BUTTERNUT SQUASH CRUST QUICHE

This is one of my favorite recipes to date! I’ve been creating butternut squash or sweet potato crust quiches for years now and I’m so excited to finally share the butternut squash crust quiche recipe on my blog today.

So excited that in fact, just last week I went ahead and photographed the recipe for my blog a first time. I say a first time because we had planned on leaving town and cancelled last minute. So my kitchen was bare of any fresh produce. I made a quiche of black olives, kale and green peas.

RANDOM. It was all I had when foraging my freezer, fridge and pantry! It actually photographed wonderfully, but I then realized that although my key was to share the crust, I just could not share a black olive, kale and pea quiche on my blog! I won’t be held responsible for such odd and questionable flavors.

I scrapped the project to start a new! And here we are with some normal, 100% guaranteed delicious ingredients.

As I mentioned, the real key to this recipe isn’t the ingredients, but the technique of building your crust! Feel free to substitute sweet potato for butternut squash and add any toppings you’d like! Oooh maybe even a beet crust? I haven’t tried that yet, but it’s definitely going on my list now. Feel free to make the quiche your own!

Speaking of quiches *kiss kiss* ..do you know the difference between a frittata and a quiche? I use the terms interchangeably all the time. I thought that there HAD to be a difference; an art to each that differentiates the two. I did us all the pleasure of researching the two to clarify once and for all!

So, what’s the deal? What’s the difference between a quiche and a frittata? Apparently, quiches have crusts and frittatas do not! The big differentiator is the process of baking the crust before filling it with eggs and toppings, whereas a frittata can just be whisked and cooked on a stove top in less than ten minutes. Okay, so this is definitely a butternut squash QUICHE.

Butternut squash makes for the perfect crust since it easily slices into rounds! Even when you get to the seeds, once you spoon them out, you can keep slicing and overlap your slices to cover the holes. Some of my other favorite butternut squash recipes include this butternut squash banana bread and creamy butternut squash pasta sauce.

One butternut squash alone covered my pie dish, but if you opt to create a sweet potato crust quiche, I recommend using two large sweet potatoes to cover the whole dish! Another helpful tip is to pre-cook your toppings. Whether that be sautéing, roasting or steaming, it’ll help streamline the process once you pour your egg mixture into the crust.

I also highly recommend sprinkling the majority of your toppings onto the crust of your butternut squash crust quiche before your egg mixture. This allows the eggs to seep into all the crevices of your quiche. Leave a bit aside for topping your quiche after the eggs too!

I do not ever peel my squash or sweet potatoes. The skin is full of nutrition and I’m just plain lazy. I rather like the texture of the skin too, but if you prefer to peel it, go right ahead!

Yield: 6

BUTTERNUT SQUASH CRUST QUICHE

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Paleo-friendly egg and vegetable quiche with butternut squash crust.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 7-8 eggs (depending on your toppings- if you have more, you’ll use less egg!)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 small tomatoes
• 1 kale leaf
• 1/2 zucchinI
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and coat a pie dish with 1 tbsp olive oil. You can also use the spray if you have it on hand!

2. Thinly slice your butternut squash. If you have a mandolin, that would be wonderfully convenient! I sliced it by hand. If you go too thin and slice a half-circle, you can still use it- just make sure you layer up!

3. Spiral your squash rounds to cover the entirety of the pie dish. They will shrink when baking, so layer them on just enough to completely cover the bottom.

4. Drizzle with more olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. Bake for 30 minutes.

5. While the crust bakes, cook your toppings.

6. Half the tomatoes and drizzle with 1/2 tbsp olive oil. Roast these with your crust in the oven for 20 minutes.

7. Slice zucchini into half-inch rounds and cut into quarters. Shred the kale from its stem. Sauté both on your stovetop with 1/2 tbsp olive oil and spices for 2-3 minutes.

8. Crack your eggs into a medium-sized mixing bowl and whisk until well combined. You can always use seven eggs and add an extra after you start filling it, if necessary,

9. Remove crust from the oven and fill with toppings first. Leave 1/4 of zucchini and kale for later topping.

10. Pour egg mixture into your crust and top with the last of your veggies.

11. Return the pie dish to the oven and bake at 375°F for an additional 20 minutes.

12. Remove from oven and let cool before slicing to enjoy.

Notes

Keep quiche covered in your fridge for up to four days!

Sweet potatoes are an easy and delicious substitution for squash.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 187Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 248mgSodium: 685mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 10g

Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate.