Light Tomato Basil Quiche Recipe

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.

Real Food, Fresh & Flexible. Year-Round Kitchen Staple. Budget Friendly. Brunch Friendly. Low Fat. High Protein. Weight Watchers Friendly. Vegetarian.

~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~

Not Eating Meat vs Being a Vegetarian: Are They Different?

Do you watch for recipes for meatless main-dish recipes? I bypassed meat for some years – I didn't call myself a vegetarian because the very word implied so much more than simply not eating meat – so have many in my recipe 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 protein-rich evaporated skim milk, it’s a light quiche recipe but still tastes quite rich, thanks to the onion-tomato-cheese-basil flavors.

In fact, you can use the same 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!

Great Choice for Brunch

I often serve this Light Tomato Basil Quiche recipe for brunch at my annual cookie swap.

No wonder:

• It's a light quiche recipe! leaving room for cookie tasting (!) and Christmas parties that night
• It's vegetarian! accommodating several guests
• It's pretty! making the hostess happy
• It's delicious! making everyone happy.

How to Preserve Fresh Basil

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! Just cut the stems off, then wash and dry two cups of packed leaves, I use a salad spinner, then let the leaves out to dry on a paper towel. Chop with 2 tablespoons olive oil in a food processor. Freeze the basil-oil mixture in ice cube trays and transfer to a heavy freezer bag until ready to use.

---

LIGHT TOMATO BASIL QUICHE RECIPE

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Time-to-table: 1-1/4 hours
10 servings

• 1 unbaked pastry shell, homemade or store-bought

ONION MIXTURE
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

EGG MIXTURE
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup evaporated milk, shaken well
• 1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh pepper

ASSEMBLE
• 8 ounces (225g) part-skim mozzarella, shredded
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

Heat oven to 350F/180C.

PASTRY Arrange the pastry in a 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 the onion and garlic in olive oil just until golden.

EGG MIXTURE In a blender, combine the eggs, evaporated milk, cornstarch and pepper.

ASSEMBLE Spread the Onion Mixture and then the cheese evenly over the pastry. Arrange the tomatoes decoratively in a single layer over the cheese. Arrange the chopped basil atop tomatoes. (You can prepare ahead this far by a couple of hours, making later preparations extra quick.) Carefully pour the Egg Mixture into pie shell without disturbing the tomatoes.

BAKE Bake for about 45 minutes or until knife inserted in the middle can be removed clean. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

MAKE-AHEAD TIPS To prep the night before, do all the steps except baking but keep everything separated. Roll out the crust and keep refrigerated. Cook the Onion Mixture but keep it separate. Combine the Egg Mixture and refrigerate. Cut the tomatoes in half but keep separate. Just before baking, assemble it all and toss it in the oven. Easy Peasy!

ALANNA's TIPS With a store-bought refrigerated crust, I like to roll it out a bit thinner and discard the extra pastry. It tastes a little better and saves a few calories! But for a crust worth the calories, do consider making my long-time pie crust recipe, I'll even show you How to Make Flaky Tender Pie Crust! Ooops, don't substitute 2% milk for evaporated milk, the quiche won't set.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Slice (assumes Flaky Tender Pie Crust): 238 Calories; 15g Tot Fat; 8g Sat Fat; 15g Carb; 1g Fiber; 318mg Sodium; 94mg Cholesterol; 1g Sugar; 10g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 6 & PointsPlus 6 & SmartPoints 9 & Freestyle 8 & myWW green 8 & blue 8 & purple 8

---

More Light & Healthy Brunch Recipes

(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)

~ more breakfast & brunch recipes ~
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

---

Quick Links to This Page

(for easy bookmarking and searching)
~ Preserving Basil ~

---

Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ cheese recipes ~
~ tomato recipes ~
~ evaporated milk recipes ~
~ cheese recipes ~

~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

---

This Recipe Has Moved

Basil Cream Cheese Dip
please see

~ Basil Cream Cheese Dip ~

---

Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

---

© Copyright Kitchen Parade
2003, 2007 (online), 2012 (repub), 2015, 2016, 2019 & 2020