Shortcuts to a quick, easy quiche

DINNER TONIGHT

March 02, 2005|By Renee Enna | Renee Enna,CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Quiche has so much going for it. It's easy to make, makes a great impression and, once you get the basic formula, you can dress it up or down with whatever happens to be in the fridge or pantry.

Because quiche requires at least 25 minutes of cooking, we've used a lot of shortcuts in its preparation here: store-bought crust (refrigerated or frozen), prepackaged shredded cheese blends, pre-sliced mushrooms and bagged greens all contribute to a speedy preparation time.

And another thing: Many quiche recipes call for pans with removable bottoms, but you can bypass the fussiness with a glass or ceramic pie pan - it'll work fine. For the fastest route, many crusts are sold in aluminum pans, ready to be filled and baked.

Tip

We baked two quiches - one in a quiche pan with a removable bottom and the other in glass. The glass pie pan cooked 5 minutes faster.

Quiche With Arugula, Cheese and Mushrooms

Preparation time: 15 minutes; cooking time: about 35 minutes

Makes 8 servings

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

1 teaspoon each: dried Italian herb blend, salt

pinch ground red pepper

freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup each: baby arugula or spinach, sliced mushrooms

1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend

crust for 9-inch pie pan

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together eggs, half-and-half, herb blend, salt, red pepper and black pepper to taste in a large bowl. Stir in the arugula and mushrooms.

Sprinkle cheese on bottom of crust; pour egg mixture into pan to two-thirds full. Set pan on a baking sheet to catch drips. Bake until quiche is set and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.

Note: For a single-serve, lower-calorie version, skip the crust and pour the batter directly into ovenproof ramekins. Cooking time also will be shorter.

Per serving: 246 calories; 17 grams fat; 8.5 grams saturated fat; 103 milligrams cholesterol; 10 grams carbohydrate; 14 grams protein; 732 milligrams sodium; 0 grams fiber

- Recipe and analysis from the Chicago Tribune, a Tribune Publishing newspaper

Menu

Steamed vegetables

Quiche with cheese, arugula and mushrooms

Cupcakes

Sauvignon blanc

Analyses

The nutrition analyses accompanying recipes in today's Taste section were calculated by registered dietitian Jodie Shield, except where noted

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