Quiche Florentine

This Easy Quiche florentine Recipe is this the ideal brunch recipe! It has a golden flaky crust filled with spinach, melty gruyere cheese, and hints of aromatic herbs.

So I'm coming in hot with a French-inspired recipe! We've perfected brioche, macarons, baguettes, and now we're adding to our list of French cooking recipes with Quiche Florentine!

And you're gonna wanna bookmark this one immediately! It has a buttery pie crust, and a custardy filling that is filled with a tasty blend of spinach, garlic, and herbs all packed in a buttery crust. It's also very easily customizable - if you wanna add meat? Swap out the cheeses? Add more veggies? You can!  

What I love about this florentine quiche recipe is that it calls for simple ingredients that all come together and make this beautiful dish that's packed with flavor. It's the kind of recipe that you make and when you serve it, people think it's difficult to make but in actuality, quite simple. And if you use store bought pie crust, you literally cut off like an hour of prep time. 

This is a great recipe for brunch, Mother's day, or just whenever you're in the mood for quiche. Let's bake. 

What is quiche florentine?

Quiche Florentine is a classic French dish consisting of a savory pastry crust filled with a mixture of eggs, cream, cheese, and typically cooked spinach. Sometimes, it may also include additional ingredients such as onions, garlic, or bacon. 

The term "Florentine" in the dish's name refers to the inclusion of spinach, which is a nod to the city of Florence, Italy, known for its spinach-based dishes.

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

(full list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card) 

• Parmesan cheese and Gruyère cheese - you can also use mozzarella cheese if you can't find gruyere.
• Butter flavored shortening - if you don't have shortening, you can use cold butter. For an equal substitution, use 1 cup of salted butter. 
• Fresh baby spinach - I haven't tested this recipe with frozen spinach, so I recommend using fresh if you ca
• Eggs - don't worry about the eggs being room temperature like most baking recipes,
• Shallots - shallots are onions sweet best friend. I love how they add flavor to the egg custard. Of course, if you don't have any shallots, you can use one small yellow onion instead. 

Tips for Success

• If you're short on time, feel free to use a store-bought crust. I won't be offended lol I totally understand if you don't feel like making your own homemade crust, it's worth it but is time consuming. 
• Blind Bake! Blind baking the pie crust prevents a soggy crust. Blind baking is a technique used in baking where a pastry crust is partially or fully baked before adding the filling. This helps ensure that the crust remains crisp and fully cooked, especially when the filling itself doesn't require as much baking time. I walk you through how to do this in the recipe card, so no worries on trying to figure it out on your own.
• Wash and drain the spinach. Press the spinach into a paper towel to remove any excess liquid. This prevent a watery quiche! 
• Don't buy pre-shredded cheese. Shredded cheese has additional chemicals in it to prevent it from sticking together.
• If the edges of the pie crust are browning too quickly, cover the edges with a little aluminum foil and continue baking until it's done.
• Use pie weights when blind baking! This cane be uncooked rice, uncooked lentils, or store bought pie weights. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, so use what you have!

How to make Classic Quiche Florentine 

Make the Homemade Pie Crust

• (If using store-bought pie crust, skip to step 7) Begin by making the crust. Place shortening into the freezer for at least 1 hour prior to starting.
• Cut shortening into chunks and add to a large mixing bowl, along with flour and salt. Use your hands to pinch the shortening into the flour until pea sized morsels begin to form.
• Add 6-8 tbsps of ice-cold water until a shaggy dough forms. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest in the freezer for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. 
• Remove pie dough from the refrigerator and place on a well-floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll into a large circle until ¼ inch thick, about a 12-inch circle. Place dough on a 9-inch pie dish. Cut off any excess dough and prep edges as you would like. Use a fork to poke holes in the bottom of the crust to prevent bubbles from forming while baking.
• Line the pie plate with parchment paper and place pie weights into the pie dish and blind bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven.

Make the Custard Filling

• In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Once melted, saute shallots for 5 minutes, until slighted browned and fragrant. Then add the diced garlic and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
• In a large bowl, combine eggs, heavy cream, whole milk, thyme, onion powder, nutmeg, and kosher salt. Whisk together for about 1-2 minutes, until everything is combined.

Assemble and Bake the Quiche

• Remove the pie weights from the pie crust and sprinkle ⅓ of the cheese onto the bottom of the pie crust. Add half of the spinach and half of the shallot/garlic mixture on top. Sprinkle another ⅓ of the cheese on top and then add the remaining spinach and shallot/garlic mixture.
• Pour the egg mixture on top and then sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center of the quiche comes out clean.
• Allow the quiche to cool in the pie pan for at least 30 minutes prior to serving.

Side Dishes with Quiche

Quiche is great for a brunch, but also a light dinner. I love having quiche with a dollop of creme fraiche and a side salad or fresh marinated tomatoes. Also, I don't know what it is about quiche and asparagus, but with a mimosa or a cup of tea, it's the perfect meal. 

Making Ahead, Storing, and Freezing Quiche

Making ahead: Simply prepare the quiche as usual, allow it to cool completely, then cover and refrigerate it. When ready to serve, you can reheat it gently in the oven or enjoy it cold.

Storing: To store quiche, allow it to cool completely, then cover it tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate. Store individual slices in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 2-3 days. Pro tip - quiche is even better the next day so this is a great recipe to make ahead of time! 

Freezing: The best way to freeze quiche, first, allow it to cool completely. Then, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or place it in an airtight container, and store it in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. When ready to eat, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and reheat it in the oven until warmed through.

This blog post was made in partnership with Bob's Red Mill! My opinions are genuine as I've been using their flours and mixes for years! Thank you for your continued support.

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