Didn't Miss the Crust Spinach Quiche

Breakfast is a big deal to me. I don't know how anyone can skip this meal. I really like to have a high-protein, filling breakfast. Transitioning to a gluten free lifestyle last year really made breakfast terribly difficult. I couldn't find a good gluten free cereal that didn't seem like I was eating cardboard with milk and Splenda. (Try some, you'll see what I mean!) I still hadn't found any good gluten free breads, so toast with peanut butter was out. For quite awhile, I was having lunch for breakfast. But I was really missing breakfast food, especially spinach quiche.

I used to buy the whole wheat frozen pie crusts and make spinach quiche for Eddie & me quite often. I'd bake two of them, then freeze one of them. We loved having quiche and a salad for dinner, then I'd have the leftovers on hand for breakfasts the rest of the week. After I went gluten free, I found gf frozen rice crusts. They were okay, but not the greatest. I wasn't crazy about the texture. The bottom part of the crust would be mushy, and the outside crust was really dry and crumbly.

This morning I decided I would make crustless mini spinach quiches in a cupcake pan. I could wrap them individually and put them in the freezer. Of course I had to have a fresh one with my breakfast this morning and it was delicious! I thought it tasted even better without the crust.

Here is the "recipe" that I made from what I had on hand. I don't often measure when I cook, so I'll give you estimated amounts of the ingredients.

Crustless Mini Spinach Quiche
9 large eggs
10 oz. frozen spinach (thaw, wring out in a towel)
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 to 1 cup cheese (I used a four cheese Italian blend.)
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
salt & pepper to taste
1/8 cup milk*

*Normally I use a small tub of ricotta cheese, but I didn't have any on hand. If using ricotta cheese, omit the milk. I also usually put grated Parmesan cheese in my quiche recipe, but I didn't have any on hand this morning.

Combine all ingredients. Spray a cupcake mold (love the silicon ones for this!) with a little bit of Pam spray. Spoon the quiche mixture without overfilling each section. Bake in a 350 F oven for 30 minutes. Check the quiche, and add 10 minutes baking time if not done. Remove from oven when done and let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

I wrapped each mini quiche in plastic wrap, then put them in freezer bags. They will easily go from freezer to microwave. Or, allow them to thaw in the refrigerator overnight (never at room temperature on the countertop!) and then heat in the microwave.