The Best Ever Spinach and Onion Quiche

Spinach and onion quiche is one of those things I start to crave as soon as winter wraps up and the weather begins to warm. Served alongside a fresh salad and some buttered fingerling potatoes, it makes the perfect springtime lunch. Add in a glass of rosé and a quick nap and you’ve created my ultimate Sunday afternoon.

This recipe is from my parents, and it’s tough to beat. Whenever I try a different version, I always find myself comparing it to this old classic. And more often than not, this one wins. It’s like they say: if it ain’t broke, make this spinach and onion quiche.

How to Make the Pastry (and Why Even Bother)

I’m no chef; I’m a home cook. And I’m not about to get on my high horse and tell you it’s absolutely necessary to make your crust from scratch. Sometimes, after a hectic day, you just want a quiche and you just want it quickly. I hear that. And to all the busy cooks, I say: it’s a-ok to use store-bought pastry. I recommend the Trader Joe’s brand, which is sold in sheets. If you prefer to buy a ready-made pie crust already in a tin, just be sure it’s deep dish style so you have enough room for the filling.

All that said, if you have the time and the desire, I highly recommend giving the homemade pastry a try. There’s something satisfying about rolling out your own dough, folding down the edges, and serving a rustic quiche that you made with your own two hands. And this dead easy recipe results in a melt-in-your-mouth buttery crust that makes it worth the extra time and effort.

With a Food Processor

The easiest path to homemade pastry is with a food processor. For this method, just add flour and salt to the processor bowl, drop in cold butter and pulse until there are no pieces of butter larger than a pea remaining. Then, add the egg and cold water mixture and pulse again until it begins to come together. Take the lid off and pinch a bit of the dough between your fingers. If it holds it shape without fighting you, it’s ready. If, however, it doesn’t stick together all that well, add a half a tablespoon of cold water, and pulse again. Repeat the pinch test until your dough is moist enough to stick together. Then, empty it out onto your work surface and shape it lightly into a ball.

By Hand

No food processor? No worries. To make the crust by hand, freeze and coarsley grate the unsalted butter (yep, just like cheese), and add that to a large bowl along with the flour and salt. Work it all together with a pastry cutter or by hand until there are no pieces of butter bigger than a pea remaining. Then, add the egg and cold water mixture and knead it together lightly. If your dough comes together easily at this point, without feeling too crumbly, great. If not, add water, a half a tablespoon at a time, and lightly work it into the dough until it comes together. Then shape it into a ball.

Shape and Chill

Whether you used a food processor or did it all by hand, the method’s the same from here on out. Shape your dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic film, and place it in the fridge to rest for about an hour. Don’t skip this step, it’s important. Chilling the dough relaxes the gluten, resulting in a tender dough that won’t shrink in the oven.

Roll it Out

Here’s the fun part. Once your dough has chilled, lay it on a lightly floured surface and begin to roll it out, maintaining its circular shape.

The goal here is to create a circle 12 inches in diameter. You want about an inch and a half of a border showing on all sides when you place your pan on the center of the dough.

Line the Tin

Once you’re done rolling, transfer the dough to the pan. Insider tip straight from my mom: if your pastry is stuck to your surface, a great way to free it is to use unflavored dental floss. Just shimmy it back and forth under the pastry until it pops free.

When placing the pastry in the tin, a gentle touch is the name of the game. Be careful not to to tear the dough (you don’t want leaks!) or to stretch it, as this will cause the crust to shrink in the oven. I’ve found the easiest way to transfer it successfully is to fold it into fourths, and place it in the pan so that the corner is centered. (I was off the mark in the photo, but don’t worry: I adjusted.) Then, open the dough back up.

Voila!

After the dough is positioned, fold the edges back so that the top of the crust sits just above the edge of the pan. To clarify, you fold the edges out, sandwiching them between the dough and the quiche tin. Then, press the dough into the sides of the tin and even it it all out. Finally, give it one last check to make sure there are no holes or cracks in the shell. You don’t want the egg mixture to leak out once you pour it in. Speaking from experience on this one.

Blind Bake

Now that your quiche crust is ready, stick it in the freezer for about 15 minutes to firm up. Then, line it with parchment paper (it helps to wrinkle it up first so it’s more pliable), fill it with pie weights, and stick it on a baking sheet on a middle shelf in the oven to blind bake for about 15 minutes. (Blind baking ensures that your crust can cook fully. No soggy bottoms, here. Not today.) After fifteen minutes, take it out of the oven, lift out the parchment paper and pie weights, and check on the color. Don’t tough the pie weights themselves; they’ll be hot! The crust should have lost its rawness and have a bit of a golden hue to it. If it still looks too pale, pop it back in (without the weights) for another couple of minutes. Once it’s done, set it aside while you prepare the filling.

Then, all that’s left to do is fill it with sautéed onions, spinach, and cheese and put it back in the oven to bake. Congratulations, your spinach and onion quiche is done.

Sky’s the Limit

There are tons of different varieties of quiche out there. And while spinach and onion quiche may be my personal favorite, you can mix up the ingredients to satisfy just about any craving. Just drop your chosen fillings in the par-baked crust and fill ‘er up with enough egg mixture to allllllmost reach the top. The golden ratio to remember is 1/2 cup of half and half for every egg.

That’s all there is to it! Serve at room temperature or slightly warm alongside a light salad and enjoy!