This very easy vegetarian quiche makes for an impressive brunch or a light lunch. It's also a delicious way to use up vegetables in the crisper. Use frozen shortcrust pastry for the base to save some time. This vegetable quiche recipe will be a hit with the whole family (even the carnivores).
This vegetarian quiche is something I've been working on for awhile now. I've always defaulted to throwing some ham in my quiches (like this impossible quiche) but since we're trying to add more meatless meals to our weekly meal plan I wanted a just-as-good veggie one.
I've lost count of how many attempts we're on now but I've finally nailed it and I'm so excited to get it out there. This quiche is so light and flavourful, with just the right mix of eggs and cheese so you don't get an overly eggy taste.
I've found during my experiments that often less is more when it comes to adding veggies to quiche. If you go too heavy handed on the vegetables, as I did on my first attempt, you can end up causing the quiche to overflow from it's dish!
You'll find roughly 1.5 cups of vegetables do the trick. I love the mix of onion, corn, capsicum / bell peppers and zucchini, but you can substitute for what you have on hand.
I like to use frozen shortcrust pastry for the base. It's quick and easy, and I generally have a few sheets on hand. But if you want to make your own quiche crust though be my guest!
I can't wait for you to try this vegetable quiche. I'm sure it will be just as big of a hit in your house as it is in ours.
Oh and once you've tried this one be sure to try these mini vegetarian quiches. Same delicious taste, just in mini form!
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS RECIPE...
- Very easy to put together.
- Light and flavourful.
- Great way to use up veggies in the crisper.
SHOULD QUICHE CRUST BE PRE-BAKED
Short answer - yes. Long answer - baking your quiche crust before filling it, a process called blind baking, prevents the pastry from going soggy. Even though it is an extra step, it should not be skipped.
Pre-baking for just 20 minutes will leave you with a lovely, crisp base for your quiche.
HOW CAN YOU TELL WHEN VEGETABLE QUICHE IS DONE
One of the easiest ways to tell if a quiche is done is by removing it from the oven (with oven mits of course) and giving it a light shake side to side. If it jiggles or appears loose or runny, it needs to be cooked longer. If it stays in place and looks set and golden brown on top, it's good to go!
Another way to test is to pierce the middle of the quiche with a toothpick or butter knife. If it comes out clean, it's ready.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED
- Frozen Shortcrust Pastry Sheets or Pie Crusts (if in America) - you can totally use homemade shortcrust pastry or pie crust for this recipe but I cut down time by using frozen. If you're in America and using store bought you'll be buying pie crusts. Elsewhere, shortcrust pastry.
- Olive Oil
- Brown / Yellow Onion
- Zucchini
- Red Capsicum / Bell Pepper
- Frozen Corn Kernels
- Eggs
- Milk
- Heavy Cream
- Cheddar Cheese
- Feta Cheese
- Parmesan Cheese
HOW TO MAKE VEGETARIAN QUICHE - STEP BY STEP
Pre-bake the Crust:
Preheat the oven to 200C / 390F.Line the shortcrust pastry sheets together so they are slightly overlapping. I cut one of my sheets into rectangles and overlap them as shown in the picture below.
Transfer the pastry to a quiche tin (23cm / 9"), pressing the pastry to shape into the sides of the pan with your fingers. Roll a rolling pin across the top of the quiche tin to cut the excess pastry. Prick the base with a fork a few times.
Place a piece of parchment paper over the pastry and fill with pie weights, rice or dried beans to weigh it down. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the carefully remove the parchment paper and weights and bake for another 10 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and set aside. Turn the oven down to 180C / 350F.
Make the Filling:
While the crust is pre-baking, heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat, then add onion, zucchini ribbons, capsicum / bell pepper and corn, and fry for 5 minutes or until softened.
Whisk together the eggs, cream and milk in a mixing bowl until well combined.
Scatter the cooked veggies evenly over the base of the now cooked quiche crust. Do the same with the cheeses, then pour the egg mixture on top.
Bake the Quiche:
Place quiche in oven for 30 minutes, or until cooked through and golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before cutting.
STORAGE ADVICE
Store vegetarian quiche in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat in the oven on 180C / 350F for 15 mins or until warmed through.
You can also freeze quiche in an airtight container for up to 2 months. When you're ready to use, defrost in the fridge overnight.
TOP TIPS
- Feel free to use homemade shortcrust pastry or pie crust instead.
- If you're in America and want to use store-bought pastry use a box of pie crusts.
- Feel free to use substitute the vegetables in this recipe for what you have on hand. Just be sure to not add more than 1.5 cups of veggies as they may not fit in the quiche dish!
- There's no need to grease your quiche tin before adding the pastry.
- Don't skip blind baking the crust. It ensures your crust doesn't go soggy once the filling is added.
- If you don't have pie weights just use rice or dried beans to weigh the pastry down during blind baking. Once they are cooled you can keep the rice or dried beans you use in a jar to use to weigh down your crust next time - no need for waste.
- Check quiche is done is by removing it from the oven (with oven mits of course) and giving it a light shake side to side. If it jiggles or appears loose or runny, it needs to be cooked longer. If it stays in place and looks set and golden brown on top, it's good to go!
- Great served warm or cold.
- Quiche reheats well, so if you want to make a batch at the start of the week and portion out for a few lunches that'll be great. Just store in an airtight container. You can also freeze this way.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH VEGGIE QUICHE
You can serve quiche on it’s own for an easy breakfast or light dinner. I like to pair it with a simple salad and even some potatoes, especially if I’m feeding a few people. Here’s a few recipes that go well with this quiche:
- Cabbage and Crunchy Noodle Salad
- Greek Lemon Potatoes
- Middle Eastern Bean Salad
- Crispy Baked Potato Wedges
If you’ve made this Vegetarian QuicheI’d love to hear how you enjoyed it! Pop a comment and a star rating below!
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📋 RECIPE
Vegetarian Quiche
Yield: 8
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
This very easy vegetarian quiche makes for an impressive brunch or a light lunch. It's also a delicious way to use up vegetables in the crisper. Use frozen shortcrust pastry for the base to save some time. This vegetable quiche recipe will be a hit with the whole family (even the carnivores).
Ingredients
- 2 Frozen Shortcrust Pastry Sheets OR pie crusts, partially thawed
- 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
- ½ Brown / Yellow Onion, finely diced
- 1 Zucchini, ribboned
- ¼ Red Capsicum / Bell Pepper, diced
- ½ cup Frozen Corn Kernels
- 5 Eggs
- ½ cup Milk
- ½ cup Heavy Cream
- ½ cup Cheddar Cheese, grated
- ¼ cup Feta Cheese, crumbled
- ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese, crumbled
Instructions
Pre-bake the Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 200C / 390F.Line the shortcrust pastry sheets together so they are slightly overlapping.
- Transfer the pastry to a quiche tin (23cm / 9"), pressing the pastry to shape into the sides of the pan with your fingers. Roll a rolling pin across the top of the quiche tin to cut the excess pastry, and set the excess pastry aside. Prick the base with a fork a few times.
- Place a piece of parchment paper over the pastry and fill with pie weights, rice or dried beans to weigh it down. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the carefully remove the parchment paper and weights and bake for another 10 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and set aside. Turn the oven down to 180C / 350F.
Make the Filling:
- While the crust is pre-baking, heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat, then add onion, zucchini ribbons, capsicum / bell pepper and corn, and fry for 5 minutes or until softened.
- Whisk together the eggs, cream and milk in a mixing bowl until well combined.
- Scatter the cooked veggies evenly over the base of the now cooked quiche crust. Do the same with the cheeses, then pour the egg mixture on top.
Bake the Quiche:
- Place quiche in oven for 30 minutes (be sure it's now set to 180C / 350F), or until cooked through and golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before cutting.
Notes
- Feel free to use homemade shortcrust pastry or pie crust instead.
- If you're in America and want to use store-bought pastry use a box of pie crusts.
- Feel free to use substitute the vegetables in this recipe for what you have on hand. Just be sure to not add more than 1.5 cups of veggies as they may not fit in the quiche dish!
- There's no need to grease your quiche tin before adding the pastry.
- Don't skip blind baking the crust. It ensures your crust doesn't go soggy once the filling is added.
- If you don't have pie weights just use rice or dried beans to weigh the pastry down during blind baking. Once they are cooled you can keep the rice or dried beans you use in a jar to use to weigh down your crust next time - no need for waste.
- Check quiche is done is by removing it from the oven (with oven mits of course) and giving it a light shake side to side. If it jiggles or appears loose or runny, it needs to be cooked longer. If it stays in place and looks set and golden brown on top, it's good to go!
- Great served warm or cold.
- Quiche reheats well, so if you want to make a batch at the start of the week and portion out for a few lunches that'll be great. Just store in an airtight container. You can also freeze this way.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 256Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 159mgSodium: 275mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 1gSugar: 5gProtein: 10g
