Crustless Apple and Sausage Quiche: A  Healthier Quiche Option

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

By Chef Oonagh Williams
Award-Winning Gluten-Free Chef

I love quiche, but I dislike having to make crust for the bottom so I started making crustless quiches. If you use traditional ingredients of 4 eggs, 1 cup cream, 1 cup cheese plus other ingredients, it is definitely high in fat and calories. I am sharing this recipe during the COVID-19 pandemic and a close girlfriend and I will spend hours on the phone talking and food is always part of the conversation. This quiche is based on a recipe she told me about, from a nutritionist. It uses a mix of whole eggs and liquid egg substitute which I often do in other recipes. I don’t care for the taste or texture of just egg substitute. Evaporated milk takes the place of heavy cream. This is one of the recipes I recently taped at home for New Hampshire’s ABC WMUR Cook’s Corner. At the time of sharing this recipe with you it has not aired but be on the lookout for it in the near future!

Preparation

• One medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped. I use Gala, Fuji, or Braeburn apples. The original recipe said Granny Smith.
• 2 tsp oil. I use avocado or almond. Olive oil if you trust the source. 
• 5 oz can of evaporated milk. Evaporated milk adds the rich creaminess of cream without the same calories. 
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup egg substitute to replace 2 whole eggs, making the equivalent of 4 eggs in total. Check the label as not all are labeled gluten-free and some contain onion, garlic, bell peppers which made my pancakes taste really strange the first time I made that mistake. Whoops.
• 3/4 cup or 3 oz of strong cheese. 
• 1 packet of Al Fresco apple and maple sausage, fully cooked chicken sausage.
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard, optional. I don’t add the mustard but my friend thinks it adds a great flavor.
• 1/4 tsp dried rubbed sage, optional. I often don’t add sage.
• 1/2 tsp salt, pepper

How to Cook

1. Cook onion and apple with oil together in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl for a few minutes, until soft. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cut sausage into thin slices and stir it into the onion mix. The original recipe fries the sausage, I thought it made sausage harder. How you cook it is up to you.
3. Stir in evaporated milk which will cool the mix.
4. Then add eggs and egg substitute and mix well.
5. Stir in cheese and some salt and pepper. Mustard and sage if you want.
6. Pour into a greased, deep 9” pie plate.  I tend to use a skillet that size as it’s deeper.
7. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. Quiche will puff slightly and will be set but creamy in the center. The original recipe cooked at 400 for 25–30 minutes. I always cook quiches at 350 to keep them creamy.
8. Remove from the oven, leave to set for about 5 minutes and serve. I prefer quiches warm, not hot.

Make variations with corn, bell pepper, crab, broccoli, spinach, different cheeses, but using the same 2 whole eggs, ½ cup egg substitute and 5 oz can of evaporated milk. 

You can find Chef Oonagh Williams at Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh on Facebook, LinkedIn or her website. Chef Oonagh has a culinary arts degree, celiac disease and other food allergies. Remember most real food is naturally gluten-free until manufacturers ‘mess’ around with it and only baking really needs changing.