Crustless Spinach Quiche

My good friends, Jeff and Tish have a just-a-tad-more-than-two-years-old grandson whom they often entertain. Yesterday I made a quiche and at the last minute decided to double it, thinking that Jeff and Tish might like it. This morning Tish sent a photo of Gabe having it for breakfast! 

Oh, and it's crustless, which makes it even easier.

Here's the recipe:

1. Thaw a 10 oz package of frozen chopped spinach and let drain.
2. Preheat oven to 350.
3. Spray a 9" pie pan (metal or glass) with Pam.
4. Chop a medium to large sized onion.
5. Add about 1 tblsp olive oil to a medium sized sauté pan.
6. Saute the onion for about 6 minutes--just until it is soft, but not browned.
7. While the onion is sautéing, beat 5 eggs in a large bowl.
8. Add 3 cups shredded cheese to the beaten eggs (I use packaged swiss, but you could use mozzarella, a blend of Italian cheeses...whatever you like or have on hand. I tend to stay away from cheddar, since it has more fat and oil than I like).
9. Blend the eggs and cheese well.
10. Add the drained spinach to the onion and sauté just long enough for the remaining moisture to mostly steam off.
11. You don't have to, but I add about 1/8 cup vermouth to the spinach and onion, as well as a little salt, a lot of pepper, and whatever herbs I have around--thyme, oregano, whatever you like.
12. Once the spinach, onion and herb mixture have finished, take them off the heat and let them cool just a bit. At the same time, let the eggs and cheese come up to nearly room temperature.
13. You're going to add the spinach mixture to the eggs and cheese and so it's important to not add hot to cold--lest you scramble the eggs.

I usually have a beer or whiskey slush to let the time pass.

Then, once the temperature of everything is pretty good, fold the spinach mixture into the eggs and cheese.

Pour everything into the pie pan and place into the oven for about 35 minutes. If the top is not quite as golden as you like, crank up the broiler and watch the quiche closely for 1-2 minutes.

Take out of the oven and let set for at least 5 minutes.

Serve hot or let it cool down--it's great either way.

I serve it with a salad and a nice sparkling wine, like Cava or Prosecco.