When it comes to brunch there’s nothing more satisfying (and beautiful) than a French quiche, filled with pillowy eggs, ricotta and a flaky crust. Undeniably, it’s irresistible!
The filling for a quiche is easily adapted to your preferred tastes but I highly recommend trying this exact recipe at least once before you start switching and adding your own twists on it. I first came across a quiche like this in my time spent in South Africa. Seems a little strange doesn’t it – a French quiche but made in South Africa? But if you’ve ever been to South Africa you’ll know they have a very diverse cuisine and are wonderful cooks. And their dairy, well, it’s full of fat and flavour that elevates any dish, like this French quiche!
Ingredients
- Puff pastry
- Eggs
- Ricotta cheese
- Heavy cream
- Full milk
- Unsalted butter
- Butternut squash
- Zucchini
- Asparagus
- Red onion
- Garlic cloves
- Fresh thyme
- Olive oil
- Sea salt
- Ground pepper
- Micro greens or arugula (optional)
Quiche Filling Varieties
What has become the most famous quiche in France is the Lorraine which includes bacon (or lardons). This particular French quiche falls into its own category of sophistication which needs a filling to match. Here are a few ideas to up your quiche game.
- Dill, roasted potato, red peppers, garlic and shallots
- Garlic and mixed herbs; basil, thyme, rosemary, chives, and sage
- Bacon, mushroom with red onion and sage
- Roasted squash, zucchini, and sausage
- Roasted leeks, asparagus, and garlic
When it comes to this French quiche I can’t think of a better time than spring and summer to serve it. It makes the perfect meal for brunch or dinner. You can add a lovely fresh salad as simple or complex as you like and serve it hot or cold.
How To Make a Roasted Vegetable French Quiche
Step One: Prep your vegetables and chop them into similar sized pieces. Roast the veggies in the oven until cooked all the way through. Remove thyme stems and set the veggies aside to cool.
Step Two: Meanwhile brush phyllo sheets with butter and layer diagonally, using approx 10 sheets in total.
Step Three: Gently lift the layered sheets of phyllo and press the pastry into a springform pan. Make your filling by whisking your eggs, cream, milk, and ricotta until light and fluffy. Add roasted vegetables and pour into your pastry filled pan. Brush the pastry edges with butter and bake.
French Quiche
This roasted vegetable French quiche is filled with pillowy eggs, ricotta cheese and has a flaky crust. It’s packed with flavour that’s delicate and has a sense of sophistication. The crust is made using sheets of phyllo pastry that are layered upon each other to create a buttery yet crisp outer layer.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 10 mins
- Cook Time: 60 mins
- Total Time: 2 hours 10 mins
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Brunch
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Pastry
- 10 sheets puff pastry, defrosted (follow package directions)
- 3–4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filling
- 2 cups (300 g) butternut squash, cubed
- 1 small zucchini, chopped
- half a bunch of asparagus, chopped in large pieces (approx. 16)
- half a medium red onion, sliced into large pieces
- 2–3 garlic cloves, diced
- 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2–3 Tablespoons olive oil
- sea salt, to taste
- ground pepper, to taste
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup full milk
Serve with micro greens or arugula (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- For the roasted vegetables; combine squash, zucchini, asparagus, onion, and garlic together. Drizzle olive oil to coat vegetables, spread out evenly on your baking sheet and top with sprigs of thyme. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Bake in the oven for approx. 30 minutes or until soft and tender. Remove vegetables from the oven and set aside. Discard thyme stems.
- Prepare your filling. In a large bowl, beat eggs, ricotta cheese, milk and cream together until light and fluffy. Stir in roasted veggies. Set aside.
- Set out a bowl of the melted butter.
- On a work surface lay out one sheet of phyllo pastry. Brush the sheet with melted butter. Lay another phyllo sheet slightly on a diagonal on top of the other phyllo sheet. Brush the sheet with butter. Continue to repeat the process with 10 sheets of phyllo and butter, until you have a windmill of phyllo sheets and butter (see image above for reference).
- Lift the phyllo sheets up and gently press into an 8 inch or 10 inch spring form pan. Press the sides down and leave an overhang of pastry (if the pastry is hanging too much you can trim it off as it may burn in the oven).
- Pour your filling into the centre of your phyllo.
- Using tinfoil wrap/cover the edges of the phyllo pastry so it doesn’t burn in the oven.
- Place in the bottom third of the oven, and turn down your temperature to 350˚F.
- Bake for approx. 1 hour or until the center is set. Make sure to check on your phyllo halfway through baking time to make sure your phyllo isn’t burning.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 8 – 10 minutes before releasing the sides of the spring form pan.
- Serve with micro greens or arugula on top.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice of 12
- Calories: 338
- Sugar: 2.7g
- Sodium: 474mg
- Fat: 24.7g
- Saturated Fat: 12.8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 23g
- Fiber: 1.8g
- Protein: 8.6g
- Cholesterol: 128mg
Keywords: French, Quiche, Breakfast, Brunch, Vegetarian
FAQ’s
Yes, you can freeze a quiche made with phyllo pastry although the pastry is very delicate and breaks easily. It’s more difficult to store and reheat than a quiche made with pie pastry.
It’s best to reheat a French quiche in the oven. If you are reheating it in the microwave you will lose the crispy, flaky texture of the pastry. To reheat in the oven, preheat your oven to 350°F. Place the quiche on a baking sheet and cover it with tin foil to prevent the crust from burning. Bake for approx. 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and crispy.
Yes, you can use full milk instead of heavy cream in a French quiche but keep in mind that the texture and flavor of the quiche will be slightly different. Heavy cream is thicker and richer than milk, so using milk will result in a slightly lighter and less creamy filling.
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This recipe inspired me to find a way to make it, working around my dietary limitations!
While I can’t eat the phyllo pastry, this recipe inspired me to try pie pastry once again. I did, with success for the first time! In my experience, gluten-free flours don’t roll well. I love the roasted vegetable and their contribution to the layering of flavours. I used your filling recipe exactly(all lactose-free) and it was delicious!!
★★★★★
I’m so happy to hear this Susan and that you were able to make the recipe work with your limitations! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Love, loved this recipe!
★★★★★