This spinach and leek quiche recipe is the first savory post for my food blog and I am excited to share the recipe with you. It's a delicious cheesy vegetable quiche full of spinach, leeks with a hint of lemon zest and nutmeg all poured into a flaky buttery pie crust. Perfect for a quick dinner or a light late-night meal.
What is Quiche?
From Wikipedia, a quiche is a savory dish consisting of a pastry crust filled with eggs, milk or cream, and cheese, meat, seafood or vegetables. Quiche can be served hot or cold. It is French in origin (ooh la la) but is adaptable for any cuisine.
The basic part of the quiche is the pastry crust, the eggs and milk (or cream). All the other components including the cheese are add-ins. The suggestion for a quiche came from one of my email subscribers and I've had fun developing this recipe.
How to Make the Pie Crust
The most important tip for making pie dough is to have cold ingredients. That includes butter straight from the refrigerator and ice-cold water. Mix the dry ingredients together first and then pull the other items from the refrigerator as you get ready to use them. I keep a jar of ice water in the refrigerator to ensure that I always have ice water on hand.
Once the dough is finished there should be visible pieces of butter the size of small peas or pebbles in order to achieve flaky results. The butter is trapped between the structure and when it melts from the heat in the oven, steam is created. The process creates the flakiness of a good pie crust.
Chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes allows the dough to relax and the butter to chill. The chilled, rested dough will also be easier to roll out and the crust will be flakier.
How to Par-Bake the Crust
When I originally tested this recipe I fully baked the crust before adding the cooked vegetables and custard filling. But I've learned a lot about prebaking pie crusts and after a few tests decided that par-baking the crust is much better for this recipe.
Par-baking ensures the crust will be fully baked when the filling is done, but also ensures the crust is a beautiful golden brown and flaky. In my original version, the crust was overdone and a little dry.
Preparing the Quiche Filling
Like the pie crust, the main ingredients for the filling can be prepared a day in advance and refrigerated until you are ready to bake the quiche.
The spinach and leeks cook very quickly. The spinach is seasoned with nutmeg and the leeks are seasoned with garlic and lemon zest.
I used a combination of milk and cream because it creates a slightly creamier custard, but you can use all milk for this recipe or half-n-half.
If you make this delicious cheesy quiche please leave a rating and a comment below.
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Spinach and Leek Quiche
Equipment
- 9-inch pie plate
- Non-stick skillet
- Grater
- Pie Weights
Ingredients
Pie Dough
- 1-1/3 cups + 4 teaspoons (177 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour plus more flour for dusting your work surface
- 1 teaspoon (4 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 10 tablespoons (142 grams) cold unsalted butter cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) ice-cold water
Quiche Filling
- 3 cups packed (5 ounces) baby spinach washed and partially dried
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt divided
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 2 cups (169 grams) sliced leeks
- 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 4 large (200 grams) eggs
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) whole milk
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream
- 1/2 cup (35 grams) shredded parmesan
- 1 cup (78 grams) shredded gruyere
Instructions
Pie Dough
- Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes and add it to the flour mixture. Use your fingers or a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles a combination of lima beans and small peas.
- Add 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of the ice water and use a rubber spatula to toss the water and dry ingredients together. Add the remaining water and gently mix it in. The dough will feel and look wet but that is okay.
- Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and press the dough together. Use your fingers to press it out to a 6x8-inch rectangle with the short end facing you. Fold the top third towards the center and then fold the bottom third over the top half.
- Rotate the dough 90 degrees (a quarter turn) so the short edge is facing you. The edges won’t be smooth or completely even which is okay. If the dough is sticking to the work surface, add more flour.
- Again, with your fingers press the dough out to a 6x8-inch rectangle. Fold the top third towards the center and then fold the bottom third over the top half. Repeat this step one more time.
- Shape the dough into a round disk, 1-inch thick and wrap the dough in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 45 minutes. The dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out to a 13-inch circle. Fold the dough into quarters and place it in a 9-inch pie plate. Unfold the dough, so the dough is overhanging the edges. Trim the edges with a sharp knife or kitchen shears so there is about 3/4-inch overhang. Fold the dough under so that the edge is even with the edges of the pie plate. Use a fork to crimp the edges.
- Prick the bottom and sides of the pie dough all over with a fork. This step will help prevent the dough from puffing up during baking. Refrigerate the pie shell for 1 hour or freeze for 30 minutes.
Blind Bake the Pie Dough
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place a half baking sheet in the oven.
- Remove the pie crust from the refrigerator and press a large piece of foil onto the pie dough so the bottom and edges are covered. Fill the pie plate with pie weights or dried beans so the sides of the dough are completely covered.
- Place it in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. The edges of the pie crust should have a little bit of browning on the edges but still be mostly pale. The bottom of the pie crust will look a little wet.
- Remove it from the oven and remove the pie weights and the foil. Return the crust to the oven and bake for another 5-7 minutes. The bottom should look dry or a pale blond color. Remove it from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
Make the Quiche Filling
- While the pie dough is chilling in the refrigerator prep the other ingredients. Wash and partially dry the spinach. Grate the cheeses and chop the garlic.
- For the leeks, slice off the root and tough dark green tops, then split the remaining white/light-green stalk lengthwise. Thoroughly wash the layers under cold running water or soak in a bowl of water, agitating to remove dirt trapped in between the layers. Pat them dry before cooking.
- Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to a non-stick pan and heat on medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add all the spinach and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Reduce the heat to medium and stir continuously until the spinach is completely wilted and the liquid is evaporated. Remove the pan from the heat, add the ground nutmeg and stir it into the spinach. Scrape the spinach onto a paper-towel lined plate to absorb any remaining moisture.
- Add the butter to the same pan and heat on medium heat until it is melted and starts to bubble. Add the leeks and reduce the heat to medium or medium low. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt and cook the leeks for 5-7 minutes (stirring occasionally) until the leeks are soft and wilted. If they start to brown, reduce the heat. Add the chopped garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, zest the lemon onto the leeks and stir it in.
Bake the Quiche
- The oven should be at 350°F.
- In a medium bowl whisk the eggs. Add the milk, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese and whisk to combine. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper.
- Chop the cooked spinach and spread it evenly over the bottom of the par-baked pie crust. Spread the cooked leeks on top of the spinach. Sprinkle the gruyere cheese over the spinach and leeks. Pour the egg and milk mixture over the cheese and vegetables.
- Bake the quiche for 40-45 minutes or until it is puffed and slightly browned on top and the internal temperature is 165-170°F with an instant-read thermometer. The top of the quiche will also be slightly firm to the touch. Remove it from the oven. Let it cool for 15 minutes then serve.NOTE: The baking time may be less if your pie crust is still warm when the vegetables and custard filling are added.
Storing the Quiche
- After the quiche has cooled to room temperature, wrap the quiche tightly with plastic wrap or cover the pie plate with foil and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
KATHLEEN MILES says
The filling got this recipe got one 9” store bought pie crust. It is not enough for two pies!
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Kathleen
This is a recipe for one quiche. The pie dough recipe makes enough dough for two quiches (or two single crust pies), but the recipe filling is for one quiche. There are instructions in the recipe on what to do with the extra pie dough. I hope you enjoyed the quiche.
Cindy says
clever lady! that quiche is delicious!