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Julia Child's easy spinach quiche recipe is sinfully delicious! It is rich, full of flavor, and savory. Enjoy this quiche for breakfast, dinner, or special occasions. Make the crust from scratch, save time, and use a frozen pie crust.
Quiche is a timeless French savory tart. Made with a flaky pastry dough pie crust, the inside is always filled with eggs. It is what the eggs are mixed with that makes the quiche unique. This quiche is a spinach and egg; quiche lorraine is served with bacon and onion. The filling options are endless.
While I have had many quiches, Julia Child's quiche is simply the best one I have ever had. First, this is an excellent recipe for an easy dinner. Just use a store-bought crust; dinner can be ready in 45 minutes (30 of that is in the oven). Second, it reminds me that the best food comes from essential ingredients. Finally, combine those ingredients with great technique, resulting in a savory dish!
All the ingredients are balanced, from eggs, cheese, spinach, and crust. Honestly, this is unlike any quiche I have had before, and there is no going back. Either I make Julia's quiche, or I do not have quiche.
Quiche is traditionally a breakfast food. However, I have always enjoyed quiche with brunch or dinner, particularly on special occasions. While I could keep going about this quiche, let's dig in and get going!
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When to Enjoy Quiche
Quiche is a very versatile dish. It can be served warm or cold and is traditionally served for breakfast or brunch. I like to eat it for dinner. Over there years, I have come to think of quiche as a special occasion dish popular with these occasions.
- Christmas
- Mothers Days
- Bridal Shower
- Baby Shower
Ingredients
I have broken the ingredients into two categories, the crust and the filling. If you use a store-bought pie crust, go straight to the filling section.
Crust Ingredients
- All-purpose flour - 2 cups (250g)
- Salt - 1 teaspoon (6g)
- Sugar - ¼ teaspoon (1g)
- Butter - 6 ounces (170g) - chilled and diced into ¼ inch bits
- Vegetable shorting - 4 tablespoons (51g) - chilled
- Water - ½ cup (118ml) - ice cold
Quiche Ingredients
- Eggs - 3 - large eggs
- Heavy cream - 1 and ½ cups (318ml)
- Spinach
- If using frozen spinach, one and ¼ cups (37g)
- If using fresh spinach, start with 3 pounds.
- Butter - 3 - 4 ¼ tablespoons (102g) The amount of butter will vary by fresh or frozen spinach.
- Shallots - 2 tablespoons (20g) - minced
- Salt - ½ teaspoon (3g)
- Black Pepper - 1 pinch
- Nutmeg - 1 pinch
- Swiss cheese - ¼ cup (9g) - grated
How to Make a Spinach Quiche
Before starting, there are two fundamental decisions you need to make. The first is whether you should use a homemade or a premade crust. The second is whether you should use frozen or fresh spinach. Let's dig into the difference, and you can decide which is the best choice for you.
Step One: Homemade or Premade Crust?
When making a quiche, start to use a pie crust. In this category, you have two options: make it at home or buy a premade from the store. Both choices have pros and cons.
Store Bought Frozen Pie Crust:
Pros: Convenient, easy, and saves time.
Cons: Not as flaky, not always vegetarian.
Homemade Pie Crust:
Pros: Richer flavor, flaky pie crust, can make two and freeze the other half for convenience later.
Cons: Time-consuming.
If you are making your dough at home, I have an entire blog post dedicated to the perfect crust.
Step Two: Fresh Spinach or Frozen Spinach?
The steps for using fresh or frozen spinach are very different. You take frozen spinach out of the freezer, let it thaw for a few minutes, and then cut it into bite-sized pieces. On the other hand, fresh spinach involves cleaning and blanching, which can take up to 20 - 25 minutes. Because frozen spinach is so easy, I always recommend the frozen option.
Step Three: How to Make the Crust
If you use a premade crust, skip this section and move to the spinach filling section.
Combine: Start by preheating the oven to 400f/200c. Mix the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter and vegetable shortening, and combine the ingredients with your fingertips. The result should look like breadcrumbs.
Blend: Slowly add the ice water to the mixture and form a dough ball. Divide the dough into two balls and shape it into a flattened circle. Wrap the dough in cling wrap and rest in the refrigerator. The dough will need at least 2 hours of resting time, or it can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. The longer the dough rests, the richer and flakier the crust will become.
Rolling: Place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it into a circle about ⅛ thick. The circumference should be two inches larger than your tart or pie pan. For example, for a 9-inch pan, I will roll an 11-inch circle.
To keep the butter cold, you want to roll the dough as quickly as possible. If the butter becomes too warm, place the dough in the refrigerator for 10 -15. Once the dough is rolled to the desired size, wrap one section of the dough around your rolling pin, lift and place the dough into your tart or pie pan.
Press the dough into place, run your rolling pin over the top, and remove excess dough. Using your thumbs, push the dough ⅛ of an inch above the edge of the pan. Press your fork into the outer edge of the dough, all the way around, to create a decorative edge. Then take a fork and prick the pastry all over, including the sides, at ½-inch intervals. Refrigerate if not baking right away.
Partial Blind Bake: Line the pastry with aluminum foil or parchment paper to create a barrier between the dough and the dough weights. Cover the edges of the dough if possible. Fill the pastry with weights (dried beans, lentils, rice, or pastry weights). The goal is to weigh down the pastry so it does not rise. Bake for 8 - 9 minutes. Remove the pastry from the oven and remove the weights. Make additional pricks into the dough with your fork and bake for 2 - 3 minutes more without the weights. When the shell starts to turn golden or shrink from the sides of the baking dish, remove it from the oven.
Step Four: How to Make the Quiche Filling
This spinach quiche filling is surprisingly simple to make. There are five basic steps:
Prep: Preheat the oven to 375f. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, heavy cream, a pinch of salt, a pinch of black pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Set aside.
Spinach: Use either fresh or frozen spinach. Follow the correlating instructions.
- Fresh Spinach Instructions: Start a pot of boiling water. While you are waiting, clean the spinach to ensure all dirt is removed and de-stem the spinach leaves. A handful at a time, place the spinach in the boiling water and cook for two minutes. Remove the spinach and run under cold water. Then, squeeze as much water out of the spinach as possible and cut the spinach into small pieces. Repeat until you have 1 and ¼ cups of spinach.
- Frozen Spinach Instructions: Defrost the spinach just enough to slice it by bearing it down with your knife. Melt an additional 1 ½ tablespoons of butter in a saucepan or skillet. Stir in the spinach, cover, and cook for 1 - 2 minutes. Remove the lid and cook until all the water has evaporated, about 3 minutes.
Saute: Melt two tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add diced shallots and cook until done, about 1 - 2 minutes. Add the spinach mixture and saute until all the water has evaporated. Remove from heat al allow a few minutes to cool down. Add the spinach to the egg mixture in quarter increments. Use caution not to scramble the eggs.
Step Five: Assemble and Bake
Pasty Shell: Place the pie shell on top of the baking sheet. Pour the mixture into the pie shell. Sprinkle the top with swiss cheese and dot with the remaining one tablespoon of butter. Bake at 375 for 25 - 30 minutes. To test if the quiche is done, insert your knife, and if it comes out clean, the quiche is finished baking. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Note about the spinach: In the book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume I, Julia provides two spinach options: fresh or frozen. She mentions that frozen spinach has a lot of stems, in fact, more stems than fresh spinach. I am sure this was true in the '50s. However, that is not the case with today's frozen spinach. (I feel like I committed an American cooking sin going against Julia. Please forgive me.)
Frequently Asked Questions
Good quiche is all about ingredient ratios. I cannot rave about this quiche enough; Julia Child's ratios are simple and absolute perfection!
Partial blind baking the crust (sometimes called par-baking) is the best way to avoid a soggy bottom. This step is necessary for homemade and store-bought crusts.
I do not recommend swapping any of the ingredients, including heavy cream. The result will not be as good and possibly watery.
Serving and Storage
Refrigerator Storage Instructions - Store in an airtight container for 3- 5 days.
Freezer Storage Instructions - Wrap tightly in cling wrap. Store in an airtight container for up to three months.
Great British Baking Show Challenge
Season 2, Episode 2, Signature challenge - Quiche.
This bake is part of my personal Great British Baking Show challenge.
GBBO Count: 25 down, 255 to go!
Recipe
Julia Child's Spinach Quiche
Equipment
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 9-inch tart pan or pie dish
- 1 saute pan
- 1 Medium mixing bowl
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (6g) salt
- ¼ teaspoon (1g) sugar
- 6 ounces (170g) butter, chilled and diced into ¼ inch bits
- 4 tablespoons (51g) vegetable shorting, chilled
- ½ cup (118ml) water, cold
Filling
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ½ cup (318ml) heavy cream
- 1 ¼ cups (37g) spinach, either fresh and blanched or frozen
- 3 - 4 ¼ tablespoons (102g) butter * amount of butter will vary by fresh or frozen spinach
- 2 tablespoons (20g) shallots, minced
- ½ teaspoon (3g) salt
- 1 pinch pepper
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- ¼ cup (9g) grated swiss cheese
Instructions
Crust
- Combine: Start by preheating the oven to 400f/200c. Mix the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter and vegetable shortening, and using the tips of your fingers, combine the ingredients. The result should look like loose breadcrumbs.2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon (6g) salt, ¼ teaspoon (1g) sugar, 6 ounces (170g) butter, chilled and diced into ¼ inch bits, 4 tablespoons (51g) vegetable shorting, chilled, 3 - 4 ¼ tablespoons (102g) butter
- Blend: Slowly add the ice water to the mixture and form a dough ball. Divide the dough into two and shape it into a flattened circle. Wrap each disk individually in cling wrap and place it in the refrigerator to rest for a minimum of 2 hours or up to 3 days.½ cup (118ml) water, cold
- Rolling: Place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it into a circle about ⅛. The dough should be 2 inches wider than your pan. So for a 9-inch tart pan, I will roll the dough into an 11-inch round disk. You will want to work quickly to keep the butter as cold as possible. Once rolled, use your rolling pin to lift the dough and place it into your tart or pie pan. Using your fingers, press the dough into place. Run your rolling pin over the top and remove excess dough. Using your thumbs, push the dough ⅛ of an inch above the edge of the pan. Take a fork and press into the edge of the dough to make a decorative edge. Then take a fork and prick the pastry all over to create air vents, including the sides, at ½-inch intervals. Refrigerate if not baking right away.
- Partial Blind Bake: Line the top of the pastry with aluminum foil or parchment paper to create a barrier between the dough and the dough weights. Cover the edges of the pastry with the barrier if possible. Fill with dough weights (dried beans, lentils, rice, or pastry weights). The goal here is to weigh down the pastry, so it does not rise. Bake for 8 - 9 minutes. Remove the pastry from the oven and remove the weights. Make additional pricks into the dough with your fork and bake for 2 - 3 minutes more. When the shell starts to turn golden or shrink from the sides of the baking dish, remove it from the oven.
Filling and Baking
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 375f. Whisk together eggs, cream, a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Set aside.3 large eggs, 1 ½ cup (318ml) heavy cream, ½ teaspoon (3g) salt, 1 pinch nutmeg, 1 pinch pepper
- Spinach: Use either fresh or frozen spinach. Follow the correlating instructions. Fresh Spinach Instructions: Start a pot of boiling water. While you are waiting, clean the spinach to ensure all dirt is removed and de-stem the spinach leaves. A handful at a time, place the spinach in the boiling water and cook for two minutes. Remove the spinach and run under cold water. Then, squeeze as much water out of the spinach as possible and cut the spinach into small pieces. Repeat until you have 1 and ¼ cups of spinach. Frozen Spinach Instructions: Defrost the spinach just enough so that you can slice it by bearing it down with your knife. Melt an additional 1 ½ tablespoons of butter in a saucepan or skillet. Stir in the spinach, cover, and cook for 1 - 2 minutes. Remove the cover and cook until all the water has evaporated about 3 minutes.1 ¼ cups (37g) spinach, either fresh and blanched or frozen
- Saute: Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet. Add diced shallots and cook until done about 1 - 2 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until the water has evaporated. Remove from heat and cool for a few minutes before moving on to the next step.2 tablespoons (20g) shallots, minced
- Combine and bake: Add the spinach mixture to the bowl with the egg mixture. If the spinach is very hot, allow more time to cool down. Add the spinach to the egg mixture in quarter increments. Use caution not to scramble the eggs. Pour the mixture into the pastry shell, sprinkle the top with swiss cheese, and dot with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Bake at 375 for 25 - 30 minutes. You will know the quiche is done when you can insert a knife and it comes out clean.¼ cup (9g) grated swiss cheese
Notes
- When making the pastry shell, use only the tips of your fingers. You want the butter to stay as cold as possible. Use caution, not to over mix, bits of butter is a good thing with pastry.
- For more details on making pastry, visit my blog post 'The Perfect Pie Crust". The recipe is slightly different; however, the technique is the same. https://sinfulkitchen.com/a-pie-crust-recipe
- This recipe was adapted from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume 1.
Judy
I like to use Gruyere. Instead of spinach, I like to use chopped Swiss chard.