My friend Jen invited me to brunch with her husband and their toddler the other weekend, saying that she wanted us to bake a quiche together. Since we only had a couple of hours, I worried, imagining a traditional gluten-free quiche with hastily prepared pastry that wouldn't have a chance to chill or get par-baked, leading to a tough texture and soggy bottom. I wondered whether I should make a batch of my go-to gluten-free pie dough ahead of time, or even bring a par-baked crust, but I tried to take deep breaths and have faith in Jen's quiche-making abilities.
Yes, I am that neurotic.
When I arrived, though, my fears were quelled. "It's a crustless quiche," Jen said. "Well, it's called a quiche, but it has flour in it." She explained that her husband doesn't like the extreme egginess of frittatas, so she regularly makes a recipe she found in a lovely little book called French Kids Eat Everything, which discusses how to raise your kiddos to have healthy eating habits. Judging by the salad, mushrooms, olives, goat cheese, and crustless quiche that Jen's toddler ate, I'd say that the advice in the book works brilliantly.
This crustless quiche recipe is quite simple: cook up some vegetables, whip up a batter of eggs, milk, and flour, combine the two and add some cheese, bake, and voilà. Brunch. (Or lunch. Or dinner. Or all of the above.)
We sauteed mushrooms, wilted spinach, grated cheese, cracked eggs, whisked, buttered, poured, and baked. When the timer went off, Jen pulled an impressive creation from the oven. The quiche had puffed high above the pan, forming a golden dome of eggy loveliness. We let it settle down, then we settled down to a perfectly lovely brunch.
I've made crustless quiches in the past, but, without any flour or breadcrumbs to sop up the juices, they tended to be soft and difficult to slice. A bit of flour is the perfect solution. The dairy and flour break up the egginess for those of us who find straight frittatas and omelettes difficult to face, leaving a tender, puffed filling dotted with whatever you feel like putting in it. Genius.
Inspired by the spring alliums at the market – green garlic, spring onions, and chives – I concocted this version that Jay and I can't seem to get enough of. I add some sliced, par-boiled potatoes, grated cheese (either an aged gruyère or Wagon Wheel from Cowgirl Creamery which is organic - yay!), some big chunks of goat cheese, and a bunch of snipped chives. Oh, and I made it gluten-free by swapping sweet rice and oat flours for the wheat. A wedge served alongside a green salad makes an ideal meal.
I'm loving the springy flavors going on here, but feel free to change up the recipe, too. One of my favorite iterations is this cheesy asparagus crustless quiche. Other ingredients that might be nice are:
-sauteed mushrooms
-wilted, squeezed, and chopped greens (kale, pea greens, spinach, or chard)
-other soft herbs such as tarragon, chervil, or parsley
-different cheeses
-lemon zest
While nothing trumps a traditional quiche with a buttery crust and rich, creamy filling, this is sure to satisfy when you want something simpler...
..no matter how neurotic you may be.
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Potato and Green Garlic Crustless Quiche with Goat Cheese, Gruyère, and Chives {Gluten-Free}
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 12 ounces small, yellow potatoes, scrubbed, sliced 1/4" thick
- salt, as needed
- 3 stalks green garlic
- 3 spring onions
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon for greasing the pan
- 1/4 cup oat flour
- 1/4 cup sweet white rice flour
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 large eggs
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 4 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)
- 4 ounces grated gruyère, or other nutty melting cheese such as Wagon Wheel (1 cup)
- 1 bunch chives, chopped or snipped into 1/4" lengths
Instructions
- Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350ºF.
- Place the sliced potatoes in a small saucepan, cover with cool water, add a teaspoon of salt, and bring to a simmer. Cook the potatoes until tender, but not falling apart, about 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and set aside. (You can save the water to use as stock in another recipe, if you like.)
- Meanwhile, slice the green garlic and spring onions into 1/4" thick rounds. Place in a large bowl, fill with cool water, and separate the rings with your fingers. Let soak for a few minutes, swishing occasionally, to dislodge any sandy dirt that may be clinging between the rings.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 10" oven-proof skillet over a medium flame until it shimmers. Scoop the green garlic and spring onions out of their soaking water, shake off any excess water, and saute until very tender, 10 minutes. Remove the garlic and onions to a bowl, wipe out the pan, and brush the bottom and sides with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the oat and rice flours with the 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a large bowl. Whisk in the eggs two at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition, then gradually whisk in the milk and half and half. Stir in the green garlic, spring onions, and chives, then fold in the cheeses, leaving the goat cheese in clumps.
- Scatter the potatoes over the bottom of the oiled pan, then pour the batter over the top, taking care to distribute the solids evenly. Bake the quiche until puffed and golden all over the top, about 55 minutes. If you peek into the center, you should not see any wet batter. Let the quiche settle for at least 10 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve warm. Leftovers store well refrigerated airtight for up to three days; re-heat in an oven or toaster oven.
Notes
Nutrition
Ileana says
Gorgeous quiche! I can't believe how much it puffs up!
Alanna says
Thanks, Ileana!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
This quiche looks perfect!! I love it!
Alanna says
Thank you, Katrina. :)
Sue/the view from great island says
What a wonderful idea, I hate soggy quiche crusts so this sounds like the perfect solution. The rich golden color of the crust is to die for!
Alanna says
I feel the same way, Sue - thanks for the sweet note!
Ania W says
It looks really tasty! I love it!
Alanna says
Thanks, Ania. :)
Ann Nordquist says
This looks scrumptious!!! I will be making this quiche for my family this weekend <3
Alanna says
Thanks, Ann - that's awesome! Please let me know how you like it.
Katie | Healthy Seasonal Recipes says
I have never heard of that book, but I'll have to check it out. My kids are pretty great eaters (both love goat cheese and olives) but there is always room for improvement. Beautiful photographs. And I love the idea of no crust.
Alanna says
Thanks, Katie! Looking through that book made me really happy. There's good stuff in there for grown-ups, too. Hooray for goat cheese and olive-loving kiddos. :)
mimi rippee says
That is one beautiful quiche!
Alanna says
Thanks, Mimi!
Eileen says
Such a beautiful quiche! Those fresh spring chives and green garlic (I can't be the only one who thought those were baby leeks at first, can I?) look so fantastic. My chives are blowing up in the side yard--and now I'm really excited to start cooking with them. :)
Alanna says
Thanks, Eileen! The green garlic definitely looks like baby leeks - I accidentally left them in the fridge for too long and had to peel away their outer pink layer before I shot them - oops! I just planted some chives in my window box (deeply envious of your yard!) and they are quite happy, too. Love those little guys. :)
Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough says
I would like to live in these gorgeous photos and/or swan dive right into that fluffy quiche. Preferably both.
Alanna says
What a sweet thing to say! Thanks, Stephanie.
Cheri Savory Spoon says
What a gorgeous quiche, love the idea of using the skillet, beautiful pics
Alanna says
Thank you, Cheri!
Amallia Eka Widyastuti says
it looks so wonderful, nice pictures
Alanna says
Thanks, Amallia!
Kezia says
Wow, this looks super delicious! Like, seriously - I'm trying this soon! Any ideas about how to cook it without a skillet?
Alanna says
Thanks, Kezia! You should be able to bake it in a pie or cake pan, greased with butter. I'll add a note up top - thanks!
london bakes says
I'm a big quiche fan - I think they're such a perfect dish for this time of year and so customisable for whatever you have on hand. The addition of a little flour to the filling is so clever too!
Alanna says
Yes! Quiches are the best. :)
Anonymous says
I made this quiche tonight and it was delicious. I like the fact that this version does not have a regular crust. Thank you for sharing!
Alanna says
Thanks for giving it a go, and for the note - so glad you liked it! I like the crustlessness of it, too.
rcakewalk says
I made a version of this for a smaller skillet Sunday evening, and it was delicious! I used Egyptian walking onions (which were the only green things up in my garden), red chard and garlic (cooked non-vegetarianly in bacon fat) and millet/brown rice flour mix - and also snuck some milk kefir into the custard. I love the potato as crust too! One of my new favorite pie dinners: thank you!
Alanna says
Yay! That makes me so happy. I love the sound of your version, and that you used onions from your yard (I've never had that variety - I'll have to check them out). Thanks for giving the recipe a go, and for the note! I'm so inspired by your kefir recipes of late.
Angie says
I had green garlic for the first time earlier this year in India. I had no idea what it was. I thought it might be related to Scallions. Totally forgot about them. I wonder if I can find them near me. This recipe is making me hungry. :-)
Alanna says
Thanks Angie! I'm a big green garlic fan.. obviously. :) Hope you find some soon! We get it in California in late winter and early spring. You can certainly trade it for leeks or scallions here, though.
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Marnie says
This is a delicious quiche. Full of flavour. Everyone loved it. A definite repeat. Many thanks!
Alanna says
Yay! I'm so glad you all liked it!
Rachel says
This looks delicious! Can I use regular flour for this, as it's what I have on hand?
Alanna says
Yup!
Shannon says
Do you think I could assemble this the night before and then bake it in the morning? Looks beautiful!!
Alanna says
Sorry for the delay - I think that could work, but I wouldn't make it in a cast iron skillet in that case.
Natalie says
I've been using this recipe to make quiche every day for the past 5 weeks, scaled down to individual portion, in a 5" cast iron skillet. We've had a bumper crop of broccoli this year from the garden and it works well in this recipe as a filling.
I made the following modifications:
1) I grind my own sweet rice flour and oat flour. The texture is not quite as fine as Mochiko flour but for this application, you can't taste any grittiness in the final product. My husband is Japanese, so I always have bags of short-grain white rice in the pantry. Yes, BAGS!
2) We're not big on drinking milk, so instead I dilute Greek yogurt, plain yogurt and even SKYR with water for the "liquid dairy" portion of the custard. In a pinch, I even used reconstituted buttermilk powder which gave the quiche a really lovely mouth feel.
3) I soak the flours in the "liquid dairy" overnite, in the fridge, to hydrate and then bake with it the next day (filling pre-made a day or two in advance).
4) The quantities that I use include 2 eggs, 100g filling, 100mL water + 25g SKYR/yogurt, 15g sweet rice flour, and 12g oat flour. If I use more oat flour, it ends up sinking to the bottom and actually affects the overall taste of the quiche.
As we head into the Fall, I look forward to finishing the broccoli (phew!) so I can try different fillings using the same liquid to flour ratio.
Can't wait to try the Apple, Buckwheat and Gruyere Puff Pancake from your book. Looks like another winner...
Alanna says
Aw, I'm so glad you love this recipe - I make it all the time myself! I'm glad to know that diluted yogurt works well for the dairy. Please let me know which other variations you try, and if you make the puff pancake - also a favorite around here!
Dana says
This is one of the best quiche recipes! I did make a few substitutes based on what I typically have on hand - almond flour in place of the oat/rice flours, full fat coconut milk in place of the milk/half and half, and feta in place of the goat’s cheese. Could not find green garlic, but we loved it with the fresh chives and spring onions! The potatoes make it extra filling. It’s a very flexible recipe and looking forward to including even more fresh herbs next time. Thank you for the inspiration!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
I'm so glad you loved this recipe. Those substitutions sound delicious!
Tricia says
Can you make ahead and freeze this? If so, what's the best way to re-heat?
Thanks :)
I have made before, but it usually gets devoured before I have time to freeze.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
I'm so glad you like it, it's a favorite of mine as well! I haven't tried freezing it but I've frozen regular (crusty) quiche and that worked well. It might change the texture a bit but should still be tasty. Please let me know if you try!
Tricia says
Thank you! What do you find is the best way to re-heat quiche after freezer?
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Oh good question! I would cut it into single serving wedges before freezing, then reheat from frozen on a small baking sheet in a 350ºF oven or toaster oven for about 20 minutes or until heated through. Please let me know how it goes!