Crustless Swiss Chard Quiche

My favorite breakfast this spring has got to be this crustless Swiss chard quiche: It’s light, flavorful and wholesome. It’s also my go to dish for ending a fast. Additionally, I get to use the chard that grows like weeds in my garden. 

Swiss chard grows effortlessly and brings beauty to my garden. I have been blessed with an abundance of Swiss chard after planting my first rainbow Swiss chard seeds almost 10 years ago.

My favorite cheeses to combine with the sweetness of Swiss chard are Swiss cheese and Havarti. I have experimented with various cheeses and chard pairings. Use whatever you have on hand. I have tasted amazing quiches made with goat cheese and have even seen quiche recipes utilizing cottage cheese. 

If you’re searching for a new delicious recipe, try out this simple crustless quiche recipe, featuring Swiss chard. 

Notes on cooking with chard: 

Chard is part of the beet family and has a sweetness to it. 

White, yellow and orange stemmed chard are more tender and  delicate than the hearty red-stemmed chard. Smaller leaves are the most tender. I prefer the large shiny leaves. Be sure to separate the stems from the leaves. Treat the stem as you would onion, chopped. I often just use the leaves, because I have so much chard. But if you don’t have much use it all. 

Furthermore, this recipe includes both raw onion and chard straight into the oven with the eggs. I don't sautee the onions or chard and its still so good.  It couldn’t be simpler.

I often streamline this recipe by stemming, chopping, and freezing pre-measured batches of my swiss chard leaves. 

Why crustless quiche?

Tastewise and healthwise, I would rather eat quiche with a side of corn bread or sweet potatoes than a traditional quiche crust.

This Swiss chard quiche is naturally low in carbs but very satiating. I prefer eating whole unrefined carbs and respect portion sizes. My weakness is pizza, but a few years ago I developed gestational diabetes when pregnant with baby no2. and hope to never again experience those debilitating blood sugar spikes. I learned how different types of carbs affect my body: fruit, veggies, corn meal, whole wheat flour, brown rice and steel cut oats vs bleached flour, white rice and pizza. I try to eat carbs in their natural whole form as fruit or vegetables with a protein and fat. I discovered that irregardless of the carb content, my body processes corn and potatoes better than wheat and rice. 

Serves 4

Ingredients 

• 5eggs
• 1 Tbs oil
• 1/2 onion chopped
• 5 oz (or 5 slices) of Havarti or Swiss cheese, chopped or grated
• 10oz Swiss chard, stemmed with leaves rolled and chopped into thin ribbons;
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

Make It

1. Preheat oven to 350F;

2. Drizzle olive oil over the bottom of your baking dish;

3. Add a layer of onion and 1/2 of your chard to the bottom of baking dish;

5. In separate bowl, whisk eggs, salt and milk together;

6. Mix in cheese and the remaining onion and chard;

7. Pour quiche filling into the baking dish;

8. Bake for 30 minutes, quiche should not be runny. If so cook for an additional intervals of 10 minutes;

9. Remove from oven, allow to cool for 5 minutes and enjoy.

Buen provecho!

Laura