Healthy Quiche Recipe
I love this quiche recipe because it’s easy, flexible, and works for any meal. It’s great fresh, but it also rewarms well as a leftover! Sometimes I make this at the beginning of the week to serve as a back up meal or as something easy to pack for lunch during a busy day. Here’s my typical recipe with notes on how/why/when to substitute different ingredients (don’t worry, I included some fun nutrition links and facts).
Indgredients:
2 cups eggs *
1 cup cottage cheese *
1/2 cup ham, chopped (sub any deli meat of choice)
1/2 cup steamed broccoli, chopped (sub any veg of choice, I also love fresh spinach)
1/2 cup shredded cheese of choice (any basic blend or cheddar is fine)
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt *
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375*F
Combine all ingredients in a bowl
Pour into crust of choice (I use this coconut oil one with whole wheat flour). You can also make these crustless, but I love crust!!!
Bake for 35-45 mins (until center is set - not jiggly at all. Warning: the trick you use with some baked goods to stick a knife in the center to test doneness does NOT work with a quiche. It’ll still be a litle soft and eggy in the inside even when done.)
Let cool for a few minutes to save your mouth (i never listen to my own advice) and serve!
FLEXIBLE SUBSTITUTIONS: I’ve successfully made this with turkey, ham, bacon, and one time bologna (i didn’t know what bologna was so this was a mistake but honestly not bad and very cheap). I’ve made this with tomatoes, shredded carrots, chopped spinach, brocolli and more. I’ve also even subbed out the cheese for brie and goat cheese when I felt fAncY. I love this recipe because I can use so many different things leftover in my fridge.
Notes:
*Eggs: Eggs are great for you! Many people are tempted to substitute egg whites to maximize protein intake and lower calories, but I recommend eating the whole egg. If you’re really concerned, try substituting 1/2 the eggs for egg whites, not all of them. Check out this study to see how the nutrients in the yolk help us to actually utilize the protein contained in the egg white.
*Cottage cheese: Cottage cheese gives this quiche its creamy texture in lieu of the heavy cream traditionally used in quiche recipes. Should you opt for low fat or full fat products? They both have their place! Fat free/low fat cottage cheese is great if you’re lookinig to primarily up your protein intake. Full fat cottage cheese is a great choice if you’re looking for a mixed macronutrient food thats more satiating. If you struggle to get enough good fats from real foods, opt for full fat!
*Salt: increase salt to 1/2-3/4 tsp salt if you’re not using meat. Deli meat contains a lot of salt so we don’t need much when we put it into the mix.