If you crave a healthy and delicious meal then Vegetarian Creamy Broccoli Quiche will satisfy your desire for sure. It could be an ideal dish for breakfast as well as for light dinner.
Vegetarian Creamy Broccoli Quiche is a salted pie filled with vegetables and a fine sauce made of cream and eggs. This delicious recipe will impress you for sure.
Quiche is a classic dish of the French cuisine, but with roots in Germany, more specifically in the medieval kingdom of Lothringen. This region later was renamed by French in Lorraine, that is where the quiche Lorraine got its name from.
The term “quiche” comes from the German “Kuchen” which means – cake, baking. Usually, for a quiche base is used shortcrust crust, but you can easily use both flaky pastry or even yeast dough.
The classic version of quiche Loraine includes only a creamy filling with eggs, sour and bacon. Today the recipe has been adapted and more ingredients have been added. Quiches are prepared with different fillings: with cream, smoked ham or bacon, fish, versatile vegetables, cheeses, etc. The charm is that you can put almost anything (depends on your imagination) in the quiche and the success is guaranteed.
Today I had a good mood to cook something delicious. So I bewitched in my kitchen for almost the whole day. So, later I will come back with Buttery French brioche recipe, so stay tuned. But today I will share with you a Vegetarian Creamy Broccoli Quiche recipe.
The broccoli and cheese tart is a great option if you desire a light and healthy dinner that you can enjoy the next day also as breakfast. (If there is any leftover)). This quiche can be eaten hot and cold and is perfect for lunch at the office too.
All flavors fill my kitchen with aromas and warm my soul. I hope you will enjoy it too!
What is quiche crust made of?
I do not know why but every time when I am preparing the crust for pies or quiches I open my sources of inspiration and look to find something new. In quiches I prefer shortcrust base and, in most recipes, the basic ingredients remain the same – butter, salt and flour. I shared with you already a few versions of the shortcrust pastry: salty and sweet one. Choose your favorite recipe in Classic Quiche Lorraine, Mushroom Quiche, and Cherry pie recipes.
The dough recipe that I will share with you today I like the most. It turns out very crispy.
The shortcrust pastry must be worked quickly till it is cold. The enemy of this dough is kneading – a process in which the gluten develops (this process we want for bread, pizza or bakery products). The crust for quiche is baked in two stages: alone (15 minutes) and then stuffed (another 45 minutes).
So, let’s begin with a crust! In a mixing bowl, sift 2 cups of all-purpose flour. Now, tip 5 oz of cold unsalted butter (135 gr) into the flour. Rub them together until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Then add 1 egg yolk (keep the egg white for the filling). Mix gently with hand until all ingredients homogenize. DO NOT knead! We do not want to develop the gluten that makes dough elastic and rubber. Shape a ball of dough and send it to the refrigerator for about an hour – this is how we must do.
But as I am always in a hurry, I usually skip this point. Gratefully I found a good alternative.
How to Pre-Bake the Crust:
Because the filling for quiche is very runny it is very important to pre-bake the base. Preheat the oven at 400°F( 200°C).
In meanwhile, take the dough and arrange it between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Roll out the pastry to ⅛ inch (0,3-0,4 cm) thickness. Place it carefully in a springform pan and prick it with a fork. Then send it to a freezer for 15 minutes. Baked it for 10-12 minutes then lower the temperature at 375°F( 180°C) and bake for 5 more minutes. It should be lightly browned, not fully baked.
How to make Creamy Broccoli Quiche filling?
I love homemade quiche in all of its delicious forms. Today I choose a vegetarian version although it would combine perfectly with some cubes of bacon or some slices of smoked ham. But I chose to replace them with some bell pepper, which is not worse.
I used broccoli because it has exactly what I need during this period: soluble and insoluble fiber, huge quantities of vitamin C and vitamin K that is necessary for good blood circulation. A little pre-cooked bell pepper with its flavor will substitute perfectly any meat.
Please note, never use frozen vegetables in quiches. You will never rich the real taste.
So, let’s prepare first the vegetables. Preheat over medium heat previously greased with some olive oil skillet. Divide ½ of one medium size broccoli into small inflorescences. Arrange them on a frying pan on a half side of your skillet. Clean and cut then one bell pepper in medium-size cubes. Add them to the other side of the skillet. Stew them for about 5-7 minutes. Meanwhile, stew on low heat one medium chopped onion until translucent.
In the meantime, in a bowl beat together 5 egg (plus one egg white, remaining from the crust) with 3 tbsp of sour cream, seasoned with salt and ground black pepper.
In the end, pour ⅓ grated hard cheese and mix again. Actually, at this point, it doesn’t matter what kind of cheese you will add. It can be any cheese you find in your fridge. I added some Gouda cheese because it never missed from my refrigerator.
How to make Creamy Broccoli Quiche:
Once your quiche crust is prebaked, evenly spread the vegetables over the base. Then top them generously with small pieces of Gorgonzola cheese. Now, pour the egg mixture on top. Bake at 375°F( 180°C) for 45 minutes or until lightly brown color.
Hmm .. what a great taste and aroma they have! I can’t describe to you what pleasant flavors have invaded my kitchen! Crazy! You must try this Vegetarian Creamy Broccoli Quiche!
Vegetarian Creamy Broccoli Quiche
Equipment
- Bowl
- parchment paper
- springform tin
Ingredients
For the shortcrust:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 5 oz unsalted butter
- 1/3 tsp salt
- 1 egg yolks
For the filling:
- 5 eggs
- 1 egg white
- ½ broccoli medium size
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 onion
- 3 tbsp sour cream
- â…“ cup Gouda cheese
- ½ cup Gorgonzola cheese
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start with the crust. In a mixing bowl, sift 2 cups of all-purpose flour. Now, tip 5 oz of cold unsalted butter (135 gr) into the flour. Rub them together until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Then add 1 egg yolk (keep the egg white for the filling). Mix gently with hand until all ingredients homogenize. Shape a ball of dough and send it to the refrigerator for about an hour.
- Take the dough and arrange it between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Roll out the pastry to â…› inch (0,3-0,4 cm) thickness. Place it carefully in a springform pan and prick it with a fork.
- Baked it for 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven at 400°F( 200°C). Then lower the temperature at 375°F( 180°C) and bake for 5 more minutes.
- Preheat over medium heat previously greased with some olive oil skillet. Divide ½ of one medium size broccoli into small inflorescences. Arrange them on a frying pan on a half side of your skillet. Clean and cut then one bell pepper in medium-size cubes. Add them to the other side of the skillet. Stew them for about 5-7 minutes.
- Meanwhile, stew on low heat one medium chopped onion until translucent.
- In the meantime, in a bowl beat together 5 egg (plus one egg white, remaining from the crust) with 3 tbsp of sour cream, seasoned with salt and ground black pepper. In the end, pour â…“ cup grated hard cheese and mix again.
- Once your quiche crust is prebaked, evenly spread the vegetables over the base. Then top them generously with small pieces of Gorgonzola cheese. Now, pour the egg mixture on top. Bake at 375°F( 180°C) for 45 minutes or until lightly brown color.
- Just try this Vegetarian Creamy Broccoli Quiche!