Spinach and Gruyere Cheese Quiche with a Hash Brown Crust

Eggs, spinach, onions and peppers and nutty glorious Gruyere cheese all nestled in a hash brown crust. What’s not to like?
There is no need to feel guilty slicing into this no matter how beautiful it is. I used 6 egg whites and 4 eggs to cut down on the cholesterol which let me add some cheese into this. If I had used all eggs I would have omitted the cheese but Gruyere cheese pairs perfectly with spinach and I really wanted it in this quiche.

It’s fairly simple to make this crust too.
First, grab yourself a springform pan. Pour a tiny bit of oil and brush is around and then line it with parchment paper and grease the top of the paper too.


2. Next you want to get all those glorious hashbrowns partially cooked through so they are crispy and not soggy.

Tip! You can use real potatoes or frozen hash browns for the crust. Either way, you’ll want to make sure they are completely thawed and then s-q-u-e-e-z-e out any moisture that’s in the potatoes. Don’t skip this step or you’ll have a soggy mess.

Then just push them in the pan and up the sides.


3. Get that in a preheated oven at 350 for about 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes look crispy.

4. As that’s cooking, grab a small sauté pan and cook the onions, peppers and garlic over low heat for about 8-10 minutes or until they are soft. Add an entire container of spinach, yes the whole thing, because as it wilts it cooks down to almost nothing.


5. While that is cooling on the stove, mix up your eggs, Canadian bacon, milk, salt and pepper and cheese in a bowl. Add the cooled veggies and pour it all into your hash brown crust.


6. Bake it in a preheated oven at 350 for 45 min.


7. And you end up with this B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L quiche!!

SPINACH AND GRUYERE CHEESE QUICHE WITH A HASH BROWN CRUST

INGREDIENTS
For the Hash Brown Crust:
  • 1 pkg frozen hash browns, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 2 Tablespoons organic butter, melted
  • 1 organic egg
  • A sprinkle of onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasonings, salt & pepper
For the Quiche:
  • 1/4 cup organic red pepper, diced
  • 1/4 cup organic green pepper, diced
  • 1/4 cup organic onion, diced
  • 2 cloves organic garlic, minced
  • 6 organic egg whites and 3 organic eggs
  • 1/2 cup organic whole milk
  • 1 1/2 cups Gruyere cheese
  • 1 pkg organic baby spinach
  • 3-4 slices Canadian bacon (or regular bacon)

INSTRUCTIONS
For the Hash Brown Crust:
  1. Add a little olive oil to the bottom of a spring form pan and line with parchment paper, including the sides. Brush with more oil on top of the parchment paper. Set aside
  2. Combine the hash browns, melted butter, egg and spices in a bowl and put them in the pan pushing them up the sides
  3. Cook in a preheated oven at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until the hash browns start to crisp up

For the Quiche:
  1. In a small pan, over low/medium heat, add a Tablespoon of oil and sauté the onions, pepper and garlic for 8-10 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the spinach and cook another few minutes over low heat until wilted. Set aside to cool
  2. In a bowl, combine the eggs, egg whites, milk, cheese and bacon. Add the cooled onions and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper and pour into the hash brown crust pan
  3. Reduce the heat to 350 and bake for 45 minutes

NOTES
© HappilyUnprocessed. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words AND link back to this post
Recipe Source: HappilyUnprocessed.com
I used all organic ingredients when making this recipe, and hope you do too!