There’s something about quiche that makes me think of eating lunch at a little Boulangerie, or a local café, but aside from that, quiches are some of the most delicious, economical, and easy meals out there. This lightened up ham, gruyere, and caramelized onion quiche takes a bit of prep time, but once it’s cooked it can be served warm or at room temperature for an effortless lunch. It also travels really well making it a perfect make ahead meal to eat throughout the week.
Most quiches use a lot of eggs and cream, but I wanted to create a lighter version that feels indulgent but has a fraction of the calories. Thus, this lightened up ham, gruyere, and caramelized onion quiche fit the bill.
Lightened up ham, gruyere, and caramelized onion quiche ingredients:
- 4 eggs + 2 egg whites
- 1 store bought frozen pie crust, thawed
- 1 large yellow onion (diced)
- 2 large cloves of garlic (minced)
- 1 tbs canola oil
- ¼ tsp chopped fresh thyme
- 1 ¼ tsp chopped fresh sage (about 4 big leaves)
- ½ cup sliced ham (diced)
- ½ cup gruyere cheese
- 1/3 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
First, preheat your oven to 450 degrees, and place the rolled out pie dough in a standard pie dish, lightly pressing it down to fit it to the shape of the pie dish. Next, place a piece of parchment paper over the pie dough and fill the unbaked crust with dry beans. (See picture below) This is to blind bake the crust so the dough doesn’t shrink and stays nice and crispy.
Blind bake your pie crust at 450 degrees for 12 minutes, then take it out of the oven and decrease the heat to 400 degrees. Let the pie dough cool with the dry beans in it and start on the filling. It will look like this when you remove the paper and beans.
Sauté diced onions in canola oil until golden brown for about 10-15 minutes. When the onions are just about done, add in the garlic and sauté for another minute or two until it is all fragrant. Transfer onion and garlic mixture to a large mixing bowl and add in the fresh chopped herbs. Next, dice the sliced ham into pieces about the same size as the onions. You want everything to be consistent. Mix everything together, then add in the eggs and egg whites.
The combination of eggs and egg whites lightens up the filling but keeps the taste and feel of the classic dish. Make sure the eggs are thoroughly mixed with the other ingredients, then add in the yogurt, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, mixing so that it is one homogeneous mixture.
Pour the mixture into the pie crust and bake for 25 minutes uncovered. Next, tent the quiche with tin foil (see pic below) making sure that the foil does not touch the egg mixture, then bake for an additional 15 minutes until the center of the quiche is set and not jiggly.
Let cool for 5 to ten minutes, then serve warm, or let it rest and serve at room temperature.
This lightened up ham, gruyere, and caramelized onion quiche is delicious, tastes decadent, but is easy on your waistline. My favorite way to eat this is with a light salad for a quick and healthy meal. Make a big quiche at the start of the week for simple meals during and after work!
Enjoy!