'Magic' Crustless Zucchini Quiche
This is the VERY BEST crustless zucchini quiche! Added flour sinks to the bottom during cooking, creating a thin pancake-y 'crust'. Creamy, cheesy and packed with tasty caramelized onions and zucchini and garlic, you'll be amazed with the fluffy soufflé like texture and crunchy top. This is so much easier than making a regular quiche since it 'magically' makes its own crust in the oven.
Servings: 8 to 10
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 onion medium sized, any kind, sliced thinly into rounds
- 1 tablespoon butter for cooking the onions
- 1½ medium zucchini or 2 small (3 to 4 cups of sliced, halved or quartered sliced zucchini)
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 1½ teaspoons dried herbs I like a mixture of basil, oregano and dill, or use mixed Italian herbs. You can increase the amount of herbs if you like!
- 1 cup grated cheese sharp (strong/tasty) cheddar is fine, or try gruyere, parmesan, Swiss cheese or a mixture of cheeses
- ½ cup ricotta cheese (4.5 ounces) or substitute with crumbled feta cheese
- ½ cup self-raising flour /self-rising flour (Alternatively, mix ¾ of a teaspoon baking powder into all-purpose/plain flour. Or you can use Bisquick.)
- 1½ cups milk
- 4 large eggs lightly whisked (if you only have small eggs, add an extra one)
- ¼ teaspoon salt (more to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon pepper (more to taste)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large frying pan or saucepan. Then cook the onions slowly for about 5 minutes or until soft and beginning to caramelize.1 tablespoon butter, 1 onion
- Add the sliced zucchini, crushed garlic and dried herbs to the onions in the pan and cook for a further 5 to 7 minutes. Grind in some salt and pepper to taste.1½ medium zucchini, 3 cloves garlic, 1½ teaspoons dried herbs
- Now preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) (increase to 410F/210C if you have a regular oven i.e. not a fan oven).
- Grease a standard quiche dish (around 9.5 inches/24 cm or similar - see note below) with a little butter, or spray with oil. Spread half of the onions and zucchini mixture evenly over the dish. Then scatter over half of the cheddar cheese and dot over half of the ricotta. Then sprinkle over the rest of the zucchini and cheeses.1 cup grated cheese, ½ cup ricotta cheese
- Whisk the eggs into the flour. Then slowly blend in the milk so that there are no lumps. Add the ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper.½ cup self-raising flour, 1½ cups milk, 4 large eggs, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Pour the egg mixture evenly over the fillings in the dish. Then bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the mixture is puffed up and golden, and there are no longer any raw bits in the centre. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes, then slice and serve.
Notes
Pan size: The quiche dish I usually use is 9.5 inches (24cm) in diameter and about 1.5 inches tall. An equivalent square pan would be 8 to 9 inches wide (20-23cm). If you have a rectangular pan, 12 x 6 inches or similar would work.
Alternative fillings: Try frying some bacon pieces before caramelizing the onions for lots of extra flavor in the zucchini crustless quiche. Other filling options could be leftover cooked roasted vegetables, chopped asparagus (no need to pre-cook), or sautéed frozen vegetables such as green beans or broccoli.
You can also vary the cheeses according to what you have. Feta cheese is a great substitute for ricotta.
'Magic' crust: The thin pancake-like crust on the bottom is more defined some times I make this quiche than other times. But it's always delicious! Try leaving the assembled uncooked quiche standing for up to half an hour before baking to allow the flour to sink to the bottom.
Freezing and reheating: This quiche freezes really well. I usually freeze any leftovers in glass containers or aluminium foil, then I defrost and reheat in the oven at 320F/160C for about 20 minutes. You can also reheat it in your air fryer, if you have one. Reheat for around 6 minutes at 320F/160C.
Sometimes I feel like the reheated quiche is even more delicious, fluffy and crispy than it was when fresh!
If you're curious, also see the original crustless ham and cheese quiche recipe that inspired this zucchini version!
For ideas about what to serve with this, check out my list of 40+ easy side dish ideas for quiche.
Nutrition
Calories: 204kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 246mg | Potassium: 264mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 557IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 225mg | Iron: 1mg
