Spinach and Cheddar Quiche with Sweet Potato "Crust"
The gamut swings wildly around here, kinda like our moods. Lol! One day it’s a decadent pan of brownies, the next this oh-so-good-for-you (and so good tasting) vegetarian quiche. I think it’s my desperate attempt to find some balance in our suddenly very unpredictable, while strangely too predictable, lives!
One benefit of all this staying-in, is that I’ve been using the extra time to go through all my recipes and I found this unusual quiche that I’d put aside and intended to try years ago, but for one reason or another, got waylaid. And thus, today, there is quiche with a sweet potato “crust”!
Now, let’s talk about this sweet potato “crust”. I’m using quotes because this is a very loose interpretation of the word. Basically, some sautéed cubed potatoes get sort of pressed into a springform pan and serve as a backbone to an eggy/cheesy filling. That said, it’s super delicious, easy to do and kind of genius all-around. Healthy and perfect for people who are gluten-free!
Anyhoo, once you’ve assembled that “crust”, you top with some of your veggie mixture— here I’ve used onions and spinach but the truth is that you could sub in any veggies you prefer or have on hand which is particularly good if your market is out of certain ingredients now.
All that’s left to do is pour on that eggy/cheesy batter, which incidentally gets a lovely little tang from the addition of yogurt and top with the rest of the veggies.
The quiche bakes up fluffy and light with tons of flavor and texture. We absolutely loved this and I predict it will become one of our go-to standards!
It’s great for a light dinner or lunch or brunch (which you could technically do practically any day now since weekdays and weekends are all kind of blurring together).
Plus, it’s great warm or cold and I promise it’ll make you feel good too, which in these times, is nothing to sneeze at! (sorry for the poor word choice, I promise it’s just my allergies-yikes!!
Stay well, my friends!!
Spinach and Cheddar Quiche with Sweet Potato “Crust”
Makes 8 servings
Prep Time: 25 minutes; Bake Time: About 1 hour and 15 minutes
Ingredients
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus a little bit more for greasing the pan
1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes (about 4 small ones), peeled and cut into cubes
Kosher salt
1 large onion, cut in half and thinly sliced into half-moons
5 ounces baby spinach, roughly chopped
12 large eggs
4 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup whole milk yogurt (you could also use Greek)
Black pepper
The Recipe
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the potatoes and season with a pinch or two of salt and cook for about 12-14 minutes, until well browned around the edges and slightly undercooked—you want to stop cooking before they get too mushy but you want them soft enough to be able to flatten them slightly. Don’t wash out the skillet.
2. Transfer the potatoes to a large springform pan and let sit for a few minutes to cool a bit. Meanwhile, rub the sides of the pan with a little oil. Use the back of spoon to flatten the potatoes across the bottom and part way up the sides of the pan, making sure to push them into the seams of the pan at the edges. Place a sheet of foil or parchment paper on a rimmed baking sheet and place the pan on top of it. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 300ºF. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 8-10 minutes, stirring often until onions are softened but not browned. Add the spinach in two bunches, stirring between each addition, until spinach is softened and beginning to get limp. Season with a pinch of salt and remove from the heat. Let cool for a few minutes.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cheese and yogurt. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Place half of the onion-spinach mixture on top of the sweet potatoes in the pan and then pour in the egg mixture. Top with the remaining onions and spinach and gently press down.
6. Bake quiche for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until edges have puffed up and top is set with no liquid eggy parts. Check at the 1 hour mark—all ovens are different. Mine definitely needed the extra 15 minutes. Transfer quiche to a wire rack. For neater slices, let cool to room temperature. Leftover quiche can be kept covered in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit Magazine. I subbed in spinach for the kale and used regular yogurt instead of Greek. This would also be great with a variety of different veggies or cheeses.
