Move over, matzo brei — this Passover breakfast quiche puts the ‘light’ in ‘delightful’

The Nosher via JTA — Breakfast can be hard during Passover — no oatmeal, no toast and certainly no pancakes. (No, the boxed kind do not count.) I like making eggs or matzah brei or even shakshuka. But I am always looking for something a little different to serve as a satisfying breakfast or portable lunch.

This veggie “kugel” crust is all those things: great for vegetarian lunch, it’s healthful, packed with tons of veggies and it’s a super satisfying breakfast. I use spinach in the filling, but you could just as easily use kale, broccoli, squash or any other quiche filling you like. Just make sure if you use a frozen vegetable to thaw completely and remove the excess water.

Make sure to grease your springform pans for easy baking. This recipe yields two 8-inch quiches — ideal for eating all week, or serving for guests.

Ingredients:
For the crust:
1 large sweet potato
1 russet (Idaho) potato
1 medium zucchini
2 large eggs
1/2 cup matzah meal
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the filling:
6 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups heavy cream or half and half
6 ounces (around 2 cups) frozen spinach, thawed and drained well
2 cups shredded cheddar or gruyere cheese plus extra
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
To make the crust, coarsely grate the potato, sweet potato and zucchini using a hand grater or in a food processor. Add to large bowl and mix with eggs, matzah meal, salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Grease two 8-inch springform pans. Spoon veggie mixture into bottom of pans and gently push all along the bottom of the pan and up the sides a little to form crust.

Place in fridge for 5-10 minutes.

Bake crusts for 10-15 minutes, until crust just starts to brown and crisp around the edges.

While crust is baking, prepare filling by whisking eggs and heavy cream (or half and half) in a large bowl. Add spinach, cheese, salt and pepper.

Pour half the mixture into one prepared crust, the other half into other crust. Top with a sprinkle of additional shredded cheese, a few dabs of butter and thick sea salt if desired.

Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake another 25-30 minutes, or until the middle of the quiche has puffed slightly.

Allow to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature. Can be prepared 1-2 days ahead of time.

(Shannon Sarna is the editor of The Nosher.)

The Nosher food blog offers a dazzling array of new and classic Jewish recipes and food news, from Europe to Yemen, from challah to shakshuka and beyond. Check it out at www.TheNosher.com.