This paleo quiche is packed with veggies and made from all clean eating ingredients! It’s gluten/grain free, dairy free, whole30 compliant, and delicious!
As you already know, I eat a ton of eggs. They are nutritious, high-protein and (for me) gentle on the stomach. Sometimes they’re not enough on their own – not hearty, or flavorful, or nutritiously diverse enough – and something you just want to throw everything in a pan, put it in the oven, and have a few days’ worth of meals ready to go.
Not only is this quiche a great make-ahead dish, it is also usually the first thing I make when I am doing a little Sunday meal prep because it’s a perfect vehicle for cleaning out the fridge. Whatever fresh veggies aren’t going to make it through the week usually end up washed, chopped and thrown into this quiche. Frozen (defrosted and drained) veggies work great too, and in fact, I rarely have leftover fresh spinach so I nearly always use defrosted frozen chopped spinach to make this.
- Add or replace the red peppers with zucchini, asparagus or mushrooms.
- Replace the onion with leeks.
- Replace the spinach with
cakekale, collard greens or chard. - Throw in whatever fresh herbs you have on hand (chives and thyme are my favorites for this quiche).
- Go the Spanish tortilla route and add thinly-sliced white or sweet potatoes.
- Make the (prebaked) crust ahead of time, cool completely, and tightly wrap with plastic wrap. Freeze until you are ready to make the quiche, then bring the crust to room temperature before filling.
- Skip the crust altogether.
- Make it ahead without a crust, slice into portions and freeze. Reheat each piece in the microwave as you need them. (Note: you can freeze it with the crust, but expect the crust to be a bit soggy when you defrost it)
- Swap in liquid egg whites for some or all of the whole eggs. I typically use a 3-6 whole eggs and the rest whites. The conversation is 3 Tablespoons liquid egg whites = 1 whole egg.
- If you are vegan, you can try replacing the egg with pureed silken tofu. I have not tried it with this recipe, but I know as a general rule, silken tofu works well as an egg replacement!
I’ll bet there are plenty more adaptations to be made that I haven’t thought of, but those are the ways that I vary this dish most often. If you have ideas or try a variation, let me know!
Veggie-Packed Paleo Quiche
Ingredients
- 1 pre-baked grain-free pie crust
- 1 package frozen spinach, about 1 cup, defrosted and drained
- 1 large red bell pepper, reserve 6-8 slices for decoration, if desired, sliced
- 1/4 cup very thinly sliced sweet onion, loosely packed
- 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast, optional, or replace with cheese of choice
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh herbs, optional
- 12 whole eggs, see note, or some combination of whole eggs and liquid egg whites
- 2 Tablespoons unsweetened vanilla almond milk or full fat coconut milk
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Toss together the spinach, bell pepper, onion, nutritional yeast and fresh herbs, if using.
- Add to pre-baked crust.
- In the bowl that you used to mix the veggies, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper.
- Pour egg mixture over veggie mixture and garnish with reserved red pepper slices.
- Bake for 60-75 minutes or until crust is browned, top is domed and has a sheen to it, and center is firm.
- Cool slightly before serving, and completely before storing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
This dish is pretty basic, but hugely adaptable. Here are a few suggestions:-
- Add or replace the red peppers with zucchini, asparagus or mushrooms. If you are adding more veggies than the recipe calls for, reduce the eggs accordingly.
- Replace the onion with leeks.- Replace the spinach with cake, collard greens or chard.
- Throw in whatever fresh herbs you have on hand (chives and thyme are my favorites for this quiche).
- Go the Spanish Tortilla route and add thinly-sliced white or sweet potatoes.
- Make the (prebaked) crust ahead of time, cool completely, and tightly wrap with plastic wrap. Freeze until you are ready to make the quiche, then bring the crust to room temperature before filling.
- Skip the crust altogether.
- Make it ahead without a crust, slice into portions and freeze. Reheat each piece in the microwave as you need them. (Note: you can freeze it with the crust, but expect the crust to be a bit soggy when you defrost it)
- Swap in liquid egg whites for some or all of the whole eggs. I typically use a 3-6 whole eggs and the rest whites. The conversation is 3 Tablespoons liquid egg whites = 1 whole egg.
- Increase the nutritional yeast or replace with cheese for a more prominent "cheese" flavor. If you increase it, you may want to reduce the salt slightly.
Joanne says
I love how adaptable this is! I frequently make clean-out-the-fridge fritattas, but let’s be honest – quiches are more fun!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Sometimes, I make this without the crust and call it a frittata, but really I always like it better with the crust!
Sam @ PancakeWarriors says
quiche is one of my favorite go to dishes. It’s so versatile and like you said easy to modify based on what you have on hand. This quiche is gorgeous. Perfect way to start the day!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Thanks, Sam! I couldn’t agree more!
Shikha @ Shikha la mode says
Love that we both made quiche this week! I keep bringing in slices of mine for work lunch, mmmm.
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Same here! Mostly breakfast though. Thank goodness quiche is tasty AND travels well!
Whit @ Jewhungry says
Your pictures are gorgeous! I am also an egg nut. This is a beautiful post!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Thank you so much, Whit!
PS: Egg nuts unite! 😉
Nicole @ Young, Broke and Hungry says
Quiches are my go to when there is a bunch of random ingredients in my fridge. I love the sound of this recipe!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
I am totally with you, Nicole! They are kind of a wonder dish, aren’t they?
Traci | Vanilla And Bean says
I love meals that are easily reheated and this one can step in for any; breakfast, lunch or dinner! I like it! Looking forward to trying the nutritional yeast. Beautiful close up, too. I can really see all the details of this mouthwatering quiche! Thank you for this, Nora!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
You are SO right, Traci. Quick, nutritious and reheatable foods are the best. I hope you enjoy the nutritional yeast! I know it can be kind of divisive, but I find it to be cheesy and delicious and in this case, perfect to lend a subtley cheesy flavor to the quiche. Enjoy it!
Monica says
Yum! I love quiche and the adaptability of a quiche recipe; it’s what makes quiches so fantastic and delicious for everyone involved. Great paleo version! (:
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
You’re totally right! Thanks, Monica!
Jen and Emily @ Layers of Happiness says
I love quiches!! You are so right – they are triple threats in the kitchen… not many foods are acceptable for breakfast lunch and dinner. So when they do, you know you’ve got a winner. Can’t wait to try this! 🙂
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
You’re right! I hope you like this!
Christina @ Bake with Christina says
I LOVE quiche, and yours looks amazing and savory! And your pictures for beautiful! Pinned 🙂
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Thanks, Christina!
Stacy | Wicked Good Kitchen says
Fabulous and very versatile quiche recipe, Nora! This is a recipe I must make soon. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner, like you said. Thanks for sharing and have a great week!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Thanks, Stacy! I hope you like it!
Julie says
I know it’s a typo, but I LOVE that the replacement suggestion for spinach is cake 🙂
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
HAHA that is awesome!! Omg, this is why I shouldn’t try to talk about savory when I’m in the mood for sweet. Kale! It’s kale!!! (Updated, but with the cake struck through instead of deleted for posterity ;))
Amy says
Thank you, Nora! This is the recipe I’ve been looking for to have with my Christmas brunch! I love the red and green colors in this quiche! 🙂 I love how you have given adaptations too! I plan to make it without the crust, since I’m having biscuits (paleo) with a baked ham and this quiche will make a nice accompaniment! 🙂 I can’t have the Nutritional Yeast (I have MTHFR), but fortunately, I CAN have dairy! Any recommendations as to how much cheese to add? I think a goat cheese would be tasty! Thank you again!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
You’re so welcome Amy! I never thought of it as a dish that color coordinates well with Christmas, but you’re totally right! Now I can’t stop thinking about it as a christmas dish 🙂
If you’re skipping the crust, you may want to decrease the baking time a tiny bit, or just check on it early, to make sure it doesn’t over bake, since it doesn’t have the insulation of the crust to slow down the cooking process. But I make it without the crust all the time and it works great.
As for the yeast, I would recommend using about 1/4 cup of cheese (or more, if you really, really like cheese). I love the idea of adding goat cheese. That will make the quiche so creamy!
Nitika says
Hey there! I am trying to make this now but see the almond milk, vanilla unsweetened, is in the recipe list. However it isn’t listed in any of the instructions. Can you please clarify? Thanks so much!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Hi Nitika! Yikes, so sorry! It should be added to the eggs when you whisk them with the salt and pepper. I just updated the recipe! Happy holidays!
Jennifer says
can you leave out the nutritional yeast?
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Definitely. Feel free to replace it with Parmesan cheese, and if not, I recommend adding an extra pinch of salt.
April says
Looks yum!! Approximately how much mushrooms or zucchini would replace the red pepper? Half cup? Quarter cup? Also, can you use fresh spinach instead of frozen? Thanks!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
This quiche is pretty forgiving, so I would recommend using about 1 cup of another veggie to replace the red pepper, but if you have a little more or less to use up, that’s ok too.
As for the spinach, I would strongly recommend against throwing fresh spinach into this quiche and then baking it, because the moisture from the spinach will make the quiche pretty soggy. Instead, cook down your fresh spinach until you have 1 cup (it could be 5-6 cups or more fresh to get 1 cups cooked – you know how spinach is!) and then drain it as best as you can before adding it to the filling.
Theresa says
12 eggs seems like a lot, how many does this serve?
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
It should serve about 6-8 people. If I’m serving it at brunch along with a lot more food, I’ll sometimes cut it into 10 slices.
The reason for all of the eggs is because most quiche recipes contain a great deal of cream and cheese. Since this recipe contains neither, the eggs have to make up the volume!
Jan says
This recipe looks awesome and perfect for what I’m looking for. But it says “dairy-free” yet the crust calls for Butter. Can I substitute ghee? thx.
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Sorry that wasn’t clear! Dairy-free “butter”, coconut oil, or ghee will work.
Holly says
This pastry tasted like the real deal! Love it! Thank you!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
That is so wonderful to hear! Thank you!
Susan says
I loved this dish! Made it without a crust. It came out perfectly. As a bonus it also a nice presentation. I will make this again. Shared the recipe with a friend.
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
That’s great to hear!
Michelle says
Hi,
If I’m making this for guests and I wanted to make it the night before what temp do I reheat at the next morning in the oven?
Also if I wanted to make 2 would I have to bake one at a time or what temp and time would I need to bake 2 at once?
Thanks!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
If possible, I’d recommend pre-making the crust ahead of time and filling and baking right before you serve. Otherwise, you can cover in foil and reheat at around 200F until warmed through.
Juli says
Step 4 still doesn’t include the coconut milk on the recipe card.
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
You’re so right! Thanks for the heads up. I’ve fixed this!