Essential Sheet Pan Crustless Quiche
This is one of those non-recipe recipes you need to have in your back pocket. It's extremely versatile, works for just about anytime of the day and literally takes just a few minutes to throw together. It's great on those busy weeknights when you haven't planned ahead but need to get something on the table quickly or there will be trouble! It's equally lifesaving for those planned (and unplanned) brunches since it's so easy and feeds so many and basically relies on household staples. Plus, and this is a biggie--you could even cut it into little squares and serve it as a bite-sized hors d'oeuvres at your most important parties. See what I mean about needing this?
I love traditional quiche but I can't deny it's a real effort--after all, you've got to take the time to make a pie crust (no judgement if you choose to buy ready-made supermarket crust--I'm just a pie crust makin' kind of a girl) but in either case, there's crust work involved. Then, there are the additional calories from said crust which as far as I'm concerned are better spent on a bite or two of some luscious dessert! Which is partly why I love this crustless version so much. Really and truly this comes together in a snap--I usually sauté some of the veggies I use but it's not absolutely necessary nor is having a ton of variety--you could simply chop up some onions, toss in some cheese and call it a day and it'll still be a huge hit. In this version I included leeks, mushrooms and red pepper along with a shredded swiss/gruyere mix, but it would be good with just about any veggie and cheese combo and you could even add bacon or sausage if you're looking to make it more substantial.
Another reason I love this so much more than ordinary quiche is that by baking it in a sheet pan you get thin slices with more golden, crusty exterior. Yum!
As summer approaches (fingers crossed on that one because we just turned the heat back on in our house!!) and you want to eat lighter and easier, I think you'll find tons of excuses to whip this up. Yup, it's a gotta have!
Essential Sheet Pan Crustless Quiche
Makes 10 generous servings as an entrée, you could easily serve 50 as an hors d'oeuvres
You will need a large metal sheet pan for this--I use a half sheet pan measuring about 17 x12 x 1-inch.
Prep Time: Anywhere from 10-20 minutes depending on what ingredients you use; Bake Time: 30-40 minutes
Ingredients
- Any combinations of veggies--for the quiche in the photo, I used 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced thinly and sautéed in a little butter, along with 2 leeks cut thinly. I also used 1 red pepper, seeded and cut into small chunks. Let your imagination go anywhere--onions, shallots, broccoli, peas, swiss chard,zucchini, tomatoes, even cubed potatoes--you can't go wrong. You can definitely add the veggies in uncooked (like I did with the red pepper) but some of the tougher veggies like broccoli and of course potatoes work better if you sauté them first a little to soften them up.
- Butter or oil to sauté veggies in (optional)
- 8-10 large eggs
- 1 cup milk (you could use anything from 1%-whole)
- 1 cup heavy cream (you could also use half and half)
- 2 cups shredded cheese, any kind you like (you can also add more or less cheese)
- Cooked bacon, sausage, fresh herbs (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
The Recipe
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Meanwhile in a large skillet, heat the butter or oil over medium heat and sauté whatever veggies you are using. For this particular version, I sautéed 8 ounces of thinly sliced mushrooms until softened and lightly browned, then transferred them to a bowl. Then in the same pan, I sautéed the leeks until they were softened and added them to the mushrooms in the bowl and stirred them together.
2. While the veggies were cooking, I cracked the eggs into a large bowl and whisked them together with the milk and cream. Then I added the mushrooms, leeks and cut up red pepper and stirred the mixture together well, adding a couple of pinches of salt and pepper. I poured the entire thing into the sheet pan and sprinkled the cheese evenly across the top. If you're adding bacon or sausage or fresh herbs, you can sprinkle those on now too.
3. Bake the quiche for 30-40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and set--it should be firm and spring back a little when you press it with your finger. You can serve this immediately cutting it into large squares which won't cut as neatly if you let it sit for a bit. If you're cutting this into bite-sized squares for a party, I would definitely let it cool a bit so it's more set before you cut into it. You can always reheat a bit before serving but they taste really great at room temperature too.
4. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in a sealed container for 2-3 days and eaten cold or reheated.
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine.
