Spring Greens Quiche
from Taste of Home
Ingredients:
- Pastry for single-crust pie (9 inches), see below
- 6 center-cut bacon strips, chopped
- 5 cups julienned Swiss chard
- 5 cups fresh baby spinach
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 egg white, beaten
- 1/2 cup shredded Swiss-style cheese
- 3 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Dash pepper
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-in. thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim pastry to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Line unpricked pastry with a double thickness of foil. Fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice.
- Bake 13 minutes. Remove foil and weights; bake 3 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Discard drippings, reserving 1 tablespoon. Cook and stir greens, spinach and green onions in drippings until wilted and liquid is evaporated.
- Brush prepared crust with egg white; layer with wilted greens, cheese and cooked bacon. In a large bowl, whisk remaining ingredients; pour over top.
- Bake 35-40 minutes longer or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Yield: 6 servings.
Pastry for single-crust pie (9 inches): Combine 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1/4 tsp. salt; cut in 1/2 cup cold butter until crumbly. Gradually add 3-5 Tbsp. ice water, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour. Let pie weights cool before storing. Beans and rice may be reused for pie weights, but not for cooking.
Serve it up for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Substitute mushrooms for the bacon to make it vegetarian. I think this is a perfect way to get ready to welcome Spring!
