If I had to choose a favorite spring vegetable, it would be a tie between asparagus and snow peas. Pencil-thin asparagus stalks look so pretty on a plate and like snow peas it tastes delicious either fresh or cooked. Though we don’t yet grow our own asparagus, the thought has crossed our minds on several occasions. We keep looking around the yard trying to decide where we want to put everything we want to grow, and we just haven’t chosen a place yet for asparagus. Things are getting tight in some spots so we have to think carefully about how plants will work together before building more beds and putting in anything else.
Asparagus is a perfect ingredient for quiche; well actually for egg dishes in general. I choose the thin stalks of asparagus for tenderness and save the thicker stalks for soup. Think of omelets with asparagus or scrambled eggs with asparagus and prosciutto, a beautiful way to liven up your morning eggs.
This is a crustless quiche, my favorite for ease of preparation, with some low fat cottage cheese for creamy texture as well as extra protein. We use low fat cottage cheese for a variety of things, and it’s actually a favorite snack item in our home. Daisy is my favorite brand of cottage cheese (and sour cream) because unlike many other brands, they use only milk, cream, salt, and vitamin A to make their cottage cheese. Nothing extra is added, which also makes it a good option for those following a gluten-free diet. [Disclosure: This opinion is my own, and Daisy didn’t ask or pay me to write this.]
[Updated January 6, 2011.]
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
- 4 ounces (113 g) white mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 8 ounces (227 g) thin asparagus, woody ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup (113 g) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- 6 eggs, beaten
- 12 ounces (340 g) low fat cottage cheese (I recommend Daisy brand.)
- fresh ground black pepper
- Preheat oven to 375° F/190° C.
- In the large skillet, sauté the sliced shallots over medium heat until they are soft, then add the sliced mushrooms and garlic. Sauté until the mushrooms are soft and tender. Spread the shallots, mushrooms, and garlic all over the bottom of the prepared quiche pan.
- Layer the asparagus pieces over the mushrooms, then sprinkle about 1/3 cup of the shredded cheddar on top.
- In the mixing bowl, stir together the beaten eggs, cottage cheese, and remaining cheddar cheese. Pour the mixture over the asparagus layer, spreading to the edge of the pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, until golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes, then slice and serve.
10-inch quiche pan, lightly coated with cooking spray
large skillet
medium mixing bowl
More Asparagus Recipes
Rosa says
April 12, 2010 at 3:41 amA lovely quiche! Very spring-like and delicious!
Cheers,
Rosa
Susan @ SGCC says
April 12, 2010 at 8:38 amAsparagus is my favorite Spring vegetable too. Love the idea of a crustless quiche and am intrigued by your use of cottage cheese. It looks just beautiful! I’m a big fan of Daisy’s sour cream, but haven’t ever seen their cottage cheese. I’ll have to ask my grocer to get some in.
Kalynskitchen says
April 12, 2010 at 9:49 amI wish I had a piece of this to eat right now.
Natalie (The Sweets Life) says
April 12, 2010 at 10:08 amlove how simple this is…asparagus is probably my favorite veggie! bookmarking this 🙂
SharleneT says
April 12, 2010 at 10:20 amYummy! What a great brunch item! I love asparagus, too. Young chard also makes a great quiche. Thanks for sharing.
Kristen says
April 12, 2010 at 10:53 amThis looks so good. My kids love asparagus. I wonder if they would love it this way? Worth trying!!
Hope you are well 🙂
msmeanie says
April 12, 2010 at 5:37 pmAhh, great minds think alike. I just made a very similar recipe (and blogged about it). Your quiche looks divine. I just love the combination of cheesy asparagus and mushrooms. Yumm!!
susan from food blogga says
April 12, 2010 at 7:33 pmThis delicious post has convinced that I need to make more quiches not just frittatas!
Cindy says
April 12, 2010 at 8:09 pmI love love love asparagus. This recipe is Very exciting. Thanks. I live in CT and am counting the hours until local fresh asparagus appears. I don’t know why I won’t let myself buy the stuff from Mexico. Wierd.
Lydia says
April 14, 2010 at 12:13 amDelicious! I could eat asparagus quiche every day in asparagus season. We’re still weeks away from the good local asparagus so I envy you folks who live farther south.
Alisa - Frugal Foodie says
April 14, 2010 at 10:05 pmOoh, I love the vegetable combination in this dish – now how to make it dairy-free without substitutes? 🙂
Karina says
April 16, 2010 at 9:35 pmAsparagus- yes! So beautiful and fresh. Your quiche sounds lovely. I love the addition of mushrooms. Happy spring to you!