Egg White Quiche with Leeks, Spinach, Mushrooms and Feta

Egg White Quiche with Leek, Spinach, Mushrooms and Feta

Ray and I are eating a little lighter lately so I thought this quiche might be a nice meal.  I had two frozen pie shells and wanted to use them up.  I baked them off and then added some fresh herbs, sauteed vegetables, light feta cheese and egg whites.  By the way, you need to bake the pie shells off first before you add the filling, this way the crust stays firm and crispy, not soggy.

 I like my quiche chock full of vegetables, not too eggy. When I make a quiche I like to season and saute, roast or steam the vegetables first, and then add them to the baked shell.  I find they have more flavor that way.  Adding them raw just wouldn’t work, the filling will be watery and bland.  I mix all the seasonings and fresh herbs into the egg whites first and then pour over the vegetables and cheese in the baked pie shell.  

There are fewer calories when you use only egg whites (16 calories for one egg white compared to 72 calories for one whole egg) and you will find very little difference in texture, just make sure the ingredients you use to fill your quiche are flavorful.  

Meat lovers can add 1/3 cup of chopped ham, chopped roasted chicken, cooked bacon or cooked Italian sausage.

If you want to go really low fat, don’t use a pie shell.  Place all the ingredients in a greased 9 inch pie plate and bake for 40 minutes in a 350 F oven.

I made two quiches but I divided the recipe in half for you, so the ingredients below are for one quiche.

Prep time:  10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes to saute vegetables and 40 minutes to bake off quiche

Yield:  1 – 9 inch quiche

Ingredients:

1 – 9 inch pie shell baked per directions on the box or make your own pie dough and bake off.

1 cup(250 ml or about 8 egg whites) of egg whites- I buy the cartons of egg whites as I don’t always have a use for the egg yolks once they are separated from the egg white.

1/4 cup milk- I used skim milk but any milk will do, use cream or half n half for a richer quiche

1/2 cup of crumbled light feta cheese- you can use whatever crumbled or grated cheese you prefer

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon each of chopped fresh oregano and thyme- use your favorite herbs

2 cups fresh clean spinach leaves chopped into large pieces

1 cup of thinly sliced mushrooms

1 large leek( just the white part of the leek) cleaned and cut into 1/2 inch sized pieces

2 tablespoons of salsa- for extra flavor- I had some in the fridge.

1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes- I used dried Aleppo pepper-optional

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Whisk eggs whites, milk, salsa, chopped fresh herbs and hot pepper flakes together in a bowl.  Set aside.

2.  Heat thick bottomed medium sized pan to a medium heat and add a little oil.  Now add chopped leek and cook slowly until softened and light golden brown, about 15 minutes.  Season with a little salt and pepper. When finished cooking, sprinkle inside cooked quiche shell.

3.  Now in the same heated pan add a little more oil and the thinly sliced mushrooms. Season with a little salt and pepper. Saute until golden brown, for about 5-7 minutes and add to the leeks inside the quiche shell.  Now add the spinach to the same hot pan and saute until soft, 1-2 minutes, season with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Add cooked spinach to the leeks and mushrooms inside the quiche shell.

Cooked Spinach, Mushrooms and Leeks in Baked Pie Shell

4.  Now crumble the feta cheese on top of the sauteed vegetables in the pie shell.

5.  Pour the egg mixture over the sauteed vegetables and cheese.  Place the quiche on a foil lined baking sheet to catch any overflow.  Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees F.   Serve with a salad.

Egg White Mixture added to Sauteed Vegetables and Crumbled Feta

Quiche just out of the Oven