Spinach Mushroom Quiche

November 2021. Thanksgiving is two weeks away and I'm in the pleasant pressure of planning what is always the most logistically complex meal I cook all year. The guest list this year is back to large — twenty-six, which means the leaf extension in the dining table and the folding table in the hallway and the counting of every chair in the house. I love this. I love the specificity of the logistics. I love that it's hard and I've gotten good at making it not-hard through preparation.

I'm making a spreadsheet for the revised manuscript edits too, which Claire finds either organized or slightly alarming — she hasn't said which. The manuscript is due back to her in six weeks. I have twenty-eight sections to revisit, nine of them major. I'm treating it like a large meal: plan the sequence, know what can happen in advance, trust the recipe.

Olivia turned sixteen in June and has been such a presence in the kitchen this fall — not just for the workshops but at home. She makes Sunday breakfast now, taking over from the pandemic-era habit, and has developed a signature: savory galettes with whatever vegetables and cheese we have, folded in her particular way that I can identify before I even see who made it. She has a style. Not my style — hers. That's the thing you hope for and can't engineer.

Mason asked me this week to write him a letter of recommendation for a summer culinary intensive. He's fourteen and applying to a program for high school students with serious cooking interest. He asked me, his mother. I said of course, and then went to the other room and cried happy tears for approximately four minutes.

Olivia’s galettes were on my mind when I went looking for something to add to the Thanksgiving planning spreadsheet — something savory and vegetable-forward that could anchor a brunch the day before the big meal without demanding too much of me on a packed prep day. This spinach mushroom quiche hits that note exactly: earthy, cheesy, sturdy enough to make ahead, and just the kind of dish Olivia would probably fold into something entirely her own if I handed her the dough. I’m making it my way for now — and saving a copy of the recipe for Mason, too, since something tells me he’ll want it for that culinary intensive application portfolio.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 9-inch refrigerated pie crust, fitted into a pie dish
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
8 oz cremini or baby bella mushrooms, sliced
3 cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)

Instructions

Preheat and prep crust. Preheat oven to 375°F. Press pie crust into a 9-inch pie dish, crimp edges, and line with parchment. Fill with pie weights or dried beans and blind bake for 12 minutes. Remove weights and bake 3 more minutes until just set. Set aside.
Cook the vegetables. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook 3–4 minutes until softened. Add mushrooms and cook 5–6 minutes until they release their moisture and begin to brown. Stir in garlic and spinach and cook 1–2 minutes until spinach wilts. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Make the custard. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, heavy cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and thyme until smooth and fully combined.
Assemble the quiche. Scatter half the Gruyère over the bottom of the pre-baked crust. Spread the vegetable mixture evenly over the cheese. Pour the egg custard slowly over the filling. Top with the remaining Gruyère.
Bake. Bake at 375°F for 38–45 minutes, until the center is just set and the top is golden. A knife inserted near the center should come out clean. If the crust edges brown too quickly, tent with foil.
Rest and serve. Let the quiche rest at least 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers covered for up to 3 days; reheat slices at 325°F for 10 minutes.

Nutrition (per serving)

Spinach Mushroom Quiche — The Dish That Reminded Me Olivia Has Found Her Own Style