly recipes.
Culinary Wannabe
Was there booze at said baby shower? :) Glad you had a good time either way!
Mushrooms Canada
Crustless quiches are perfect when you’re in a rush and trying to use up ingredients you have in the fridge, which in my case is always what happens when I make a quiche… a little of this, a little of that.. presto! There’s also nothing like blue cheese and mushrooms, so for me I would stick with the blue! Cheers!
– Brittany
Jen
I like your addition of walnuts. They must add a bit of texture in the absence of the crust’s bite…
kathy
In our house we call that a frittata. Yum, the combination sounds delish!!
Deanna
Joy – this quiche looks amazing! Thanks for the recipe. I am hoping to try this for dinner.
Rachel
I’m not usually a fan of quiche. I may have to give this one a try!
Erin
Crustless quiche! Great idea. I actually have a lot of these ingredients at home right now, and I also have a HUMONGOUS block of feta I got at a wharehouse club for an amazing price of $3.52. I was so amazed at the “deal” I was getting, I didn’t stop to think, “Oh, what am I going to do with all this feta?” I think I’ll make a Spinach Mushroom Walnut Feta Quiche!
Olivia
YUM! thanks for the recipe… this is probably gonna be an easy dinner for me.
The Duo Dishes
The blue cheese is a good touch. Yum.
Matthew
A friend of mine once asked me, if I invited you and the other guys to a baby shower, would you come? I hesitated, but finally said, well… If we couldn’t get out of it. They just don’t sound very fun… So she asks, what would make you want to come? I was just kidding and said, make it a baby kegger! She really did it! Obviously she didn’t partake in any keg, and really, it was more a nice barbecue with baby gifts than a kegger, but it was awesome!
NovelTeaMommy
Crust will never be made in my house. I’m not that motivated, so this looks like something I will actually try! Yeah!
rose
Hahhaha, I feel the same way about baby showers! I am glad you had a nice time though, it gives me hope. Usually I find a way to not be able to make it to them (shhh! don’t tell!)
This quiche looks divine! Mushrooms, blue cheese, spinach? I honestly might have to add a little pancetta, but that’s if I’m feeling daring.
Beautiful pics!
js
Thx for the education – I really hated giving up quiche when I found out I had a gluten allergy. Now I don’t have to!
Arundathi
Mmm delicious!!
Sweetcharity
I’m not really much of a quiche fan- I blame it on the horrid canned shrimp quiches of my youth… But let’s face it, blue cheese, mushrooms, spinach and walnuts are a world away from canned shrimp. I think I’m in love :)
Phoo-D
I just recently discovered the wonders of a crustless quiche. They are so easy and delicious! I love your combination of mushrooms and blue cheese- yum!
June
Bleu cheese? I’m impressed. Crustless? Always in our house! It’s time to talk about those beautiful plates, Joy. An I love the pattern on the silver fork. Priceless!!!
Maja
Mmm, quiche … first one i made was when i was trying to impress my boyfriend on our first picnic together … i made so much food my family and i ate it for the next week to come, so my boyfriend never even tried quiche on that particular day. I did get him hooked on guacamole, though. :)