There is just something about roasting mushrooms and shallots that enhances their already scrumptious flavors. And, when combined with the nutty flavors of arugula and Gruyere cheese, plus the tangy flavor of feta cheese, these roasted veggies hop into a fabulous quiche for Easter Sunday brunch! You can make this quiche a day or two ahead of time and reheat, too, which makes it easy to get brunch on the table.
You can also make this quiche in several steps by preparing the veggies and crust ahead of time to make assembly easy for a busy holiday brunch. We used liquid egg whites, but you can also use the equivalent of fresh egg whites, too.
Arugula is especially fun in this dish, but if you prefer spinach, feel free to substitute that for the arugula. In fact, you can use this basic egg white quiche recipe and substitute different cheeses, veggies, or even breakfast meats using the same formula. Toss in your favorite flavors to make your perfect quiche!
The one thing to remember about leafy greens such as spinach, arugula, or even chard is to precook the veggies until the liquid is evaporated to prevent the quiche from being too runny.
Easter Egg White Mushroom Quiche with Shallots, Arugula, Feta & Gruyere
Ingredients
Pie crust
- 1 pie crust recipe below, or can use packaged crust
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter 6 oz.
- 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
- 1/4-1/2 cup ice-cold water
Filling
- 2 large shallots peeled and sliced into quarters or eighths lengthwise
- 1 lb. sliced cremini mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 10 oz. arugula 10-12 cups
- 1 cup grated Gruyere
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Custard:
- 1 cup egg whites
- 1 cup half & half
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Prepare the Veggies:
Mushrooms and Shallots
- Season mushrooms and shallots with lemon pepper, salt and pepper and toss in olive before roasting.
- Preheat oven to 425 F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.Season the mushrooms and shallots with lemon pepper, salt, and pepper.Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil over all and toss well to coat mushrooms and shallots.Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until veggies begin to brown and become aromatic.Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.
Arugula
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet, and add arugula. until limp and liquid is evaporated.Add mushroom-shallot mixture to the arugula and mix well.
- Place veggies in the bottom of your prepared and partially baked crust (see directions below).Distribute both the feta and Gruyere evenly over the veggies.Set all aside for the moment while you prepare the custard.
- Saute arugula until limp and moisture evaporates before mixing with roasted mushrooms and shallots.
Prepare the Custard
- Whisk eggs whites, half and half, salt, and white pepper together in a bowl.Pour over the veggie and cheese mixture in the crust.Bake at 350 F for about 45 minutes or until custard is set.Remove from oven and allow to sit for at least 10-15 minutes before serving.
- Add roasted mushroom and shallots to sauteed arugula.
Pie crust:
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Fetch a 10-inch pie dish out of the cupboard. (Measure the pie dish across the top of the dish from the inside on one side to the inside on the opposite side.)
- Mix flour and salt in a large bowl.With a pastry cutter or cold fingertips, cut butter into the flour until well integrated.Sprinkle cider vinegar over mixture and stir in well with a fork.Add ice-cold water a little bit at a time and blend with a fork until the dough is moist enough to roll into a ball, but not too wet.Roll into one large ball for the pie crust and a smaller ball to use for patching your crust.If you don't need the extra dough, you can make cinnamon roll-ups, which are so yummy! (See image below.)
- On a floured cloth or board, roll out pie dough to a circle about 14-15 inches in diameter.Fit the dough circle into a 10-inch pie shell.Roll the extra dough inward and crimp or flute the edges.
- Using a fork, poke holes in the bottom and sides of your crust before blind baking to prevent it from bubbling up.
- With a fork, poke holes in the bottom and sides of the crust.Place a piece of foil over the bottom of the crust and cover the foil with baking weights or dried beans. This prevents the empty crust from bubbling up while baking.Refrigerate the pie crust for about 20-30 minutes before baking.
- For a quiche or a fresh fruit pie, you must partially pre-bake (or blind bake) the crust for about 15 minutes at 400 F just until starting to turn golden.This prevents the crust from becoming soggy once you pour in the custard. You don’t need to do this if you are actually baking fruit filling in your pie crust, like a blueberry or apple pie, but for a quiche, a cream pie, or a fresh fruit pie, you will want to prebake the crust.
- So, bake this crust at 400 F for 12-15 minutes.Then remove it from the oven and cool completely.Once cooled, remove the foil with the baking weights or beans, and fill the crust with quiche filling.Proceed to bake the quiche at 350 F for about 45 minutes, or until set.
