Quiche Anyway

Made with Colby Jack cheese, spinach plus sauteed onions & green bell peppers

Made with Cheddar cheese, ham lunch meat and broccoli

* This quiche can be made any number of different ways depending on the meat and vegetables you have on hand and your family's personal preferences. 

Serves: 5-6 (Makes 2 quiches)

12 eggs
1/2 c. milk
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 c. shredded cheese (any variety)
1/2 - 1 c. cooked meat of your choice (optional)
2-4 additional 1/2 cups of your choice of veggies (fresh or frozen)
2 pre-made pie crusts (homemade or store bought)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a mixing bowl, break eggs then add milk and whisk until well combined. Stir in salt & pepper. In 2 pie pans, lay out one pie crust in each pan. Put 1/2 cup of cheese on the bottom of each crust. Spread vegetables and meat, 1/2 cup each on top of cheese, placing the heaviest filling on top. Pour half of egg mixture into each pie crust. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until eggs are set in the middle.

Notes: There are so many ways to make quiche and that is the beauty of this dish. Some of our favorite veggies to put in quiche are spinach, broccoli, onions, bell peppers (any color) and potatoes (they must be cooked first). I have found that vegetables with a strong flavor (onions, bell peppers, etc.) can be toned down by sauteing them in a small amount of butter. Spinach is also best torn into smaller pieces and spread in the crust before the cheese.

Any variety of meat can be used such as ham, sausage, bacon or even left out altogether if you prefer your quiche to be meatless. Even without meat, there is still plenty of protein from the eggs. Also, any variety of cheese can be used as well. Cheddar, Colby Jack, Swiss and Pepper Jack are favorites of ours. We often make two different quiches for the same dinner. Enjoy!

Recipe from Stacy.

Sausage Spaghetti Pie

Serves: 4

4 oz. spaghetti
2 eggs, divided, lightly beaten
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 c. cottage cheese
8 oz. ground sausage
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1/3 c. green pepper, chopped
1 c. spaghetti sauce
1/2 c. (2 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese

To make the spaghetti crust, cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and rinse with hot water. Combine spaghetti, 1 egg and Parmesan cheese; stir well. Press pasta mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a greased 9" pie plate. In a small bowl, stir or smash the cottage cheese until smooth (see tips). Add 1 egg and mix well. Spread the cheese mixture on top of the spaghetti crust. In a large skillet, cook the sausage, onion and green pepper until sausage is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce. Spoon sausage mixture on top of cheese filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Top with mozzarella cheese and bake about 5 minutes more.

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Tips: This dish was wonderful because it was such a change from the ordinary pie or pasta bake. We cut it with a pizza cutter then dished it out with a spatula. The original recipe called for the cottage cheese to be pressed through a sieve. All I have is a strainer so I don't think it worked quite the same but I think the outcome just needs to be a smoother spreadable cheese. To make this healthier, consider using turkey sausage and low-fat diary products.

Recipe adapted from Healthy Homestyle Cooking

Polynesian Sausage Supper

Serves: 4-5

1 lb. fully cooked smoked sausage, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1/2 medium onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 c. beef broth
1 T. brown sugar
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. pepper
1 can (20 oz.) pineapple chunks
2 T. cornstarch
Hot cooked rice

In a skillet, cook the sausage, onion and green pepper until the sausage is lightly browned; drain. Add tomatoes, broth, brown sugar, garlic powder and pepper. Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Stir pineapple into skillet. Bring to a boil; cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Add cornstarch to reserved pineapple juice until smooth; gradually add to sausage mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve over rice.

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Tips: I don't cook with smoked sausage very often but I was intrigued by a sale of a 14 oz. sausage for 99¢. My whole family loved this recipe and there are enough things in it that the kids could pick out what they didn't like and still have plenty left to enjoy. I happened to have fresh pineapple on hand so I used about a cup of cut-up pineapple and used the juice that had accumulated at the bottom of the bowl. I also shared this recipe at The Grocery Cart Challenge's Recipe Swap.

Recipe from Taste of Home's 2002 Quick Cooking Annual Recipes