Spinach Feta Quiche

It never occurred to me to put feta cheese in a quiche so I'm really glad I came across this recipe. I can not wait for supper because in my fridge for warmups is ... Spinach Feta Quiche.

Oh. Yum.

Quiche always sounded so fancy-dancy and highbrow to me that I didn't try it for a long time. It's really just an egg pie with a crust; an upgraded version of an omelette. The spinach is mighty good for you (just ask Popeye) and you can't beat the protein in the eggs, especially if you're vegetarian.

This recipe comes from http://www.bbonline.com where they host various recipes of Bed & Breakfasts from all over. I will be visiting there again, I'm sure.

INGREDIENTS

1 9-inch deep dish pie crust
2 Tbsp good olive oil
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 small red onion, diced
1 16-ounce bag baby spinach, patted dry and chopped (I used what I had ... 10 ounces)
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
1 8-ounce package Feta cheese, crumbled
8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup whole milk
salt and pepper to taste (we forgot to add this to the eggs before cooking but didn't seem to need it later either - the Feta adds salt)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In large skillet over medium heat, saute garlic and onion in olive oil until onion is translucent. Stir in spinach and mushrooms. Cook until spinach is wilted. Drain. (Make sure it is a large skillet - the spinach cooks down but takes up a lot of room when you first add it)

3. Remove from heat, add the feta, 2 ounces of cheddar cheese, and season with salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into pie crust.

4. In medium bowl, whisk eggs and then add milk. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into pastry shell, thoroughly combining egg mixture with spinach mixture.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle top with remaining cheddar cheese (I didn't put 6 ounces of cheese on top because we're trying to cut back). Bake an additional 35 to 40 minutes or until center is set. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving (it is runny when it first comes out of the oven) or refrigerate overnight and serve at room temperature.

I didn't have a deep dish pie crust so used a regular crust and regular pie plate. The mixture came to the very top of the pie plate but the fact that it was higher than the crust didn't matter in the slightest.

I love the color of this when the cheese is all browned on top. Yum! (Sorry, no picture... we were starving!)