Meatless Friday: Crab and Vegetable Quiche

For Meatless Friday, Karen Ullo shares a dairy-free quiche recipe with a festive touch. Download our printable recipe card!

My favorite food in the entire world is crab, and pie is also very near the top. So combine the two, and … Merry Christmas! 

Unlike most quiches, I used no cream, milk, or butter (except what is in the pre-made pie shell), so if not exactly healthy, this is at least healthier than most quiches, and there’s enough flavor that you won’t miss the cream. I also used cooking spray rather than oil, which cuts down on both the fat content and the liquid in the filling, which could make the crust go soggy. 

If you’re the gluten free type, this also work without a crust. Just use an empty pie plate with a little cooking spray and add the layers of filling as listed below. However, it will bake a little faster, so check on it sooner. 

This recipe makes enough filling for both one deep-dish quiche and one gluten-free pie on the side because that’s how we roll in this family. If you’re only making one or the other, you’ll need to halve the amounts. 

Crab and Vegetable Quiche

Ingredients:

2 deep dish pie shells (thawed if you’re using pre-made)  
1 lb. lump crab meat 
1 red bell pepper, diced 
8 oz. white or baby bella mushrooms, diced 
3 cloves garlic, diced 
6 oz. fresh spinach 
3 oz. sundried tomatoes (not in oil) 
6 oz. shredded gruyere cheese (I bought one flavored with herbs de Provence, but regular is fine.) 
4 eggs 
1 can cream of mushroom soup 
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley 
3-4 leaves chopped fresh basil 
Salt, pepper, thyme, and sage  

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. 

Spray a large sauté pan with cooking spray. Add peppers, mushrooms, and garlic, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme, and sage. Sauté until the vegetables begin to brown and at least most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the spinach and allow to wilt. Remove vegetables from the pan using a slotted spoon to drain any liquid and set them aside. Pour out the liquid if necessary. 

Re-spray the pan with cooking spray and add crab, basil, about half of the parsley, and another sprinkling of salt, pepper, thyme, and sage. Sauté until just beginning to brown. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, cream of mushroom soup, remaining parsley, ¼ tsp. salt, dash of pepper, ½ tsp. thyme, and ½ tsp. sage. Whisk until smooth. 

Poke the pie shell with a fork in many places to prevent bubbling and place it on a cookie sheet to catch any spills. Put half the gruyere cheese in a flat layer on the bottom. Add a layer of crab, then the sautéed vegetables, then the sundried tomatoes. Slowly pour in the egg mixture, allowing it to sink through the layers, until the pie is as full as possible. Add the rest of the cheese on top. 

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 300 and bake 30-40 more minutes, until the filling is set and the crust begins to brown. 

Enjoy! 

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Copyright 2024 Karen Ullo
Images: (top) Canva; all others copyright 2024 Karen Ullo, all rights reserved.