Description
This crustless cottage cheese quiche with spinach is a low-carb, high-protein breakfast or main dish that’s packed with flavorful veggies and a creamy cheese blend. Featuring sautéed onions and spinach combined with a light, fluffy mixture of egg whites, whole egg, and cottage cheese, this French-inspired quiche is baked to a perfect set without a crust, making it a healthy, satisfying meal option.
Ingredients
Vegetables
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion or sweet onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup chopped)
- 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
Cheese
- 12 oz grated light cheddar cheese (or a blend of 4 oz feta and 8 oz cheddar; yellow or white cheddar works)
- 1/3 cup low-fat cottage cheese (optionally whipped for creamier texture)
Eggs
- 8 large egg whites (can substitute 1 1/2 cups liquid egg whites)
- 1 whole egg
Spices
- 1/4 tsp ground cayenne red pepper
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Set your oven to 375°F (190°C) to ensure it’s hot and ready for baking your quiche.
- Sauté onions: Heat 2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the finely chopped onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until translucent and soft.
- Add spinach: Stir in the thawed and drained chopped spinach into the skillet and cook for another 3 minutes until the spinach is dry. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Prepare pie pan: Lightly coat a 9-inch nonstick pie pan with olive oil cooking spray to prevent sticking.
- Add cheese base: Sprinkle the grated light cheddar cheese evenly in the bottom of the prepared pie pan.
- Add spinach mixture: Spread the sautéed spinach and onion mixture over the cheese layer evenly.
- Mix eggs and spices: In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg whites, whole egg, low-fat cottage cheese, ground cayenne red pepper, sea salt, ground nutmeg, and black pepper until smooth and well combined.
- Assemble quiche: Pour the egg mixture gently over the spinach and cheese layers in the pie pan.
- Bake: Place the pie pan in the preheated oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the quiche is set and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
- Rest and serve: Remove the quiche from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes before slicing into wedges and serving.
Notes
- To defrost spinach, run it under lukewarm water and squeeze out excess moisture thoroughly to avoid sogginess.
- You can substitute 6 whole eggs instead of the combination of 8 egg whites and 1 whole egg if preferred.
- Fresh spinach can be used as a substitute for frozen; 1 pound fresh spinach equals about 10 oz frozen. Be sure to sauté fresh spinach until wilted before adding.
- Check doneness by making a 1-inch cut from center toward edges; if the knife has uncooked egg bits, bake a few more minutes.
- Prepare the vegetable sauté and egg mixture the night before and refrigerate separately to save time. Assemble and bake the next day.
- For best texture, grate cheese from a block rather than using pre-shredded cheese.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
