Go Back

Crustless Italian Quiche

Yana, babushkacooking.com
Print Recipe
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

Roasted Garlic

  • 10 small garlic cloves
  • 1 Tb butter

Pesto

  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 Tb nuts
  • pinch salt
  • 1 C basil, packed
  • 1/2 C olive oil
  • 1/4 C Parmigiano-Reggiano

Quiche

  • 8 eggs
  • 3/4 C half-and-half
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 6 pieces prosciutto, cut in strips
  • 10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
  • 1/2 C Mozzarella pearls
  • 1/4 C Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
  • olive oil spray
  • freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
 

Pesto

  • Place the garlic clove, salt, and nuts in the food processor and pulse until mixed. I use the smaller bowl of the food processor for this unless I double or triple the recipe.
  • Transfer to a bowl, add olive oil and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Mix well.

Roasted garlic

  • Heat the butter over medium heat in a small pan.
  • When hot, add the garlic and cook, stirring often, until golden-brown on all sides.
  • When done, transfer to a paper towel lined plate to absorb excess grease from the butter.

Quiche

  • Pre-heat the oven to 350F and spray a 10-inch pie dish with olive oil.
  • Beat the eggs, half-and-half, and salt in a bowl.
  • Pour the mixture into the pie dish.
  • Distribute the prosciutto, roasted garlic, mozzarella pearls, Parmigiano-Reggiano, tomatoes, and pesto on top. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.
  • Bake for 40 minutes, but check on it after 30 minutes using a bamboo skewer or a toothpick to pierce the center of it. If it comes out dry or without visible egg lumps on it, it’s done. If not, give it 10 more minutes.
  • When done, take it out of the oven and let it sit for 5-10 minutes to puff down. Slice, and serve!

Notes

1) For pesto, I use whatever nuts I have on hand. In Massimo Bottura’s book “Bread is Gold”, he describes various world class chefs using different types of nuts and even bread crumbs for pesto. I think it’s a wonderful idea and I do that all the time!
2) If you need it cooked faster, use a larger size pie dish such as 10-inch diameter. Monitor time closely, if you do.
3) You can further decorate it by gently rolling prosciutto pieces to resemble a rose, and adding couple of basil leaves.