My favorite light quiche recipe, the one I make again and again in both summer and winter. Not only is it a healthy, vegetarian and light quiche recipe, it's a make-ahead quiche recipe too! Perfect for the busy family or a harried hostess.
Do you watch for recipes for meatless main-dish recipes? I bypassed meat for some years so have many in my collection. I’m a regular carnivore again but this Light Tomato Basil Quiche recipe remains a favorite for brunch and light suppers.
With just three eggs, low-fat mozzarella and evaporated skim milk, it’s a light quiche recipe but still rich with onion-tomato-cheese-basil flavors.
Fresh basil is essential so unless it is available at your grocery or you have some in the freezer, make this in summer when you have basil in the garden or can beg some from a neighbor who does!
PRESERVING BASIL in the freezer is easy. Cut stems from leaves. Wash and dry two cups packed leaves, I use a salad spinner, then let the leaves rest on a paper towel. Chop with 2 tablespoons olive oil in a food processor. Freeze in ice cube trays and transfer to a heavy freezer bag until ready to use.
BASIL-CREAM CHEESE DIP is pungent with garlic. Chop 3–4 basil leaves and 2 cloves garlic in a food processor. Add 8 ounces cream cheese, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup toasted walnuts. Blend thoroughly. Add olive oil a few drops at a time until creamy. Serve on crackers or thin-sliced bread.
This 2003 column was published online for the first time in 2007 and was updated and republished in 2012.
LIGHT TOMATO BASIL QUICHE RECIPE
Total preparation time: 70 minutes
10 servings
- 1 unbaked pastry shell, homemade or store-bought
-
ONION MIXTURE
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
-
EGG MIXTURE
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup evaporated milk, fat-free or regular, shaken well
- 1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh pepper
-
ASSEMBLE
- 8 ounces part-skim mozzarella, shredded
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
Preheat oven to 350F.
PASTRY Arrange pastry in 10-inch deep-dish pie pan or quiche pan. With your fingers, form a decorative edge. Chill the crust while continuing.
ONION MIXTURE In a skillet, gently sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until golden.
EGG MIXTURE In a blender, combine eggs, evaporated milk, cornstarch and pepper.
ASSEMBLE Spread Onion Mixture and then cheese over pastry. Arrange tomatoes decoratively in a single layer over cheese. Arrange chopped basil atop tomatoes. (You can prepare ahead this far, making later preparations extra quick.) Carefully pour Egg Mixture into pie shell without disturbing tomatoes.
BAKE Bake 45 minutes or until knife inserted in middle can be removed clean. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.
WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS WW Old Points 5, WW PointsPlus 6 WEIGHT WATCHERS TIPS Use the basic formula of 3 eggs, 1 cup milk (thickened with a little cornstarch) and 8 ounces low-fat cheese to adapt your own favorite quiche recipe into a light quiche recipe. More Ideas for Fresh Basil
This is a luscious cream cheese dip, so simple to make and pungent with garlic. The recipe is above, Basil Cream Cheese Dip.
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from Kitchen Parade
~ Spinach & Feta Quiche ~
~ Crustless Quiche with Roasted Peppers ~
~ Caramelized Onion Tart ~
~ more vegetable tarts & quiche recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
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What a great recipe, it looks so impressive. I'd like to entertain for brunch because it's more casual and less expensive, but I just hate waking up early! Perhaps I could make most of the stuff the night before ...
-Kelly
:)
Valerie
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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. But I also love hearing your reactions, your curiosity, even your concerns! When you've made a recipe, I especially love to know how it turned out, what variations you made, what you'll do differently the next time. ~ Alanna