This Quiche Florentine is a classic French recipe, made with spinach, gruyere cheese, a rich egg custard, all baked in a flaky, buttery pie crust. This savory spinach quiche is a delicious dish for breakfast, lunch, or even a light dinner.
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What is Quiche?
Quiche is a classic French tart with a pastry crust and a savory egg custard filling. Just about any veggies, meats, or seafood can be added to the filling.
It is most often thought of as a brunch dish, but is also perfect for a make-ahead breakfast or paired with a simple side salad for a light lunch or dinner.
Why this Recipe Works
There are many variations for quiche, but this Quiche Florentine is one of my favorites. The savory spinach and nutty Gruyére combine with the rich egg custard and flaky crust for an elegant dish that's super easy to make.
- This classic French quiche is always a crowd-pleaser.
- Uses a refrigerated pie crust for a simple no-fuss recipe.
- A versatile dish that can be served for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner.
Ingredient Notes
- Spinach - I use fresh spinach in this recipe, but you can also use frozen chopped spinach. To use frozen spinach, thaw it overnight in the fridge, then squeeze out as much water as possible. You can skip the step of cooking the spinach if using frozen.
- Pie Crust - I use a store-bought refrigerated pie crust in this recipe, but you can make your own homemade pie crust or use frozen store-bought crust if you prefer.
- Cheese - Gruyére cheese is the classic choice for quiche florentine, but you can substitute Monterrey jack or cheddar cheese.
See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Set a large pan over medium heat and add 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Add the spinach and cook until just wilted. Let the spinach cool and blot with paper towels to remove any excess moisture.
- Whisk together the eggs, cream, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl.
- Unroll the pie crust and fit it into your pie dish. Sprinkle the spinach onto the crust, then top with the shredded cheese.
- Pour the egg and cream mixture over top of the spinach and cheese. Then place on a rack in the lower third of your oven and bake for around 40 minutes until the center is set. If the crust begins to brown too much, cover with strips of foil or a pie crust shield. Let the quiche rest for around 10 minutes before serving.
What to Serve with Quiche
Quiche is a must for any brunch and, since it's savory, it goes great with sweeter brunch favorites like my brioche French toast casserole or a stack of fluffy homemade pancakes.
It's also a great option for lunch or a light dinner paired with a side salad like my apple walnut salad or my copycat Chick-fil-a kale salad.
Storage Tips
- To Store - Cover the cooled quiche with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to three days.
- To Reheat - Warm the quiche in a 325°F oven for 10 minutes or reheat individual portions in the microwave for 45-60 seconds.
- To Freeze - If you plan to freeze your quiche I recommend baking it in a foil pan, then after it completely cools cover it in foil and place it in a freezer bag. The quiche can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in a 325°F oven until warmed through.
Recipe Variations
The options are nearly endless for add-ins. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Quiche Lorraine - This popular quiche includes bacon and cheese. For this cook 5 strips of bacon, let it cool, then crumble and add to the dish in place of the spinach.
- Ham and Cheese - For this family favorite version replace the spinach and gruyere cheese with around 1 cup of diced ham and 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.
- Mushroom Quiche - For this version sauté around 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms in butter and add to the quiche. You can add these with or without the spinach.
FAQs
Quiche is perfect for feeding a crowd because you can make it a day ahead. Just cover and refrigerate it overnight. Then remove it from the fridge around 20-30 minutes before serving to serve at room temperature or, to serve warm, reheat the quiche in a 325°F oven for around 10-15 minutes.
If your crust begins to brown too much during the baking process, remove the quiche from the oven and cover it with a pie crust shield.
If you do not have a shield you can make a homemade shield using strips of foil, and fitting them over the edges of the crust and around the pie dish.
The key to preventing watery quiche is to remove as much moisture as possible from the spinach. A lot of the moisture will cook off when wilting the spinach, but I recommend blotting it with paper towels or placing it in a fine mesh strainer and pressing out the liquid.
Yes! Simply omit the crust and spray your dish with cooking spray, then add your filling and bake as directed.
More Breakfast Recipes
📖 Recipe
Quiche Florentine
Ingredients
- 1 refrigerated pie crust
- 4 cups baby spinach, chopped
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1½ cups shredded Gruyere cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Set a large pan over medium heat and add 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Add the spinach and cook until just wilted. Let the spinach cool and blot with paper towels or press in a fine mesh strainer to remove any excess moisture.
- Whisk together the eggs, cream, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl.
- Unroll the pie crust and fit it into your pie dish. Sprinkle the spinach onto the crust, then top with the shredded cheese.
- Pour the egg and cream mixture over top of the spinach and cheese. Then place on a rack in the lower third of your oven and bake for around 40 minutes until the center is set. If the crust begins to brown too much, cover with strips of foil or a pie crust shield. Let the quiche rest for around 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Spinach - This recipe uses fresh spinach, but you can also use frozen chopped spinach. To use frozen spinach, thaw it overnight in the fridge, then squeeze out as much water as possible. You can skip the step of cooking the spinach if using frozen.
- Pie Crust - I use a store-bought refrigerated pie crust in this recipe, but you can make your own homemade pie crust or use frozen store-bought crust if you prefer.
- Cheese - Gruyére cheese is the classic choice for quiche florentine, but you can substitute Monterrey jack or cheddar cheese.
- To Store - Cover the cooled quiche with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to three days.
- To Reheat - Warm the quiche in a 325°F oven for 10 minutes or reheat individual portions in the microwave for 45-60 seconds.
- To Freeze - If you plan to freeze your quiche I recommend baking it in a foil pan, then after it completely cools cover it in foil and place it in a freezer bag. The quiche can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in a 325°F oven until warmed through.
Nutrition
* All nutrition information we provide are estimates based on third party calculators. We encourage you to calculate these on your own for accurate results.
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