Asparagus Quiche with Spaghetti Squash Crust

The other day for breakfast, I made a similar quiche with smoked salmon and grated yuca as a crust, but the pictures I took were really bad. So, I didn’t think that I could create this post, while still in the US. (The light quality in Florida is surprisingly not good compared to my own kitchen in London. Who would’ve thought?! So the pictures are still not great, but okay enough I hope.)

IMG_9011

Today, we went to repeat the quiche again with yuca, but when we cut the yuca, we noticed sadly it was rotting inside. So instead, my mother and I decided that we would do a spaghetti squash crust, as we both love this vegetable.

IMG_9014

Growing up in Spain, I used to eat it every once in a while as “cabello de angel”, which is a candied spaghetti squash or “cidra” squash. But since then, I had not tried it again until last Christmas when we visited my parents. I absolutely love it, especially in savoury cooking. But I have not been able to find it in London yet… so whenever I’m at home with my parents, it becomes a special treat to eat spaghetti squash!

IMG_9018

I wish I could say I’ll be repeating this at home, but mostly likely not unless I find the squash in London… however, I’ll be making the yuca crust quiche again as soon as I can! I’ll be sharing the recipe too.. so stay tuned. 😉

Asparagus Quiche with Spaghetti Squash Crust
Recipe Type: Main
Author: The Saffron Girl
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4-6
Serves 4-6 or one 10-inch quiche.
Ingredients
  • 1 medium spaghetti squash (use about 2 1/2 – 3 cups of the meat for this recipe)
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 large leek, thinly sliced
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 5 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup coconut milk/almond milk/dairy milk (I used almond milk, as that’s all that we had left)
  • a bunch of thin asparagus (about 2 cups), cut in halves or large pieces
  • 1 medium tomato, cut in thin slices and then halve the slices
  • sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 – 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375F (190C).
  2. Carefully split the spaghetti squash in half. (It can also be baked whole, but it will take longer.)
  3. Remove the seeds and sprouts, if any, with hands.
  4. Place cut-side down on a baking pan.
  5. Bake for 40 minutes, or until tender.
  6. In the meantime, poach the asparagus in some water, until just tender. Remove from water and set aside.
  7. Allow the spaghetti squash to cool a bit before removing the meat with a fork.
  8. Mix about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of the meat with 2 tablespoons of butter and mix well.
  9. Add sea salt and pepper, to taste. (Remember that the egg mixture will also contain seasoning, so don’t go overboard.)
  10. Pat the squash into a quiche form, covering the sides and bottom.
  11. Bake at 400F (200C) for about 5-8 minutes, until golden and slightly crispy. Remove from oven and set aside.
  12. In a saucepan, over medium heat, cook the leek slices with the 3 tablespoons butter, until tender.
  13. Allow to slightly cool before pouring into the beaten eggs.
  14. Add the milk, nutmeg, sea salt and pepper to taste.
  15. Place the poached asparagus pieces on top of the spaghetti squash crust.
  16. Pour the beaten eggs and leeks over top, covering the asparagus evenly.
  17. Place the tomato pieces on top.
  18. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

 

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

26 Comments

  1. 11.9.13
    Sheila H said:

    OMG THIS WAS AMAZING! It was so fresh and flavorful, we LOVED IT. I’m making it for the 2nd time this week. FYI a 5 lb squash yields about 6 cups, so you can make 2 quiches. Add a salad and you MIGHT get another meal. It was so tasty we wanted more. Thanks for this keeper of a recipe.

    • 11.9.13
      thesaffrongirl said:

      Hi Sheila, I’m happy to hear that you liked it! 😉 Comments like yours make my day; so I really appreciate you taking the time to write it. I wish we could find this squash here in the UK, I love making things with it.

  2. 11.12.13
    andrea said:

    firstly, this squash is very easy to grow. if you can grow summer squash, you can grow spaghetti squash too. it’s viney, like a pumpkin, so it needs room, but it can grow up a trellis or fence or any space saving device that works for urban gardening. second, this crust wasn’t really a crust, just a layer of squash. i would add in an egg white next time and cook under the broiler. it just pretty much just sat there in my oven and looked wet. i hope it firms up a bit while the eggs cook!

    • 11.12.13
      thesaffrongirl said:

      Hi Andrea,
      I wish I had the space to grow anything but potted plants.. we live in a flat. 🙁 but some day…. I hope you do enjoy the quiche and that it serves as an inspiration for your own experiments in the kitchen. I’m sure baking the squash crust a little bit first will make it crispy and more crust-like. Give that a try next time too. Plus remember, oven temperatures vary. 😉

  3. 1.6.14
    Tracy said:

    So, it doesn’t say anywhere what you do with the milk. I figure it gets mixed with the beaten eggs?
    Was going to make this am, realized no nutmeg left. Will make a little latter today. Thanks

    • 1.10.14
      The Saffron Girl said:

      Opps sorry! Thanks for catching that Tracy! I seem to have been a bit off when I was posting recipes from my parents house, whilst on vacation… Yes, the milk gets added to the beaten eggs. I’ve just updated the recipe. Did you give it a try after all?

  4. 1.22.14
    Anna said:

    I just wanted to thank you for posting this recipe; I adore spaghetti squash. As soon as I get the time and the ingredients I’m making this. It sounds utterly delicious!

    • 1.22.14
      The Saffron Girl said:

      Thank you Anna!

  5. 3.30.15
    Kiwi NS said:

    Thank you! Just made this with a bit of variation, mushroom and spinach and rosemary in the crust. So good! My whole apartment smells divine too. I will be making this more often — huge thanks!

  6. 6.29.15
    Lisa Schiller said:

    Trying this right now. My crust is taking a lot longer than 5-8 minutes to get crispy though. Had some left over from a previous recipe so it had been refrigerated, maybe that made a difference?

    • 6.29.15
      The Saffron Girl said:

      Hi Lisa,
      Depending on how your oven works, the time could definitely vary in order to get the crust crispy.
      Thank you!
      Debra xx

  7. 11.11.15
    kristin said:

    I also didn’t really succeed at getting the crust crisped. I baked for probably 30 minutes. I think that it would help to drain or squeeze the spaghetti squash to remove some of the liquid. I wonder about adding bread crumbs or cheese. Nevertheless, the quiche was delicious, just not much of a crust, more of a layer.

  8. 3.27.16
    Jaime said:

    My crust.is not getting crispy .. i have been cooking it forever 🙁

  9. 4.18.16
    Carol said:

    This was really good. I will definitely be making it again and feel I can serve it to company. Based on the “soggy crust” comments, I baked my spaghetti squash the night before and put it in a colander in a bowl in the refrigerator so the water would drain out of it. The crust turned out really nice using that method. I also added a bit of fresh chopped spinach on top of the crust to add another layer of veges. Love it. Thank you.

    • 4.18.16
      The Saffron Girl said:

      So glad to hear that Carol! Thank you! Debra xx