“In our opinion, the best part of any quiche or pie is the crust . . . and this crust has it all—it’s flaky, crumbly, golden, and nutty,” say authors Tamara Green and Sarah Grossman of The Living Kitchen cookbook. “We’ve made this Pesto Vegetable quiche for clients who are undergoing treatment and needed an alternative to white flour crusts, and everyone always loves it—you will too. You can make this Pesto Vegetable quiche in advance and store it in the fridge to eat for several days. Just reheat it in the oven or toaster oven, and serve it with a small salad or soup, or have it on its own on those days when you can’t eat heavier meals. It’s perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.”
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Pesto Vegetable Quiche
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 3 Tbsp sesame seeds
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Pesto:
- 1 cup packed basil leaves
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup raw pine nuts or raw sunflower seeds
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove
- ¼ tsp sea salt
Filling:
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup unsweetened dairy-free milk
- ½ cup diced shallots or yellow onion
- 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup chopped spinach
- ½ cup red pepper diced
- ¼ tsp sea salt
Extra Boosts:
- 1/3 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- Small handful of sprouts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- For the crust, in a large bowl mix the chickpea flour, rolled oats, sesame seeds, and salt together. Make a well in the middle of the bowl and pour in the water and olive oil. Use your hands to form the dough into a ball. If it’s too dry and won’t make a ball, gradually add a few spoonfuls of water until the dough sticks together.
- Oil a 9-inch pie dish. Place the ball of dough in the middle, and, with your hands, spread it out on the bottom and sides of the dish. Prick a few holes in the dough with a fork to allow steam to escape when baking.
- Bake for 10 minutes and then remove from the oven.
- While the crust is baking, make the pesto. Rinse the basil leaves and dry them well, then put all the pesto ingredients in the food processor and pulse until smooth.
- For the filling, in a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk and set aside.
- Over medium heat, sauté the shallots in the olive oil for 5 minutes, or until translucent. Then add the spinach, peppers, and sea salt for 1 minute.
- Let the vegetables cool down slightly, then fold them into the egg mixture with ¼ cup of the pesto.
- Pour the egg mixture into the pie dish. Bake for 35–45 minutes or until the quiche is firm and the middle is spongy to the touch.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for 2–3 months.
- When you’re ready to eat, garnish with cherry tomatoes and sprouts if you like.
- Simplify this recipe by using store-bought pesto and skipping the step of sautéeing the veggies. Just add them into the egg mixture raw.
- If you aren’t eating chickpeas or other legumes, you can make this into a frittata instead—omit the crust and cook up the filling.
- The pesto recipe makes more than what is needed for the filling, so just freeze the leftover pesto and use it later, or store it in the fridge for up to 4 days, to spread on cooked veggies or noodles.