This Leek Quiche with Spaghetti Squash has been a hit in my household and everyone in my household keep asking me to make it over and over again. It is delicious, rich, comforting. You will love it! Check it out!
Grab a seat and brew some coffee, I gotta story for ya
This Leek Quiche with Spaghetti Squash has been a hit in my household and everyone in my household keep asking me to make it over and over again. It is delicious, rich, comforting. You will love it! Check it out!
Sometimes, I walk toward my kitchen and wonder "What was I thinking?" when I purchased all these vegetables. You know what I'm talking about? I mean, whatever I was thinking must have been a positive thought, right? An effort to eat healthy, to make more veggie-based meals. I love a good veggie-based meal, trust me. However, sometimes, it just seems that those veggies aren't eaten fast enough before they spoil and go bad.
That's the dilemma I found myself in when I had so many Spaghetti Squashes and Leeks left in my fridge. Spaghetti Squash is actually a cool veggie. She is laid back and worry-free. She can hang out on your kitchen counter for a few days. I love this squash because it's delish with some sauce and cheese and it fills me up. I looove spaghetti squash and my kids do too!
Leeks however, you gotta watch out for her. She is loud and kind of an attention grabber. Leeks will make your fridge stink like nobody's business and soon enough, everybody will be in your business asking you why you bought them after the chocolate milk, also in the fridge, taste like leeks. Yikes!
Leek Quiche with no crust, Fall Quiche, Fall Recipe, Quiche Recipe
Leek, the unsung hero of vegetables
I reached out to my very Frenchie sister and asked her, "What can you do with leeks?", she exclaimed "mais enfin, une quiche aux poireaux!"(but of course, a leek quiche!). It was as if I should have known what to do with leeks. Yeah, she actually, she said that.
I bought the leeks from my local Produce Co-op in Cleveland called City Fresh which offer residents locally harvested seasonal produce at a reasonable price. I mention them in my post about Pumpkin Bread with Homemade Pumpkin Purée.
When I googled recipes, prior to calling my little sister, what I saw wasn't very appetizing. Just leeks pan-fried or in soups. I don't mind soups, actually I love soup but I wasn't in the mood for that. (I was pregnant at the time so my tasting palate was very picky.)
Soup and quiches were amazing with leeks especially in the Fall season. They have a taste very close to onions but softer and more earthy. They taste delicious but when cooking, they can make everything stink, so be aware of that!
So after searching the internet, I got the taste for a yummy Savory Pie of some sort. For that reason, I decided to make a Leek Quiche or should I say, une quiche aux poireaux.
A decadent Quiche with a rich and flavorful filling
I love a good Savory Pie.
Traditional quiches have a rich filling made with cream, cheese and eggs with a soft puff pie crust. The filling can be customized to your liking, with or without meat. However, I felt like adding turkey sausages for some extra protein.
I had ground turkey in the freezer so I turned it into easy homemade turkey sausage for extra flavor.
I had all my recipe together planned in my head and I was super excited to give it a go. However, the recipe was still not complete. I needed a crust. Without a crust, it will be a crustless quiche that we make already in my country of origin (Tunisia) and we call it Tajine ( not to be confused with the Moroccan Tajine). I didn't want tajine and I know the kids wouldn't want that either.
I knew the solution was hidden in the Spaghetti Squash chilling on my kitchen counter.
A Spaghetti Squash Crust? Yes m'am!
I didn't know it was possible to make a crust with spaghetti squash. I've made many crusts for pizza such as Cauliflower pizza crust or even Broccoli. But Spaghetti squash is different, because, just like the name suggests, it has a spaghetti-like texture. How am I supposed to transform spaghetti squash into a crust? Let alone a quiche crust with a heavy filling?
Don't threaten me with a good challenge!
Well the answer is quite simple actually because apparently, spaghetti squash can be easily smashed. The process of creating a Spaghetti Squash Crust starts with cutting it, baking it and forking it like you usually do when you serve it as a spaghetti bowl. The next step would be to put the squash meat in a bowl and smash it with a potato masher. Then you add eggs and cheese to make it all hold together when baking. Of course don't forget seasoning such as salt, pepper and, parsley.
The crust has to be baked on its own first so it doesn't mix with the filling. Once it's baked, you can add the filling, bake it again and serve!
Is this recipe open to change?
Before we address that, let me tell you something. The recipe is amazing. So simple and yet so flavorful. It is filling but also veggie-packed. One slice of this quiche and you got yourself a full meal. Serve it with a simple green salad, and you are good to go!
Now, I know you might want to change it because you probably have a squash in your kitchen and you don't know what to do with it. I got you.
This recipe is super open to change. She has a growth mindset, just like me. When I made this recipe, I used what I had. I always have eggs, cheese, cream, parsley and green onions in my pantry because I know, if I have those ingredients, I have a recipe.
The veggies were purchased during their peak season time so they were cheap. Don't hesitate to change the veggies, try something new, or use those veggies that are screaming to be eaten in the deep end of your fridge (we've all been there, friend).
I was trying to use my veggies and ended up creating a healthy, delicious savory pie totally from scratch. However, you can take as many shortcuts as you would like. Don't hesitate to use store-bought turkey sausage or turkey bacon or whatever tickles your fancy. Furthermore, you can take the more traditional route and use a pre-made pie crust.
I don't judge rather I support you.
But I will be showing you how to bake this scrumptious Leek Quiche Pie with Spaghetti Squash from scratch so let's go friend.
Can I store this Leek Quiche without compromising the flavor?
Yes, it can be stored very well, thanks to its veggie crust and rich, creamy filling.
If there are leftovers, which I doubt, they can be stored in the fridge for 3 or 4 days.
However, the last time I made this recipe, my labor began and I ended up going to the hospital before even having a taste (I ended up smelling like leek during the delivery though lol). I left the Leek Quiche in the fridge for the family and froze the other one.
Upon my return, I left the Leek Quiche to thaw on the kitchen counter, popped in a 400F oven for 15 minutes and served it. It tasted delicious. I would say, don't freeze for longer than a month since the Leek Quiche is made with fresh ingredients.
Spread your Spaghetti Squash Mixture into a your pie pan.
It could take about 1 cup to 1 1/2 cup of mixture to cover your pie pan.
Bake your Spaghetti Squash Quiche crust for 20 minutes until it begins to brown around thee edges.
Get your filling ready.
Add the Sausage and Leek mixture to the bare crust.
Add the egg mixture, sprinkle cheese and finish with the pieces of cream cheese.
Find the Recipe Here
Ingredients:
This recipe will yield 2 Leek Quiches with Spaghetti Squash Crust.
Spaghetti Squash Crust
Turkey Sausage
Quiche Filling
Directions:
Start with the crust:
Preheat your oven to 400F.
Wash the Spaghetti Squashes, cut them in half and remove the seeds. Drizzle the olive oil, season them with salt and pepper and let them bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until they are soft and cooked.
With a fork, scrap all the squash meat and let it cool for few minutes. Place a clean towel in a bowl and transfer all that squash meat on top of that towel. Close the towel and twist tight so you can squeeze all the extra water left in the squash. Make sure the squash is not too hot so you can handle the twisting. Place the squash meat in a bowl and with a potato smasher, smash your squash until smooth. Let it cool for 20 minutes.
Once your squash has cooled down, add your two beaten eggs, cheese, parsley and seasoning. Mix well.
Spray your pie dish with oil, cover it with baking sheet, and spray it again.
With a spoon, cover your pie dish with the squash mixture until you cover it completely. Make sure to flatten the mixture and that there's no hole. It should be even all across the bottom and the sides.
Bake it in the oven for no longer than 20 minutes until it has settled and the edges are starting to brown.
Remove from the oven and let it cool down while you prepare the filling.
Make the turkey sausage:
In a bowl, mix your turkey sausage with the seasoning.
Roll the sausage into meatballs. Spray a cookie sheet with oil and place your meatballs.
Bake in the already preheated 400F oven for 12 to 15 minutes.
Remove form the oven and let it cool.
Chop the meatballs into chunky pieces. Set aside.
Make the filling:
Wash your leeks and slice them thinly. Place in in a pan with the oil and cook them on medium heat until they are soft and slightly caramelized for about 12 to 15 minutes. Let them cool down and add them to the turkey sausages.
In a bowl, beat 3 eggs, 1/2 cup cream, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Mix well.
Cut the cream cheese into small squares.
Assemble the Quiche:
Add the egg mixture, sprinkle cheese and finish with the pieces of cream cheese.
Now that your crust is half-baked, place the turkey sausage and leeks on the crust.
Follow with 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.
Pour on it the egg/cream mixture and finish with 1/4 of the cream cheese block.
Bake it in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the top of the quiche is golden brown.
Remove from the oven. Let it cool for few minutes. Serve.
Repeat the process with the rest of the ingredients for the second Leek Quiche.
Bon Appétit!