This Spinach Quiche Lorraine is simple yet elegant, and truly one of our favourite treats in my home. It makes a great breakfast, lunch or even dinner!
I love prepping this recipe in advance for breakfast during the week (it stores great in the fridge) or for easy breakfasts all weekend long. I lightened it up from a traditional quiche with using a lighter cream, and added spinach (traditional Quiche Lorraine doesn’t have spinach in it) but aside from that, it’s the real-deal in all of its rich glory!
It’s safe to say that I’m a really healthy eater. But there are times when I choose to indulge, and when I do, it has to be worth it. This quiche falls into this category! It brings me back to days in France spent with my mom, and is such a simple yet elegant dish. I added thick high quality bacon in this version but of course, you can remove and make it vegetarian.
Tips for a quiche crust
I owe credit my trusty food processor which I use I this recipe to mix my ingredients, and get the dough to the consistency I want! Using cold butter is the real ticket to a flaky buttery crust. I refrigerate my dough in plastic for 2 hours before rolling it out, then press it into my quiche dish.
You can skip the crust all together to make it a crustless quiche, just lightly oil the pan first (don’t use a tart pan, use a regular 8-10″ baking dish). The crust recipe makes a bit extra, so depending on the size of your quiche dish and how thick you like your crust you can refrigerate or freeze any extra dough (just wrap it in plastic wrap and put in a sealable bag).
Blind baking the crust makes a world of difference. The instructions are below. The process of blind baking helps the crust retain its shape and not shrink during baking before filling it. Without blind baking, the crust will be slightly soggy and not brown on the bottom.
What can I serve with a quiche?
A quiche acts as a great breakfast, lunch or brunch for a special occasion or an ordinary day. When being enjoyed as a lunch or dinner, quiche goes great served alongside a green salad. This makes it the perfect meal, as the quiche is both filling and delicious, and the greens balance out the rich tart wonderfully. This Spring Salad with a Creamy Lemon Vinaigrette is one of my personal favourites! If looking for a big brunch option, this served some hash browns (make them heart shaped for extra wow factor for Valentine’s Day or a special occasion) and fruit (try this Citrus Fruit Salad) would be a huge crowd pleaser.
What fillings to use in a quiche?
This recipe features smokey bacon, onions, cheese, onions and spinach. But don’t let that limit you! The beautiful thing about quiches is how wonderful different flavour combinations can work. You can be adventures and try smoked salmon and capers, or pack it full of veggies you have on hand. The choice is yours!! I love these Mini Quiches as well for a perfect bite size appetizer or pot luck dish.
Spinach Quiche Lorraine
Spinach Quiche Lorraine
This Spinach Quiche Lorraine is simple yet elegant, and truly one of our favourite treats in my home. It makes a great breakfast, lunch or even dinner! This makes a bit of extra crust - make a gallet out of any scraps or let the kids make jam tarts!
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
- 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar
- 1/4-1/2 cup ice water
For the Filling
- 8 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups light cream (10-18%)
- 284g package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
- 5 thick slices of bacon, diced*
- 1 cup yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded Gruyere or Ementhal work well
- salt and pepper
Instructions
For the Crust
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In a food processor, add all of the dry ingredients and pulse to mix. Add the shortening and pulse just until the fat is just incorporated. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is the size of peas.
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Turn the machine off, and drizzle the lemon juice and 1/4 cup of the water over top. Pulse the dough until it JUST starts to stick together in rough clumps. Add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to get it to the consistency you need as per above. You may need a bit more water, depending on your dough.
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Press the dough together in a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before rolling it out.
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Once chilled, on a well-floured surface, roll out the crust using a floured rolling pin to fit your quiche dish (9-10" dish) approximately 1/8” thick with extra dough to drape over the sides. Using your hands, gently press the dough into the bottom and sides of the dish to fit and trim the extra from the sides.
For the Filling
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Preheat the oven to 425 F. Prepare the crust in the tart pan (above) and blind bake the crust for around 12 minutes, until a very light golden (line with parchment paper, fill with dry beans or pie weights). You can skip this step, but it is a better texture if you blind bake it first. Carefully remove the beans/parchment and cool before filling.
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Reduce the oven temperature to 375F, combine the eggs, cream and salt and pepper (use at your discretion) in a large bowl with a whisk to combine and set aside.
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In a medium frying pan on medium heat, cook the bacon for about 5 minutes or until it renders and starts to brown. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for approximately 4-5 minutes or until the onion is cooked and transparent and the bacon is golden but not too crispy. Remove the bacon and onions from the frying pan and place on a plate lined with paper towel.
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Layer (in this order) the cheese, bacon and onion mixture and the spinach on the bottom of the prepared pie crust. Pour the egg mixture on top.
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Bake for around 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the egg is set. Cool to room temperature (or close) before serving!
Recipe Notes
*omit bacon if desired and add 3 tablespoons of oil or butter to the pan before cooking the onions
Hi, sound’s yummy, quick question, shouldn’t the bacon be cooked first?! Thank’s!
Hi Diane,
You bet! I re-read the directions as I thought it was likely I missed something (baby brain!), but it does indicate to fry the bacon and the onions first.
Have a great rest of your weekend! Tori
I make quiches very often and have found the trick of putting a tbs or so of all purp flour in the egg mixture helps bind the ingredients. Often if you put in fresh mushrooms( they are watery) it thins your filling and makes it runny. The flour always helps. Works for me all the time!
Hi Debbie!
Great tip thanks!
Tori
I’ve stopped buying white mushrooms because of all the water it releases when cooked. Brown mushrooms (cremini) hardly has any water and has more flavor and is usually the same price as white ones!
I can assure everyone that this is THE MOST AMAZING QUICHE EVER!!!
Thanks Ma!
This was so delish! I tried making quiche a few times but was always discouraged because they just did not taste quite right. This was en pointe! My hubby is French, so getting a compliment on a quiche from him sure does feel great! The crust was perfect and layering of the ingredients as you mentioned sure makes a big difference! Thank you!
Tori, when you prebake a pie crust, a home made one how do you bake it without the side falling down . Just not keeping its shape in general! I have used parchment with beans, pie beads, rice. Etc What I’ve been doing lately is invert the pie shell with and empty pie (aluminum) plate inside to keep shape! Then bake it upside down for most of the time, flip and finish without inside pie plate. Any ideas ?
Hi Kathy it sounds like you have tried blind baking it – it’s possible that your crust has too much liquid in it which may be causing it to shrink more too, not sure if you have experimented with adding a bit less? Your method of the double plate is a good one too!
Hi Tori, is it possible to use an alternative to cream? Perhaps almond milk?
Hi Jamie, I haven’t tried it with an alternative – I would just leave it out and be careful not to overbake!
Hi Jamie,
Did you have success leaving this out? I’m thinking of substituting Cashew Cream!