A nutty flaky wholemeal crust, creamy custard and fresh green vegetables combine to make this light, but flavoursome vegetarian spring quiche recipe. Expect tender asparagus, sweet peas, spring onions and fragrant chives in every bite. Pair it with buttery new potatoes and a feisty watercress salad for a satisfying meal, or enjoy a slice alongside a crisp salad for a light and refreshing lunch.
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I adore asparagus season. It’s so short you don’t have time to get bored with this tender and tasty spring vegetable. It pairs perfectly with eggs which makes an asparagus quiche one of spring’s “must bakes”.
Dive Right In
- Why Make Vegetarian Spring Quiche?
- Vegetarian Spring Quiche?
- Ingredients
- How To Make Vegetarian Spring Quiche
- Spring Quiche FAQs
- Other Asparagus Recipes You Might Like
- Keep In Touch
- The Recipe
Why Make Vegetarian Spring Quiche?
There are so many good reasons as to why you might want to make my vegetarian spring quiche. Not least of which is that it’s so delicious. Here are a few more reasons should you need them.
- Celebrate The Season – The recipe features some of the best spring produce and includes vibrant asparagus, peas, spring onions and chives.
- Delicious Leftovers – Quiche tastes just as good the next day, so if you have any leftovers they’re ideal as a second meal.
- Flavoursome – The combination of nutty wholemeal pastry, creamy custard and tender spring vegetables creates a mouthwatering flavour profile that’s sure to please the palate.
- Healthy Choice – As this quiche is vegetarian, it offers a lighter alternative to traditional quiche Lorraine, without compromising on flavour. It’s packed with nutrient-rich ingredients and the wholemeal crust turns it into a wholesome and satisfying meal.
- Make Ahead Convenience – Quiches are ideal to make ahead of time as they’re delicious served warm or at room temperature. So if you like to entertain guests without last minute hassles or want to prepare for a busy day ahead, this vegetarian spring quiche is just the ticket.
- Pairs Well with Side Dishes – Quiche complements a variety of side dishes such as new potatoes, fresh salads, roasted veg and steamed greens.
- Perfect for Gatherings – Whether it’s a family brunch, a potluck or picnic, this vegetarian spring quiche serves as an excellent centrepiece. It’ll be a hit with vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.
- Versatile – Quiches are incredibly versatile as you can enjoy them for brunch, lunch, or dinner. With this recipe you can swap the veg or cheese to allow for individual tastes and what you have available.
Vegetarian Spring Quiche
The British have been eating quiche ever since I can remember. Cheese and onion quiche was a regular on our table when I was growing up. Complete with wholemeal pastry, of course. Luckily it doesn’t seem to have lost its popularity.
Quiches are just brilliant for brunches, light lunches, main meals, gatherings and picnics. You can make them ahead, they offer a complete and satisfying meal and are robust enough to transport easily if needed.
So many quiches have bits of bacon or ham tucked away inside, it can sometimes be very hard to tell if it’s suitable for vegetarians or not. I have been caught out more times than I care to remember. Rest assured, this one is entirely vegetarian.
My vegetarian spring quiche is delicious whilst warm from the oven, but equally satisfying when served at room temperature. In fact, when cold, it cuts beautifully cleanly.
Ingredients
There are three separate elements to this vegetarian spring quiche, so the list of ingredients is relatively long. Don’t be put off though, this bake is worth every one of them.
Dairy
To keep this spring quiche a bit lighter and fresher than others, I’ve used goat’s cheese to give that salty umami pop. It works wonderfully well. Any type of soft goat’s cheese will do.
Having said that, if you’d prefer to use a hard goat’s cheese or any other type of cheese, go right ahead. For hard cheeses, it’s best to grate them rather than cut or crumble.
For this quiche I like to use a mix of double cream and milk. This gives the best texture, but still keeps things light. You can use whole milk instead of cream, but the custard will be softer and might not hold its shape as well when cut.
Crème fraîche make a good alternative to cream. It gives the quiche a subtle tang which works well with the spring vegetables.
You also need butter for the pastry. I use unsalted butter and add in a pinch of salt. This seems counterintuitive, but unsalted butter is creamier than salted.
And finally, I use yoghurt to make my shortcrust pastry. It makes the dough really easy to handle and roll and produces a lovely flaky and tasty result.
Eggs
Eggs are essential for making a classic quiche. If you’re vegan you can use alternatives such as gram flour. Whilst they’ll produce a very tasty bake, it’s hard to get that creamy custard consistency.
I use two large eggs for a quiche this size. Duck eggs are ideal if you can get them. If you only have medium, go for three. Whilst it might be tempting to add more, too many eggs can make the custard rubbery.
Flour
Wholemeal flour makes for a lovely flaky-textured and nutty flavoured pastry. It’s also much healthier than refined white flours. If you’re not used to using it and are a bit unsure, try a mixture of half plain white and half wholemeal to get you started.
I use wholemeal spelt flour as it’s great for baking. It’s also considered to be even better for the digestive system than ordinary wholemeal flour. It is pricier though and not always easy to get hold of.
Spring Vegetables
One of the highlights of spring for me is asparagus, so that’s a must for this quiche. However, it might not be your favourite vegetable or it might be hard to get hold of.
Really any green spring vegetables will work in this quiche. Go with what you have. I’ve used asparagus, spring onions (scallions), peas and chives. However, broad beans, purple sprouting broccoli and spinach are all good. And maybe swap the chives for fresh mint or dill.
Just soften them before they go into the pastry crust. Either lightly fry or blanch, depending on the type of vegetable. Peas and herbs don’t need pre-cooking, but pretty much everything else does.
How To Make Vegetarian Spring Quiche
Once you’ve made the pastry crust, the rest of the quiche preparation is really easy and doesn’t take long at all. The quiche does take a while to bake though, so you’ll need to factor that in.
Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions, timings and quantities of ingredients used.
Step 1. Make Pastry
Cool is the key to pastry making. Too much heat and the butter can melt which results in tough or rubbery pastry. For a nice flaky result, take the butter out of the fridge just before using and cut it into cubes. If you have cold hands so much the better.
In a large bowl, rub the butter into the flour and salt with your fingertips until the mixture resembles rough breadcrumbs. It doesn’t matter if there are small lumps of butter left. In fact it’s the butter pieces which helps to create a light and flaky pastry.
Make a well in the centre and add the yoghurt and water. Using a round bladed knife, stir from the inside out until the mixture more or less comes together. If it needs a little more water, add it, but be careful not to make the pastry wet. It usually needs less than you think.
Bring it all together with your hands and form it into a ball of dough. Flatten it slightly, then place it back in the bowl and cover it with a plate or plastic bag so the pastry doesn’t dry out. Leave in a cool place to rest for half an hour.
If you want to make the pastry the day before, that’s fine. Just make sure that if you’ve kept it in the fridge, you take it out a good half an hour before you need it so it can reach room temperature. Cold pastry easily cracks and breaks when rolled.
Step 2. Prepare Veg
Allow the peas to thaw if using frozen ones. Pod fresh peas.
Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus spears, then cut them into four or five pieces.
Fry them in the oil over a moderate heat for two to three minutes to soften them.
Meanwhile, finely slice the spring onions. Add them to the pan and fry for a further minute. The spring onions should be translucent but not browned. Remove the pan from the heat.
Finely snip the chives and, depending on the maturity of your goat’s cheese, either cut or crumble it into small pieces.
Step 3. Prepare Custard
Break the eggs into a suitably sized jug or bowl and pour the cream and milk into a measuring jug.
Using a fork, whisk the eggs together with the salt and pepper. Keep going until the eggs are thoroughly mixed.
Add the cream and milk and whisk again until smooth.
Step 4. Assemble
Lightly grease your tart tin, then roll the pastry out into a circle. I recommend a loose bottomed tart tin (affiliate link), it makes removing the pastry once cooked so much easier. Using the rolling pin, lift it up and lay it over the tin. Press the pastry into the tin with your fingers making sure it fits into all the grooves. Finally, trim the edges with a knife.
Gather any bits of leftover pastry together. You can use it to make these cinnamon swirls.
Lay the asparagus and spring onions over the base in an even layer, then add the peas. Scatter the chives over the top, followed by the cheese.
Gently pour the egg mix over everything.
Step 5. Bake Quiche
Being careful not to spill the filling, place the quiche on the middle shelf of your preheated oven. If you spill the filling it will make removing the pastry from the tin later a little awkward – as I know to my cost.
Bake until the top is set, golden and nicely risen. It will deflate and become flat as it cools.
Allow to stand for five to ten minutes before serving. This makes it easier to slice. It’s delicious eaten warm or at room temperature, but not so good cold from the fridge.
It will last for three days if left covered in the fridge. But as it’s much nicer eaten at room temperature than cold, take it out an hour before eating.
Top Tip
Although you won’t get a soggy bottom if you use a metal tin for your quiche, it won’t be super crisp either. If you like a crisp crust, you’ll need to bake the pastry shell prior to adding the filling. Personally, I don’t think it needs it and it’s one more step as well as expense.
Spring Quiche FAQs
A mix of double cream and milk gives the best texture, but still keeps things light. You can use just milk instead of cream, but the custard will be softer and might not hold its shape as well when cut.
If you use only milk, ensure it’s whole milk and not skimmed or semi-skimmed.
No, you don’t need to blind bake your pastry case prior to filling it. If you use a metal tin for your quiche, you won’t get a soggy bottom. The pastry holds together well, but it won’t be super crisp either.
If you like a crisp crust, you’ll need to bake the pastry shell prior to adding the filling. Personally, I don’t think it needs it and it’s one more step as well as expense.
Assuming you don’t eat it all on the day of baking, a vegetable quiche will last for three days if left covered in the fridge. As it’s much nicer eaten at room temperature than cold, take it out an hour before eating.
Resting the dough allows the flour to absorb the liquids properly and the gluten in the flour to relax. This not only makes it easier to roll the dough, but helps to prevent it shrinking whilst baking.
Other Asparagus Recipes You Might Like
- Asparagus frittata with peas and mint
- Cornish asparagus risotto
- Green vegetable galette
- Quinoa salad with watercress, walnuts and blue cheese
- Simple griddled asparagus
- Vegetarian salade niçoise
Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make these vegetarian spring quiche, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or advice for making vegetarian quiche?
Please rate the recipe. If you post pictures of your creations on social media, use the hashtag #tinandthyme so I can see them.
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If you’d like more spring recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.
Choclette x
Vegetarian Spring Quiche. PIN IT.
Vegetarian Spring Quiche
Ingredients
Pastry
- 200 g wholemeal flour (I used spelt)
- 1 pinch fine sea or rock salt
- 115 g unsalted butter fridge cold and cut into cubes
- 2 tbsp natural yogurt
- 1 tbsp water
Filling
- ½ tsp olive oil
- 100 g asparagus spears (6-8)
- 2 spring onions (scallions)
- 75 g peas (fresh or frozen)
- 12 chives
- 75 g soft goat’s cheese cut into pieces or crumbled
Custard
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ tsp fine sea or rock salt
- good grinding of black pepper
- 125 ml double cream
- 75 ml milk
Instructions
Pastry
- In a large bowl, rub the flour, salt and butter together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.200 g wholemeal flour, 1 pinch fine sea or rock salt, 115 g unsalted butter
- Make a well in the centre and add the yoghurt and water. Using a round bladed knife, stir from the inside out until the mixture more or less comes together. If it needs a little more water, add it, but be careful not to make the pastry wet.2 tbsp natural yogurt, 1 tbsp water
- Bring it all together with your hands and form it into a ball. Flatten it slightly, then place it back in the bowl and cover it with a plate or plastic so the pastry doesn’t dry out. Leave in a cool place to rest for half an hour.
Filling
- Thaw the peas if using frozen ones.75 g peas
- Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus spears, then cut them into four or five pieces.100 g asparagus spears
- Fry them in the oil over a moderate heat for two to three minutes to soften them.½ tsp olive oil
- Meanwhile, finely slice the spring onions. Add them to the pan and fry for a further minute. The spring onions should be translucent but not browned. Remove the pan from the heat.2 spring onions (scallions)
- Finely snip the chives and either cut or crumble the goat’s cheese into small pieces.12 chives, 75 g soft goat’s cheese
Custard
- Using a fork, whisk the eggs together with the salt and pepper in a suitably sized jug or bowl. Add the cream and milk and whisk again until smooth.2 large eggs, ¼ tsp fine sea or rock salt, good grinding of black pepper, 125 ml double cream, 75 ml milk
Assembly
- Set the oven to 180℃ (160℃ fan, 350℉, Gas 4).
- Roll the pastry out into a circle of about 4mm (a bit more than an ⅛ inch) in thickness. Using the rolling pin, lift it up and lay it over a lightly greased 23 cm (9″) loose bottom tart tin. Press the pastry into the tin with your fingers making sure it fits into all the grooves. Trim the edges with a knife.
- Lay the asparagus and spring onions over the base in an even layer, then add the peas. Scatter the chives over the top, followed by the cheese.
- Gently pour the egg mix over everything.
- Bake in the centre of the oven for 40-45 minutes or until the top is set, golden and nicely risen. It will deflate and become flat as it cools.
- Allow to stand for five to ten minutes before serving. Eat warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
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