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Growing up, my family enjoyed a lot of crustless recipes, like pumpkin pie and quiche.
This is probably because my mom didn’t like the effort involved in making a crust. (I get my kitchen laziness from her– if it’s not quick and easy, I’m not doing it!) Why make a crust for pumpkin pie after making an entire Thanksgiving dinner? All of the flavor is in the filling, anyway.
The same logic can be applied to this quiche. All of the delicious flavor I love is packed in this protein-rich filling, and the crust just seems like unnecessary effort that could be better used doing other things… like sleeping in, if you’re lucky, or playing outside with your son who wakes up WAY too early on the weekends.
Rather than using flour or heavy cream, this recipe gets its “bulk” from cooked spaghetti squash, which also provides a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, B-6, niacin, folate and manganese. I like to bake a couple of spaghetti squash over the weekend, so that they’re ready to go for any recipe I’d like to prepare quickly during the week, and I highly recommend you do the same so that this process is as easy as possible. (For ideas to use up the other half of your spaghetti squash, see more recipes here.)
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Gluten-Free Crustless Quiche
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked spaghetti squash (about 1/2 of a 3.5 lb squash)
1 teaspoon coconut oil or butter
1 onion, chopped
1 cup baby kale, chopped
4 eggs, beaten
2 ounces raw cheddar, shredded (about 1/2 cup) and divided
1 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
coconut oil or butter for greasing the dish
Directions:
If you have not already done so, bake the spaghetti squash using these directions. Allow it to cool to room temperature, and save one half of the squash for another use.
If the oven isn’t already hot, preheat it to 350F and generously grease a 9-inch pie dish (I use this one) with coconut oil or butter. In the meantime, melt the coconut oil or butter in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion until tender, about 8 minutes. Add in the chopped kale, and sauté until it’s bright green and tender, about 3 to 5 more minutes.
Transfer the sautéed veggies to a medium mixing bowl, and add in 4 eggs, 2 cups of cooled spaghetti squash strands, 1 ounce of shredded cheese, and season with salt and black pepper. Stir well and pour the mixture into the greased pie dish. Top with the remaining ounce of shredded cheese and bake at 350F until the top is golden, about 35 to 40 minutes. (The center will rise with baking, but will later deflate when you remove it from the oven.)
Allow to cool for 10 minutes and serve warm. Leftovers can be stored in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for up to one week.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked spaghetti squash (about 1/2 of a 3.5 lb squash)
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil or butter
- 1 onion , chopped
- 1 cup baby kale , chopped
- 4 eggs , beaten
- 2 ounces raw cheddar , shredded (about 1/2 cup) and divided
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- coconut oil or butter for greasing the dish
Instructions
- If you have not already done so, bake the spaghetti squash using these directions. Allow it to cool to room temperature, and save one half of the squash for another recipe.
- If the oven isn't already hot, preheat it to 350F and generously grease a 9-inch pie dish (I use this one) with coconut oil or butter. In the meantime, melt the coconut oil or butter in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion until tender, about 8 minutes. Add in the chopped kale, and sauté until bright green and tender, about 3 to 5 more minutes.
- Transfer the sautéed veggies to a medium mixing bowl, and add in 4 eggs, 2 cups of cooled spaghetti squash strands, 1 ounce of shredded cheese, and season with salt and black pepper. Stir well and pour the mixture into the greased pie dish. Top with the remaining ounce of shredded cheese and bake at 350F until the top is golden, about 35 to 40 minutes. (The center will rise with baking, but will later deflate when you remove it from the oven.)
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes and serve warm. Leftovers can be stored in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for up to one week.
Nutrition
Per Serving: Calories: 109, Fat: 6g, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 6g
Notes:
This recipe can be easily adapted to use any veggies you have on hand. If you need to substitute the spaghetti squash, zucchini or yellow squash can be used, but be sure to squeeze out the excess moisture before mixing it with the eggs to avoid a watery result.
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Reader Feedback: Do you have any other crustless favorites?
I love this recipe and make it a lot! Do you think you could make this in an Instapot using the timing from your Instapot frittata recipe? I want to avoid using the oven since it’s so hot!
I’ve made this several times now, feels like such a healthy as tasty meal. My husband isn’t convinced, unfortunately but I love it. I’ve been doubling the recipe in a 11×7. However, I purchase a tub of baby kale and only use half of it, I wondered about pre-cooking the Kale and perhaps the onion as well, and freezing that for the next batch, what do you think?
No one in my family likes spaghetti squash but everyone LOVED this quiche! I plan to make another one with the rest of the spaghetti squash! Thank you so much for sharing it!
I’m so glad it was a hit! Thanks for letting me know!
Can’t wait to try it! For the spaghetti squash, can it be cooked in the Instant Pot, or is it best in oven for this recipe?
Sooo good! I made a few adjustments and made a batch for the entire week for my hubby and I. If you are adding cheese, try a smoked Gouda. It adds the perfect flavor.
This is a great way to use up spaghetti squash. They are big producers in my garden and I still have a few left. Your instructions ( bake the spaghetti squash using these directions) appear to be missing the link to cooking the squash.
It’s here: https://detoxinista.com/spaghetti-squash-in-the-instant-pot/
I used that method and it worked beautifully.
My quiche usually substitutes the traditional crust with a grated potato crust. Your recipe offers a much lighter option.
can this be made the night prior and reheated the next morning? I am looking to make a dish for a work potluck and most of my co-workers are vegan/gluten-free eaters. I live about 45 minutes from where I work so it would be easier to make something the night before, but I wasn’t sure if I could do it with this dish or not. Thank you!
Yes, I think this would reheat well. If you need a vegan dish, try my Quinoa & Black Bean Salad– it’s a HUGE hit at parties! https://detoxinista.com/the-best-quinoa-black-bean-salad/
I think you could prep it and just bake it in the morning for a party. I definitely reheat leftovers but it’s really great fresh and hot
This is delicious and easy to make. The spaghetti squash definitely adds a heartieness to the quiche, without the calories. I served with some salsa and grilled asparagus for a lovely Saturday brunch. Loved it with the Kale and Onions and will definitely try iwth other veggies
This is a new favorite in our household. I was wondering if you had tried making this into individual sizes (like muffin pan size) and freezing? How the thawing/reheating would go?
I made this the other day and my husband has requested it again today! I would say it will be added to our “healthy menu” meals. I left out the cheese and it still tasted great! Thanks for sharing your recipes, I love them!