Gluten-free, Dairy-free Veggie & Bacon Quiche

Happy Wednesday! Halfway to the weekend! This past Sunday was my first Mother’s Day to celebrate as a mom. It was very special, and we had family and close friends over after church for a big brunch. There were several sweets on the menu, so something a little savory was a must. This veggie and bacon quiche was a great addition and very popular; there was only one slice left over!

I apologize that I didn’t get more photos this time. This quiche didn’t get started until late in the evening, after baby girl went to bed! My mom also was in town, and she helped me in the kitchen, so a big thank you to her! This recipe uses a ½ cup of bacon, which needs to be cooked beforehand. We cooked the bacon in the oven following the directions on the back of the package and then placed it aside for later. (We chose to cook up all the bacon, and the leftovers were warmed and set out to enjoy the next day.)

The crust needs to be partially baked before it is filled, so start by making it first! There aren’t very many ingredients to it and it comes together quickly. Mix the flour and salt together first, before cutting in the shortening. I have a slight wheat sensitivity, so I use cup4cup in almost everything, to make it gluten-free. However, this recipe does not have to be gluten-free. All-purpose flour works just fine in its place. Note that the cup4cup flour will make the crust a little more crumbly to work with, but it tastes absolutely delicious! Once the shortening is incorporated, add in 1 Tbsp of water at a time until a nice dough forms.

Using a lightly floured surface, we rolled the dough out and then placed it in a pie pan. We poked several holes in it with a fork and then partially baked it for ten minutes at 350 degrees.

Then it was time to prepare the filling! I began by prepping my ingredients. I chopped the onion and bell pepper on one cutting board and the spinach on another one. I also measured out all my spices ahead of time and placed them in a pinch bowl so they would be quick to throw in when the time came. We cooked the onions and bell pepper over medium-high heat until the onions were translucent.

In a large bowl, I whisked together the eggs, almond milk, and spices. Then we added in the cooked onion and bell pepper, bacon, and spinach. It looked like a ton of vegetables in the bowl, but the spinach gets cooked down in the oven. The whole mixture was then poured into the partially baked crust, and I placed it in the oven for 45 minutes!

This quiche turns out beautiful with all of its colors, and it’s very flavorful! It can be eaten five minutes after coming out of the oven, but we chose to eat it the next day, so it went into the fridge after it had cooled. We rewarmed it the next morning, and it tasted perfect!

Gluten-free, Dairy-free Veggie & Bacon Quiche

Ingredients:

For crust:
½ c vegan butter or shortening (Crisco)
½ tsp salt
1 c cup4cup flour
3-4 Tbsp ice water

For quiche:
1 pie crust
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 handfuls fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
½ c bacon (cooked and chopped)
6 eggs
¾ c unsweetened almond milk
3 Tbsp cup4cup flour (can use all-purpose flour instead but it won’t be g.f.)
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp dried thyme
¼ tsp chipotle powder
1/8 tsp pepper
Directions:

To make the crust:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine salt and flour in a bowl. Cut shortening into the mixture with a pastry cutter until it is well-combined. Add water and stir until it clings together in a ball. (Add additional water or flour as needed.) Lightly dust a surface with flour and roll the dough out as desired. Place in an ungreased pie pan and poke a few holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees and then set aside.
To make the quiche:
(Keep the oven set to 350 degrees.)

Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper and sauté for 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Remove from heat.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together the eggs, almond milk, flour, baking powder, and spices. Stir in the sautéed vegetables, fresh spinach, and bacon, and stir until well combined.

Pour the mixture into the partially-baked pie crust and cook for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.

^a Mother’s Day gift – “Live, Love, Bake!”