Spinach and Caramelized Onion Quiche
This delicious Spinach and Onion Quiche is an easy weekend breakfast or weeknight meal. It is savory, cheesy and makes plenty of leftovers.
Quiche is one of those dishes that people hear the term and immediately say “I don’t like quiche.” Which is totally silly because after all, quiche is simply a set form of scrambled eggs with lots of goodness added in the form of cheese, veggies and meat, if you like.
This quiche is quite easy but it does take a little while to caramelize the onion. It is worth the wait. Trust me.
A History of Quiche
It always fascinates me to look up the origins and history of dishes. I bet you think quiche originated in France. I did. This is not the case! Quiche actually originated in medieval times in the kindom of Lothringen, Germany. The quiche is derived from the German kuchen, meaning cake.
Ingredients you need
For the onions
- red, yellow or white onion
- brown sugar
- olive oil
- butter
For the pie crust
- flour
- butter – cut into small cubes. Butter should be very cold. After you cut it place it back in the refrigerator for about 5 minutes.
- salt
- ice water
For the quiche base
- eggs
- milk or heavy cream
- cheese – use sharp cheddar, Swiss cheese or Gruyere cheese
- nutmeg – freshly grated is best but you can use a pinch of ground nutmeg
- salt
- pepper – black pepper or white pepper, if you have it
- bacon
- spinach
How to Make Pie Crust
Pie crust is really ridiculously easy to do. You can use a store-bought pie crust if you don’t have time.
Cut butter into squares. Place it back in the refrigerator. The butter must be very cold.
Measure the flour and salt and place them in a food processor bowl.
Add the butter to the food processor.
Pulse until the butter resembles small peas.
Add ice water, dropping one tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together. 5-7 tablespoons total.
Gather dough. Wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for at least one hour to several days.
To Roll the Crust
Place the pie dough on a floured cutting board.
Roll to a 12″ diameter circle.
Crimp the edges.
How to Blind Bake the Crust
**For a single-crust pie.
- Blind bake the pie crust. This is a very important step. If the crust isn’t blind-baked, it will end up a soggy mess because of the moisture in the filling.
- Poke holes all around the bottom of the crust with a fork to minimize the formation of bubbles. Spread a large sheet of parchment paper or waxed paper onto the crust. Spread pie weights evenly along the bottom of the crust. (If you don’t have pie weights, use dried beans. Keep the beans for pie weights in a canning jar. Don’t use them for food.)
- Bake the crust at 350°F for about 30 minutes.
How to Make the Quiche
How to Caramelize Onions
The trick to making delicious caramelized onions is to cook them low and slow. It takes time for the sugars to develop.
Step One:
Slice onions as thin as you can. If you have a mandolin, it can be a great help.
Step Two:
Add olive oil and butter to a heavy bottom pan.
Step Three:
Add sliced onions and brown sugar. Sauté on medium-low, stirring occasionally. It can take up to 40 minutes to get a nice slow caramelization without burning the onions, which gives you plenty of time to prepare everything else. If onions get too dry and start to stick to the pan, add more butter or olive oil.
Step Four:
When the onions are done to your liking, deglaze the pan with the balsamic vinegar and let that cook out for a couple of minutes. Let the onions cool for 5 minutes before adding them to the eggs.
For the Filling
Step One:
Wilt spinach in the same skillet as the onions with a splash of olive oil. This only takes a couple minutes. Just keep turning the spinach with a spatula so that it wilts evenly. Remove to paper towel to drain. Set aside.
Step Two:
Break four eggs in a medium size bowl. Whisk.
Step Three:
Add milk or heavy cream, a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
Step Four:
Whisk to incorporate.
Step Five:
Add cheese, onions, spinach, and bacon to the egg mixture.
Step Six:
Mix well.
Step Seven:
Pour egg mixture into the crust. Do not overfill, or it will leak in your oven. Bake on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips.
Step Eight:
Bake quiche for about 1 hour, check after about 45 minutes, (If crust becomes too brown, loosely cover with foil.) Bake until pick inserted in the center comes out clean but the center still jiggles slightly and crust is nicely browned.
What to do With Leftovers
Storage: Allow the quiche to come to room temperature. Wrap the top well with plastic wrap. Then wrap again with aluminum foil to keep it as airtight as possible.
Freezing: It is best to eat quiche fresh, but you can freeze it. Freeze it before baking and pull it out to bake on a busy night. Remove the quiche from the freezer, unwrap it, and bake it, frozen at 350°F for about one hour. You can also freeze a quiche or part of one for about three months. Just thaw it in the refrigerator and reheat it.
Reheat: To reheat the quiche, place it on a microwave-safe plate and microwave for about 90 seconds. It can also be heated wrapped in foil in the oven for about 15 minutes or in the toaster oven or air fryer for about 5 minutes at 350°F.
Pro Tips for Your Success
- When cooking bacon for your family, cook a few extra pieces and freeze them for future dishes like this quiche.
- When you buy a bag of spinach, wilt the entire bag. Then freeze any leftovers for use in future dishes, like this quiche.
- Place a rimmed baking sheet under the quiche to catch any drips and prevent the oven from becoming a mess.
- If you don’t have pie weights to par-bake the crust, use a bag of dried beans spread evenly over the crust.
- Reserve the beans specifically for pie weights in the future. Store them in a quart mason jar and label the jar.
- When you take the quiche out of the oven, you want it to jiggle slightly (reminiscent of Jello-brand gelatin) in the center. It will continue to cook once it comes out of the oven.
- When you remove the quiche from the oven, tent it with aluminum foil and let it rest for at least 15 minutes.
Variations
- Substitute ham or sausage for the bacon in this recipe.
- Broccoli, asparagus, kale, and other vegetables are good substitutes for spinach.
- Mushrooms are a great addition.
Other quiches
Helpful Tools
This spinach and caramelized onion quiche makes the perfect weekend breakfast or a light dinner served with a side salad.
Leftovers are great enjoyed cold or warmed in the microwave or oven.
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I hope you enjoyed the recipe today.
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
Spinach and Caramelized Onion Quiche
Ingredients
- Pie Crust (recipe below)
For caramelized onion
- 1 large red or white onion
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar red wine or dry sherry
Pastry for Single Crust Pie
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 3 – 4 tablespoon Ice water
For quiche base
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/4 cup Milk
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- pinch pinch freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cup sharp cheddar
- 3 slices bacon baked until crisp and crumbled
- 1 cup fresh spinach
Instructions
To caramelize onions
- Melt butter and oil in large, heavy bottom frying pan over medium low heat. Add onions and brown sugar.
- Saute' onions, stirring occasionally, until onions are very brown. This process can take up to 45 minutes, depending on the heat of your pan.
- De-glaze the pan with the vinegar or wine and cook for a few minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Remove from heat. Let cool Before adding to eggs.
For Quiche
- Meanwhile, mix eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Add grated cheese and bacon and mix well.
- Saute’ spinach, just until wilted, in a small pan with 1 tsp. olive oil. Drain on paper towel. Mix with the eggs.
- Add onions to egg mixture. Pour into par baked crust.
- Bake at 350 approximately 1 hour. If crust or eggs are getting over brown, loosely cover with aluminum foil. Let set for at least 15 minutes before cutting.
Pastry for Single Crust Pie
- Cut butter into cubes. Return to fridge for a few minutes to get cold again.
- Place flour, salt and shortening into food processor bowl. Add cold butter. Process until shortening forms pea sized balls.
- Add water one tablespoon at a time until dough starts to clump together. Pulse, DO NOT run continuously.
- Chill dough for about 1 hour. Place dough on a floured board and roll into a 12" circle. Place crust in pie tin. Crimp edges.
Par Bake Pie Crust
- Cut a piece of parchment paper or waxed paper larger than the pie plate.
- Place pie weights evenly on top of the crust. (If you don't have pie weights, use a bag of dried beans to hold the crust down.)
- Par bake crust for about 30 minutes at 350°F / 180°C. Remove from oven. Remove pie weights or beans.
- If you use beans, pour them into a quart canning jar and store for just using as pie weights.
See all of my favorite tools and gift ideas on my New Amazon Store!Check out Binky’s Amazon Store!Notes
- When you are cooking bacon for your family, cook a few extra pieces and freeze them for use in future dishes, like this quiche.
- When you buy a bag of spinach, wilt the entire bag. Then freeze any leftovers for use in future dishes, like this quiche.
- Place a rimmed baking sheet under quiche to catch any drips, so it doesn’t make your oven a mess.
- If you don’t have pie weights to par bake the crust, use a bag of dried beans spread evenly over crust.
- Reserve the beans specifically for pie weights in the future. Store in a quart mason jar.
- You want to quiche to jiggle slightly (reminiscent of Jello brand gelatin) in the center when you take it out of the oven. It will continue to cook once it comes out of the oven.
- When you remove quiche from the oven, tent it with aluminum foil. Let rest for at least 15 minutes.
Nutrition
Originally Published 3/21/2015 Updated 1/30/2022
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ooohhh! I love quiche! I haven’t made one in ages. Thanks for the idea!
They’re super easy, you know. Just used lactaid milk!