Crustless Spinach (and Chicken) Quiche

Throughout most of 2016 my friend Erik was living with me.  Erik is gluten intolerant, so I needed to find recipes that I could whip up in a hurry (I never have a lot of time to cook), that would taste good and that did not contain gluten.  This is one of my favorites.

I put "and Chicken" in parenthesis in the title because you can leave it out if you prefer this to be meat-less.  It can't be vegan because it contains eggs and milk but if you're a vegetarian who eats those, just omit the chicken.

For this recipe, I'll include the chicken, so start with two boneless, skinless breasts.  If you prefer dark meat, use thighs but increase to three. 

Cut them up into bite-sized pieces, like this:

Then toss them into a frying pan coated with either olive oil or cooking spray.  I prefer the spray for this.  When they're done, they'll look like this:

Whether you include the chicken or not, the following steps will be used.  Chop an onion (or use a cup of chopped onion) and sauté it in two or three tablespoons of olive oil.  Add to the onion one 10 ounce package of frozen, chopped spinach, thawed.  Cook the two together until the moisture is out of the spinach.

While the spinach is cooking, heat the oven to 350 degrees and assemble the rest of your ingredients, which are five eggs, three cups of shredded cheese and 1/4 cup of milk:

For the cheese, use any variety you like.  In the picture I used a Mexican blend.  I've also used others in the past, including Swiss and Cheddar.  Often, I prefer a blend of several cheeses because I like the way the flavors mix.  Or I use whatever is on sale.

The milk I use here is whole milk but half and half or cream will work just as well.

Mix the eggs and milk and add the spices.  I haven't mentioned these yet because I rarely use the same spices.  I recommend you start with no more than a teaspoon of each and decide if that's enough for you.  If not, the next time you make it, add more.  The spices I generally use are a combination of oregano, basil, sage and garlic powder.  I only used about a half teaspoon of garlic.  You can also use dill, marjoram and paprika.  Each one has a different flavor so it changes the finished product.  Experiment and decide which one or ones you like best.

Once the spices are mixed in, stir in the cheese and continue stirring until it's all incorporated.  Then add the onion/spinach and do the same.  Finally, if you're using chicken, add it now and blend it in with the rest.

Take a pie plate and spray it with cooking spray.  Be sure to spray all the way up the sides as well as on the bottom.

Just before putting it in the oven, it will look like this.

Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  When it's done, remove it from the oven and let it stand for 10 minutes before cutting into it.  This is what the finished product looks like:

My favorite way to eat it is with Frank's Hot Wing Sauce poured all over it.  

Bon appétit!