Quick no-crust or crustless quiches are the new trends these days. This simple and easy recipe for crustless swiss chard quiche is made with sauteed Swiss chard, cottage, and sharp cheddar cheese. Perfect when you want a light and healthy but impressive bake.
Table of Content
One of my challenges with healthy eating in this family is greens. While the kids will munch on broccoli without any fuss somehow the greens need a bit of masking. That goes not just with the kids but Ziv too! Yup hubby can be a big baby when it comes to leaves. He has a mental allergy towards them. BUT, greens are a necessary evil for the body (that what mom used to say)
So the only way I approach it is to make it less obvious. Often they go in wraps, quiches, tortillas and of course soup!!
This quiche is so versatile and works great not just with Swiss chard. I've made it with a few other greens too! The best part? It's simple, easy and effortless for me.
About this quiche
I prefer to call this my crustless quiche in three easy steps.
- Step 1 - Prepare Swiss Chard mixture - this can be done in advance
In fact, you can make this at the beginning of the week. Then prepare the quiche for dinner on the day you need it.
If you have extra Swiss chard lying around and have no time to use it - prepare this mix, cool it and save it in the freezer. - Step II - Prepare Cheese Mixture - This gets done in two minutes because it's simple as whisking them in a bowl.
- Step III - Assemble and Bake!! Assembling takes 2 minutes and the quiche takes about 30 minutes to bake.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Swiss Chard - I've used only Swiss chard in this recipe but if you prefer you can make a combination of spinach and Swiss chard. You can even use all spinach or a combination of your favorites like leeks.
- Cottage Cheese - I like using cottage cheese as it adds more body to the mixture and of course is more healthy compared to cream for a weekday dinner. But by all means, if you prefer the richness of cream go ahead and substitute the cottage cheese with half the amount of cream (in this case ½ cup)
- Cheese - I've used a combination of Cheddar, Gouda and a hint of Parmesan. Gouda and Parmesan are a bit stronger in flavor so they do a great job of emphasizing the cheese flavor without adding too much. Cheddar is a class of its own and one I have on hand all the time. It works great with quiches and pies because the flavor is always perfect.
- Milk - I have substituted the milk with Coconut milk and it's yum.. with a coconut flavor of course. I know a friend who uses Almond milk in all her quiche instead of milk but I have not tried that yet.
Step by step instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 177°C / Gas Mark 4.
- Spray a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Twirl the pan so the breadcrumbs are evenly distributed. Shake off any excess.
Pro tip - Similar to dusting a cake pan with flour, the breadcrumbs will prevent the quiche from sticking to the pan.
Prepare Swiss chard filling
- Clean, wash and pat dry the Swiss Chard. Remove the stalks and chop them small - similar to the onions. Roll up the leaves and chop them roughly so they are not too large.
- In a skillet, over medium heat, add olive oil. Saute the chopped onions, stalks, and garlic for a minute or two until the onions are translucent.
- Add the leaves and let cook on medium-high for about 6 minutes. Make sure you do not have too much liquid in the pan. If you do crank up the heat and let it dry out.
Pro tip - It is important to ensure all the liquid is evaporated otherwise the quiche won't set. - Set aside - keep warm. (this can be done a day ahead and kept in the fridge)
Prepare cheese mixture
- In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs with cottage cheese, flour, and milk.
Pro tip - Use a whisk and break the eggs apart making sure everything is well incorporated. - Season with salt and pepper. Add the Parmesan cheese and set aside.
Assemble & bake
- Spread the cooked Swiss chard filling in the bottom of the pie pan (coated with breadcrumbs).
- Pour the cheese mixture evenly over the greens. Use a fork to help the mixture sink into the greens. Sprinkle the grated cheese. Grate with fresh nutmeg.
Pro tip - Alternatively, you can add the egg mixture to the Swiss chard mixture then pour it all into the pie pan. - Bake in a preheated oven for about 30 minutes. The top should look set - the middle with a slight jiggle which sets as it cools.
- Let the quiche rest for at least 20 minutes before you cut. This will help cool and you will have pretty slices.
Delicious sides with quiche
- Sauteed asparagus or sesame green beans
- Crispy baked parmesan roasted potatoes.
- Garlic dinner rolls or Focaccia
- Kidney beans patties, Spinach potato patties
Frequently asked questions
Absolutely, try spinach, collard greens. Both work beautifully with this recipe.
Yes, You can use store-bought Pie-dough/pâte brisée. Just roll store-bought pie crust or use my homemade pie crust recipe.
Dock it, chill it and blind-bake.
I have given you detailed instructions above with baking times too.
Any cheese you enjoy will work great with this recipe. I like to use a sharp Swiss cheese for my quiches but I am a huge fan of goat cheese so often I will switch to using all goat cheese. Gruyere, Emmantle, a little Parmesan and even a little sprinkle of feta is wonderful. A mix of cheese works well to blend the flavors so none are overpowering.
I usually serve all my quiches warm because I don’t like fridge-cold quiche. Oven-hot quiche won’t make impressive wedges either.
As a guide, I let the quiche cool for a good half hour before serving. The egg mixture cools just enough so it cuts into beautiful and impressive servings.
You can store any leftover quiche wrapped will in the fridge. You can heat it in the microwave for up to a minute or until warm.
Frozen quiche can be baked in the oven from frozen for about 20 minutes at 170 C or 340 F.
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Printable Recipe
Swiss Chard Quiche - Crustless
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Conversions Used
1 lb = 453 grams, 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 stick = 113g, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp= 5 ml,
Ingredients
Swiss Chard filling
- 6 cups (0.50 lb) Swiss chard (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- ½ cup Onion (chopped )
- ½ teaspoon Garlic (minced)
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
Cheese mixture
- 3 Eggs
- 2 tablespoon All-purpose flour (or almond flour)
- 1 cup Cottage cheese
- 1 cup (240 ml) Milk (or almond milk/coconut milk work too)
- 3 tablespoon Parmesan (grated )
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
Topping
- 1 cup Grated cheese (Swiss, Cheddar, Monterey Jack)
- 2 tablespoon Dry breadcrumbs
- ¼ teaspoon Grated nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F /177°C/Gas Mark 4
- Spray a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Twirl the pan so the breadcrumbs are evenly distributed. Shake off any excess. Pro tip - similar to dusting a cake pan with flour, the breadcrumbs will prevent the quiche sticking to the pan.
Prepare Swiss Chard filling
- Clean, wash and pat dry the Swiss Chard. Remove the stalks and chop them small - similar to the onions. Roll up the leaves and chop them roughly so they are not too large.
- In a skillet over medium heat - add olive oil. Saute the chopped onions, stalks and garlic for a minute or two until onions are translucent.
- Add the leaves and let cook on medium high for about 6 minutes. Make sure you do not have too much liquid in the pan. If you do crank up the heat and let it dry out.Pro tip - it is important to ensure all the liquid is evaporated otherwise the quiche won't set.
- Set aside - keep warm. (this can be done a day ahead and kept in the fridge)
Prepare Cheese mixture
- In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs with cottage cheese, flour, and milk. Pro tip - use a whisk and break the eggs apart making sure everything is well incorporated.
- Season with salt and pepper. Add the Parmesan cheese and set aside.
Assemble & Bake
- Spread the cooked Swiss chard filling in the bottom of the pie pan (coated with breadcrumbs)
- Pour the cheese mixture evenly over the greens. Use a fork to help the mixture sink into the greens. Sprinkle the grated cheese. Grate with fresh nutmeg Pro tip - alternatively, you can add the egg mixture to the Swiss chard mixture then pour it all into the pie pan.
- Bake in a preheated oven for about 30 minutes. The top should look set - the middle with a slight jiggle which sets as it cools.
- Let the quiche rest for at least 20 minutes before you cut. This will help cool and you will have pretty slices.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Wash the Swiss chard well in lots of running water. Leaves often have mud stuck to them.
- Chop the Swiss chard leaves fairly small and make sure to chop the stalks finely. Large pieces of vegetables will make a very crumbly quiche.
- The Swiss chard mixture can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge.
- Similarly, the egg mixture can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge.
- When baking the center may be slightly wobbly but it must still be set and all cooked.
Swiss Chard Quiche with crust
If you choose to make this with a crust. You can use ready-to-roll pie dough or use my homemade pie crust recipe.- Prepare the pie crust pastry - chill and
- Roll and line a quiche pan - Chill the pastry.
- Preheat the oven at 190 C / 380 F.
- Dock the pastry and blind bake with baking beans for 15 minutes.
- Remove the baking beans and let the crust cool slightly.
- Gently, pour the quiche mixture
- Bake the quiche for 20 to 25 minutes until the top is lightly colored and the mixture looks sets.
- If necessary tent the edges of the crust with foil or pie shield to pie tent to prevent it from becoming too brown.
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Barb
This was delicious and so easy Veena! I had a bunch of silverbeet straight out of the garden and was contemplating what I would make with it and so glad I gave your recipe a go! The only change I made was using 4 eggs instead of 3, using ricotta instead of cottage cheese and I also added the finally grated zest of a lemon to the mix, so yum! Cooking time was pretty accurate too I’m happy to say. Will definitely be trying other recipes of yours, thanks Veena!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you for the feedback, Barb. I am happy you enjoyed this recipe. I love recipes that let you substitute with easy and delicious every single time. I'm going to try cottage cheese next time. I love the sound of that.
Bill
Very much enjoyed his dish. I used a little gruyere with a white sharp cheddar and Parmesan and it punched it up nicely. 1 tsp of grated nutmeg sounded like it might overpower the dish, so I cut it back to about a third of a tsp and was very happy. Thanks for giving me an idea on how to use all that fresh chard in my garden!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Bill, So happy you enjoyed this recipe so much. I do love Gruyere too. Sounds delicious. Thanks for coming back to write this feedback. love hearing from those who try my recipes
Plat
Hi! Would you please help me on how I can adjust the serving numbers on recipe cards so that a round figure comes for the eggs. I guess the other ingredients can still be handled even if odd measurements.
I face this issue while adjusting the recipe card for cakes and other dishes too.
Thank you
Veena Azmanov
Hey Plat. Yes, if you change the number of servings you will not get a round figure for all ingredients. This is a 9-inch quiche pan so I think these amount would work better unless you make a 7-inch quiche. For a 7-inch quiche you can change the number to 7 servings. Thanks
Hannah
Made this last week and OMG even the kids ate it. It really does work with my kids. Such an easy recipe. Thanks for sharing Veena.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Hannah. So happy you had success with this recipe and the kids enjoyed it too. Thanks for coming back to write this comment. Appreciate feedback. Have a great day.
Millie
I made this gluten-free using 1 Tbsp of Bob's Red Mill 1-1 GF Baking Flour in the egg mixture, and I sprinkled GF cornmeal in my pan. Came out great! (I was wondering about the flour, as "2 Tbsp flour" is in the ingredients list but I didn't see it mentioned in the directions, so I went with 1 Tbsp.)
Veena Azmanov
Hey Millie. Glad to hear gluten-free flour and cornmeal worked as well. Will be helpful to those who want a gluten-free option. Yes, the flour does need to be added with the cheese. Helps it set so it cuts decent slices or it's too soft.
Claudia Lamascolo
I have yet to try swiss chard and loves greens. I will have to check this out. I always use escarole I may have found a new favorite right here! Thanks!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you Claudia. you must try Swiss chard it's really delicious.