This vegetarian butternut squash quiche is filled with caramelized onions and goat cheese, is easy to make ahead of time, and is perfect for brunch!
A few years ago, my friend Megan and I went to lunch at a little French cafe in Carytown, Virginia.
And that's where I had my first bite of quiche-- the rich and creamy French egg dish that's perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and even dinner.
I was in love with quiche.
Sadly, my one and only attempt to make quiche at home was a little disappointing, and I abandoned all cooking attempts of this seemingly simple egg-filled pie dish. Until recently, that is, when I got help.
Quiche help from a quiche expert-- a.k.a. my friend Ann, the baking queen.
This butternut squash quiche is easy to put together, and can be made ahead of time for a quick meal option. If you've got lots of butternut squash on hand, try making this butternut squash galette next!
What is Quiche?
Quiche is a French dish that's made by whipping together eggs, milk, and cheese, pouring the mixture into pie dough, and baking until it's golden.
Quiche needs to rest after baking to allow the egg mixture to fully set. If you don't let it rest, you won't be able to cleanly cut the quiche.
For this butternut squash quiche, we're adding roasted squash and caramelized onions to the mixture.
Since this was originally published, I've got a little quiche-crazy. Check out these other quiche ideas too: mushroom quiche, broccoli cheddar quiche, Swiss chard quiche, and salmon quiche.
Do I Have to Blind Bake the Dough for a Butternut Squash Quiche?
Ann says yes.
Blind baking simply means to bake the crust before you add the filling-- it helps save you from a soggy pie crust after baking.
For this butternut squash quiche, we're blind baking for about 10 minutes-- just long enough for the dough to start cooking, but before it takes on a lot of color.
If you decide to skip this step, be aware that the bottom of your quiche might not be quite as crisp as it would be with a partially pre-baked crust.
Where Can I Buy Butternut Squash?
Look with the fresh produce. It should be with other winter squash such as spaghetti or acorn squash.
Want more butternut squash? Try this butternut squash galette!
Can I Use Pre-Diced Butternut Squash?
Yes-- absolutely!
Look for pre-cut butternut squash with the prepared refrigerated produce.
Can I Whisk the Eggs by Hand instead of Using an Electric Mixer?
You can, but make sure to whisk them vigorously until the eggs double in size.
How to Make a Butternut Squash Quiche
Start by prepping the vegetables.
Begin slowly caramelizing two onions. While they cook, prepare the butternut squash.
Peel it, dice it, and place it on a baking sheet for roasting.
Season the squash, and roast until tender.
Set the onions and butternut squash aside, and blind bake the pie crust for ten minutes.
Press the caramelized onions and a little goat cheese into the base of the pie crust.
Top with the butternut squash.
In a large bowl, use an electric beater to whisk eggs, milk, cream, and rosemary.
Continue beating the eggs until they double in size, and then gently fold in a little more goat cheese.
Slowly pour the mixture into the pie pan, taking care not to deflate the eggs.
Bake the quiche until it's golden and the eggs are just set.
Wait at least an hour before serving to ensure that the quiche doesn't fall apart when you cut into it.
Serve this quiche with a French press cappuccino, and enjoy this delicious fall meal!
Butternut Squash Quiche with Caramelized Onions
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 2 onions, thinly sliced
- 1 cup butternut squash, peeled + diced About ⅓ of a medium-sized squash
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 9" pie dough (prepared)
- 4 ounces goat cheese, flaked apart with a fork
- 4 eggs, divided
- ⅔ cup milk
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 sprig rosemary, destemmed + cut into small pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Caramelize Onions:
- Add half the olive oil to a large, heavy pot, and heat over medium heat. Add onions and half the salt. Cook about 5 minutes, and then lower heat to medium-low. Stir occasionally until onions turn golden brown.
Tip: Make sure the onions are dark and golden. If they aren't fully caramelized, they'll have extra moisture that you don't want in your quiche.
Roast Butternut Squash:
- Lay diced squash in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Sprinkle with chili flakes, paprika, and remaining salt. Roast about 20 minutes until tender.
Blind Bake Pie Dough:
- Lower oven temperature to 350ºF.
- Arrange pie dough inside a pie pan. Prick the bottom and sides with a fork. Set parchment paper on top of dough, and add pie weights or dry beans. Bake 10 minutes. Remove weights and parchment paper.Tip: Pre-made, pre-formed, frozen pie dough will not need pie weights added while blind baking.
Make the Quiche:
- Gently press the onions and half the cheese into the pie dough. Add the butternut squash.
- Add 3 eggs, milk, cream, and rosemary to a mixing bowl. Use an electric hand mixer to whip the mixture until it doubles in size. (Alternatively, whisk vigorously by hand.)
- Add the remaining cheese to the egg and milk mixture, and gently stir with a spoon. Take care not to over-stir.
- Pour the egg mixture into the pie pan. Tip: Do not overfill the quiche-- any extra mixture can be discarded, saved for another quiche, or used to dip bread in for French toast.
- Beat remaining egg, and brush onto any exposed pie dough.
- Tent quiche loosely with aluminum foil. Bake 45 minutes. Remove foil, and bake 15-20 more minutes until the quiche is golden and set. Quiche should jiggle slightly when moved.
- Allow quiche to cool for at least 1 hour, or refrigerate overnight. (Quiche will not be fully set until cooled.)
- Serve cool within 2-3 days, or check recipe notes for freezer directions.
Notes
- Freeze: Bake quiche, and allow to cool completely. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and slide into a freezer bag. Use within 2 months.
- Reheat from Frozen: Do not thaw. Bake at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes, or until pie is warm.
- Tip: If freezing, bake quiche in either a disposable aluminum pie pan or in a tart pan with removable sides. (Allow quiche to fully cool before removing the pan.)
Dawn
Love a good quiche, especially one that involves goat cheese! What a lovely dish for a brunch! Can’t wait to give it a go 🙂
Holly
I have a gluten free pie dough frozen and ready for a recipe just like this one! Thanks for moving me along to make a quiche. Great idea!
Lauren
There are few things that I love more than breakfast/brunch foods. One of the few exceptions is a brunch recipe that can be made ahead of time! This quiche looks really delicious!
Tina L. Miranda
Can I make this with an alternate form of milk, say almond or coconut milk?
Sarah Trenalone
I haven’t tried it with nondairy milk! My guess is that canned full fat coconut milk (instead of milk) and coconut cream would work. Let me know if you try it!
Susan Burns
Can I substitute some other cheese, for the goat cheese?
Alisha Trenalone
You could swap in Parmesan! We haven't tested it with too many other kinds of cheeses, so if you try something else, let us know how it goes!
- Alisha at Champagne Tastes
Dani
My mom doesn't like goat cheese, so I used cream cheese. It was a good substitute. Yummy.
Dani
Could I make this crustless?
Alisha Trenalone
Hello! We haven't tested a crustless quiche yet, but you can certainly try it out! It might be good to add an extra egg to make it sturdier. Let us know how it goes if you try it.
-Alisha at Champagne Tastes
Dani
This was delicious!! To make it crustless, I used an extra egg like you suggested. It worked great! I will be making this again!
Alisha Trenalone
That's great! So glad you enjoyed it and thanks for letting us know! 🙂
-Alisha at Champagne Tastes
Ana
It is also delicious with Brie instead of goat cheese!! Love this recipe
Alisha Trenalone
That sounds lovely! Thanks for letting us know that you enjoyed it ☺
-Alisha at Champagne Tastes
Melissa
This is one of the best things I've ever eaten, hands down! about to make it for the third time within a 6-week time frame 😅 Absolutely delicious!!
Alisha Trenalone
Hooray for butternut squash season 🙌🙌 Thanks for letting us know you're enjoying it so much!
-Alisha at Champagne Tastes