Quiche Florentine is a classic quiche recipe that combines a fluffy egg filling with fresh spinach and melty cheese. I love this creamy spinach quiche served with a green salad for an easy brunch, lunch, or dinner!
Homemade Quiche Florentine
Is there a dish more versatile than quiche? Breakfast, lunch, or dinner, there’s never a wrong time of day for a fluffy quiche slice loaded with tasty add-ins. With sharp cheddar, spinach, cream, and eggs baked in a flaky pie crust, this easy quiche Florentine recipe is no exception. It’s savory, cheesy, and oh-so-satisfying. It’s a delicious choice for a filling breakfast or a weekend brunch buffet. You can even add a side of greens and call it dinner!
Why You’ll Love This Quiche Florentine Recipe
- Classic, with a twist. This quiche is a classic recipe that I’ve put a personal spin on. Traditionally, quiche Florentine is made with spinach and Gruyere cheese. But I love the sharpness of white cheddar in this recipe. Feel free to use your favorite!
- Rich and creamy. The combination of creamy spinach, eggs, and cheese with a touch of heavy cream works some delicious magic in this quiche. Each forkful melts in your mouth.
- Customizable. There are so many ways that you can adapt this quiche recipe depending on the ingredients you have on hand and your preferences. It might not technically be quiche Florentine by the end of it, but don’t let that stop you from making this recipe your own.
- Any time. Quiche is a tasty meal no matter the season or time of day. Cold weather or warm weather. Morning, afternoon, or dinnertime. A slice of quiche is always satisfying, alone or with your favorite easy sides!
Why Is It Called Quiche Florentine?
Quiche Florentine is named after French queen Catherine de Médici, who was born in Florence, Italy, and happened to love spinach (a lot, it turns out). So much so, that many French recipes made with spinach are considered à la Florentine. It makes sense. This spinach quiche is royally delicious!
Ingredient Notes
Here are my notes on the key ingredients in a quiche Florentine. Scroll down to the recipe card for a printable list with amounts.
- Pie Crust – I like to prepare and par-bake my easy homemade pie crust when making quiche. Of course, you can make this recipe using your own homemade crust, or a store-bought crust works, too.
- Cheese – Extra sharp cheddar cheese gives lots of flavor to the dish. You can also use Gruyere or any type of cheese you’d like. For the meltiest results, shred the cheese fresh from the block.
- Spinach – I almost always use fresh spinach in quiche Florentine. If you’re using frozen spinach, make sure to thaw and drain it first. Press the thawed spinach between paper towels to really ring out any excess moisture, otherwise the quiche will turn out watery.
- Eggs – The main ingredient in this lovely quiche! Give your eggs a light whisking in a bowl beforehand.
How to Make Quiche Florentine
There are a few steps to making quiche Florentine, but the hands-on time is limited. Preparing and blind baking the pie crust is actually the longest part, and you can easily speed things up with a ready-made crust if needed. For now, follow the steps below. You’ll also find printable instructions in the recipe card.
- Prepare the pie crust. First, you’ll need to prepare a flaky pie crust and follow the directions to blind-bake it. See the recipe card for details. I also have an easy tutorial on how to blind bake a pie crust that you might find helpful.
- Cook the veggies. Next, you’ll sauté shallots and garlic in a skillet until fragrant. Add in the spinach and cook until it’s wilted.
- Combine the filling. Whisk flour with two tablespoons of milk to make a roux. Combine this with the rest of the milk, heavy cream, and eggs. Give the filling a good whisk and season with salt and pepper.
- Assemble the quiche. Layer the sautéed spinach into your par-baked pie crust along with the shredded cheese. Pour the egg mixture over top.
- Bake. Bake the quiche at 350ºF for 35 to 45 minutes. A pie crust shield comes in handy to prevent the edges from browning too quickly. Once your quiche is cooked through, let it cool, then slice and serve.
Recipe Tips and Variations
Quiche is a dish that’s easy to switch up according to your taste and preferences. Here are a few ways to elevate your quiche florentine or completely switch up the dish.
- Par-bake the crust. If you don’t partially bake the pie crust in advance, it likely will not cook through before the dish is ready. Additionally, the bottom won’t be golden and crispy but likely mushy instead. It does add an extra step but it’s definitely one you don’t want to miss!
- Switch up the cheese. As noted above, lots of quiche florentine recipes are made with gruyere cheese so feel free to substitute that or any other preferred cheese.
- Add more veggies. Feel free to load your quiche up with more chopped vegetables like tomatoes, onions, and mushrooms. Even asparagus tastes delicious. Remember to pre-cook your vegetables before you combine them with the filling.
- Add protein. Cubed ham, cooked bacon, and sausage all make great additions to this spinach and cheese quiche.
- Make it gluten-free. Use my easy gluten-free pie crust and swap the flour in the filling for cornstarch.
What to Serve With Quiche Florentine
Since quiche can be served for pretty much any meal of the day, there are no hard or fast rules as to what you can serve it with. For breakfast or brunch, enjoy quiche Florentine with coffee (or a mimosa) and a side of crispy bacon and buttermilk biscuits. I also love a slice of sweet banana bread to balance out the savory flavors. For lunch or dinner, pair quiche with a leafy green salad, a hearty quinoa vegetable salad, or a side of crispy potatoes.
Storing and Reheating Leftover Quiche
- Refrigerate. Store any leftover quiche Florentine in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat. The easiest way to reheat it quiche is in the oven, though the microwave works fine for individual servings.
- Freeze. This quiche freezes well. Allow it to cool completely then wrap the quiche in plastic wrap and foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat directly from frozen, adding 10 or 20 minutes to the baking time.
More Brunch Recipes
Print
Quiche Florentine
- Prep Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
- Category: Brunch
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Quiche Florentine is an easy recipe loaded with creamy spinach and melty cheese in a flavorful egg filling. Enjoy slices for brunch, lunch, or as a light dinner!
Ingredients
- 9-inch Pie crust, partially baked
- 8 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium shallot, finely diced
- 1 clove Garlic
- 3 cups Fresh spinach
- 1 tablespoon flour
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Partially bake the crust. Prepare a pie crust in a 9-inch pie plate. Preheat the oven to 375°F. To partially bake, place a piece of parchment paper in the bottom and then add pie weights or dried beans or rice. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside the weight and parchment paper. Poke the bottom of the pie crust with a fork several times. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes. The bottom of the crust may inflate but gently push it back down with a spatula.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
- In a medium sauce pan, heat the olive oil then add the garlic and shallots and cook until the shallots are transparent and fragrant (just a couple minutes), then add the spinach and cook until cooked down.
- Combine the liquid ingredients: In a small dish, take 2 tablespoons of the milk and whisk together with the flour until the flour is dissolved. Add additional milk if needed. Them combine the slurry with the rest of the milk, heavy cream and beaten eggs. Whisk to combine and add salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Layer the vegetables and cheese in the prepared pie crust and then pour the liquid over top.
- Bake at 350°F for 35-45 minutes until the center of the quiche is cooked through. Use a pie crust shield to prevent the edges from browning too quickly.
Notes
- Frozen spinach: To use frozen instead of fresh, make sure to thaw and thoroughly drain the spinach of excess water, ensuring it’s as dry as you can make it.
- Cheese: Gruyere cheese is a great alternative to sharp cheddar
- Additional vegetables or meats can be added in addition to the spinach and cheese.
- Gluten-free: Try my gluten-free pie crust and use cornstarch instead of flour in the filling.
