I developed this crustless quiche a couple of years ago for a Bon Appetit post on breaking the Yom Kippur fast. With Yom Kippur right around the corner, I thought it was time to revisit the dish. When we break the fast, we usually do it brinner-style, serving up lox and bagels with lemon dill schmear, shakshuka, bourekas, scrambled eggs, and other breakfast-y items. Last year, we had Greek food, but that was sort of a delicious fluke. This year, we’ll probably revert to brinner again– and this low carb, gluten free Crustless Quiche with Feta and Asparagus will likely be on the menu.
Quiche is one of those dishes that can be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It serves well warm or cold, depending on your preference (I like it heated up). You can make it a few days ahead, it keeps well in the fridge. The feta cheese gives a wonderful salty tang to the dish, so you won’t need to add much salt. It’s naturally gluten free; when baked in a ceramic or glass pie dish, the quiche will keep its shape and slice cleanly without the need for a crust. GF friends, you can serve this quiche with a green salad alongside a slice of your favorite gluten free toast (Udi’s makes terrific GF kosher certified breads). If you’re not gluten free, you can pour the mixture into a crust of your choosing to make the dish more substantial. You may need to extend the baking time slightly (5-10 more minutes) if you add a crust. Personally, I like the fact that it’s crustless… it’s a low carb, healthy way to start the new year.
This quiche can also be served during Passover. Just make sure all of your ingredients are certified kosher for Passover. Enjoy!
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Crustless Quiche with Feta and Asparagus
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 16 stalks asparagus
- 5 large eggs
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1/2 cup lowfat sour cream
- Pinch nutmeg
- 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (sheep or goat milk is best)
- 1/2 cup chopped scallions (both green and white parts)
- 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper
- Butter or nonstick cooking oil spray to grease the dish
NOTES
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut 2 inches off the thick ends of the asparagus spears, then discard those tough ends. Chop the asparagus into 1/2-inch pieces. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the asparagus pieces to the skillet. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then sauté them for about 5 minutes until tender-crisp. Remove from heat and allow asparagus to cool.
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs.
- Whisk in the half and half, sour cream, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and nutmeg.
- Incorporate the crumbled feta, scallions, parsley and asparagus pieces into the egg mixture with a large spoon.
- Liberally grease a 9-inch ceramic or glass pie dish with butter or nonstick cooking oil spray. Pour the quiche mixture directly into the pie dish.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the quiche is nicely browned and pulls away from the sides of the pie dish. Stick a sharp knife or toothpick in the center of the quiche to test for doneness--if it comes out clean, it's done. Don't stop cooking till your test comes out clean, otherwise it won't be fully cooked.Let quiche settle at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled depending on your preference.
- MAKE AHEAD: Once it has cooled, quiche can be stored covered with plastic wrap for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. To reheat, place it in a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes. Quiche will warm up more evenly if you cut it into individual pieces prior to reheating.
Nutrition
I made the Quiche and thought that it could use a little more flavoring. SinceI personally do not like nutmeg, so I used 1/2 teasp.cinnamon instead. I would like to make it again but I am not sure what other flavoring to add? Any other suggestions ?
Depends on which direction you want to take it. First of all, I’d make sure to use a flavorful, creamy feta – there are some out there that aren’t as flavorful. Quality cheese is key here. You could try adding a sprinkle of za’atar on top, or smoked paprika for a slightly smoky flavor. If you want to make it a little spicy, try dicing a jalapeño (just the pepper, not the seeds) and sauté it with the asparagus. Lots of possibilities!
Hi Tori,
I have to eat the renal diet, no cheese, egg whites only and crustless is low-carb, so fine. Can the recipe be altered?
Thanks, Linda
Let me think on this one. You can certainly make an egg white version subbing 2 whites for every whole egg, or 1 1/4 cups egg white/egg substitute. For the dairy, you’ll lose a lot of the flavor cutting all of it. You might need more egg whites to compensate, and perhaps some dairy-free creamer. If I have more ideas I’ll post them here.
I don’t eat feta. Can I just omit it without affecting success of the dish?
You can make it without cheese, but it won’t taste as good. If you want to substitute another cheese, there are many that will work well, including crumbled goat cheese or shredded cheddar. If omitting the cheese completely, I recommend adding another egg and salting more to taste (the feta adds a salty flavor to the dish).
I made this for the Yom Kippur break fast. It was fabulous. I used zucchini (about 1 lb) because asparagus are nearly impossible to get in the Northeast this time of year and are very expensive if available. I took the eggs down to 4 (instead of 5); it didn’t seem to affect the outcome. Delicious, and easily heated up when we arrived back home after services.
Great, thanks! And, excuse the typo… 🙂
My family is not to keen on asparagus. Is there any other vegetable that you would recommend as a substitute?
Michele, zucchini or spinach would also work well. Sauté zucchini until tender, and if using spinach sauté with a little water until just wilted, drain any excess liquid and proceed as written. Enjoy!
Do you think that this could be made in advance and frozen, then thawed a week later?
Hi Lin– yes, absolutely!
Made this quiche for a family brunch and it was delicious. Made it a day ahead, then refrigerated it and reheated next day. Excellent, easy recipe and no crust to fuss with!
Glad you liked it Ann!
Delicious!
This is a great recipe. I had to bring a potluck dish to a gathering with vegetarian, gluten-free, and low-carb attendees. This worked perfectly!
I used frozen asparagus and adapted the sautee time accordingly.
Instead of sour cream, which somehow sometimes contains carbs, I just used all half and half.
To make the it easier to serve a group of people, I used a 2.2-quart (2L) rectangular baking dish. I added 1 more egg and some more half and half to make it work.
I forgot to buy parsley and I had to omit the scallions because of the sugar content of cooked onions, but it still came out great.
Can’t wait to try your exact version when I’m not trying to adapt it to a crowd 🙂
This is yummy, I made it today and it is DE-LI-CIOUS! … super easy!
Hi Tori,
Thank you for the gluten-free recipes. This looks really good. I think quiche has the consistency of a custard, which is also gluten-free and easy to make.
My favorite recipe is from my great grandmother’s 1872 cookbook. It calls for eight eggs, one quart of milk and a knob of sugar. Bake in a moderate oven in a hot water bath. Easy and very silky.
made this for break fast after Yom Kippur and it was a big hit
How about a gluten free matzah ball recipe.
Don’t like store bought mixes, especially at $9.95 a box.
Enjoy all your recipes
Delicious dish! Thanks for sharing.
Nice simple recipe. Thanks for posting. BTW, I think of a crustless quiche more of a Frittata, but either way, both are a great use of eggs.
Hi Jay– yeah! Frittatas are usually baked on the stovetop, and sometimes finished under the broiler, which gives them a more omelette-like texture. This dish is cooked slowly in a moderate oven, which gives it a smoother, silkier texture more like quiche. But you’re right, they’re both very similar. Enjoy! 🙂
Half & half is half cream and half milk, with a fat content of 10.5%-12%. Light cream is 16-29% butterfat, and whole milk has about 4% butterfat.
Tori–I think you can substitute a cup of low-fat (1%) cottage cheese for the sour cream and half & half and get a very good result with much less saturated fat, which raises blood cholesterol in many people. (Can you tell I’m a dietitian?) The recipe looks yummy and easy to make! Thank you!
I made this this morning with the cottage cheese substitution as you suggested, it was excellent. I also skipped the salt, as feta is salty enough. What a fantastic breakfast.
Hi Tori. Thanks for all your Yom Tov recipes. The saffron rice and vegetables “tsimmes” we’re a great success.
I’m keen to try this quiche recipe but I’m in Australia and not familiar with “half and half”. Could you let me know what that is please?
half and half is – half heavy cream and half milk- that’s all. i believe it has more fat than whole milk but less than heavy cream.
Being on low-carb diet for a over year this quiche recipe really comes handy since it does not call for flour. I am definitely going to make it. Thank you inspiration!