Sandy Nielson's Asparagus Quiche with a Spaghetti Squash Crust

Recipe from Sandy Nielson, 26 June 2023

*Serves 6-8*
 
A delicious quiche that's crust-less. 
 

(Adapted from: https://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/asparagus-quiche-with-a-spaghetti-squash-crust/ and one of Sandy's other recipe she uses to make a quiche).

Ingredients:
 
13 ounces of asparagus - I used a dozen or so asparagus spears cut into bite size pieces and blanched
1 good sized medium shallot diced into small pieces (or 1⁄2 small onion)
1 - 2 garlic cloves (your preference)
1 - 2 teaspoons of olive oil
5 eggs
1 cup of milk
1 1⁄2 cups of swiss cheese divided (I used Trader Joe’s Swiss & Gruyere shredded cheese mix)
1⁄2 teaspoon of salt
1⁄4 teaspoon of pepper
3 cups approximately of cooked spaghetti squash (1 medium squash) **see note below on how to prep squash for the pie “crust”
1⁄8 tsp of red chili flakes (optional)
 
Preparation:
 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
 
Wash and cut off/snap off the woody ends of the asparagus. Cut the asparagus spears into 1 inch long pieces and set aside. Chop the shallot or onion and mince the garlic.
 
Next, bring a pot of water to a boil with a tsp of salt. Toss the cut asparagus spears into the boiling water for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes (depending on their thickness) and then remove them quickly with a slotted spoon. Plunge them immediately into a bowl of ice water. Drain and set asparagus pieces aside on a dish towel to remove the excess moisture and so that they will cool off. This “plunge” keeps their vibrant green color!
 
Next, heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat, and sauté the shallots or onion, and garlic for a few minutes until soft and translucent. *If you prefer not to blanch the asparagus using the above method, you can now add them here, and continue to sauté until the asparagus has turned bright green and is soft but not limp.
 
Whisk together the eggs, milk, cheese, salt and pepper, pepper flakes.
 
Grease a pie plate lightly with a butter or olive oil. Press the cooked spaghetti squash into the sides and bottom of the pan, forming an “even crust”. Spread 1⁄2 cup of the swiss cheese in the bottom of the pie pan. Then sprinkle the asparagus spears, shallot or onion mixture and garlic in the bottom of the squash crust. Pour the egg mixture into the pie plate. Add the last 1 cup of cheese to the egg mixture, and be sure it sinks in.
 
Bake for 40 - 50 minutes until the quiche is firm and enjoy!
 
*How to Prep the Spaghetti Squash:
 
Cut the squash in half. Remove all the seeds by scraping them out with a tablespoon. Brush with olive oil and lay both halves, cut side down on parchment paper. Bake for approximately 40-50 minutes at 425 degrees.
 
When the squash has cooled some, use a fork to shred the spaghetti squash and put it into a colander to drain any excess moisture. You can use the back of a large spoon to press or squeeze out the excess H2O in the squash as it sits in the colander. Next, put all the shredded squash into the pie plate and press it to form “the crust”. This part of the recipe can be done the day before if you prefer, so that it’s all ready to go the next day and it cuts down on the prep time the day of baking. Just cover the crust with Saran Wrap and put it in the refrigerator. (This simplified the process a bunch for me and was a timesaver.)
 

The next day you can remove the prepared crust from the refrigerator and let it sit on the counter for 30-45 minutes, to bring to room temperature. Next, bake the spaghetti “crust” for 7 minutes at 400 degrees. This is so that the spaghetti “crust” isn’t too “wet” or moist. Take it out of the oven after 7 minutes and then prepare the egg mixture.