Skip to main content
Main

Spinach and Cheese Quiche

A savory quiche with spinach, onions, garlic, and a blend of Pecorino Romano and mozzarella cheeses.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 11 ingredients
Jump to recipe ↓

Why it works: Thyme and basil match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,768 recipes. Both carry terpineol, which smells pine, woody. The science ↓

Spinach and Cheese Quiche

Oven350°F (175°C)
Timeabout 50 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

  2. Bring the pie crust to room temperature.

  3. Unroll crust and press to fit into a 9‑inch pie plate. Trim edges.

Make the filling

  1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.

  2. Add onion and cook until onion becomes transparent, about 5 minutes.

  3. Combine spinach with onion, cover skillet; turn off heat and set aside.

  4. Beat eggs in a large bowl until light colored and frothy.

  5. Add garlic, thyme, basil, cheeses, and spinach mixture, stir until well blended.

  6. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

  7. Pour spinach mixture into prepared pie crust.

Bake

  1. Bake in preheated oven until top is golden brown, and toothpick comes out clean, about 50 minutes.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

461Calories
22 gProtein
35 gFat
16 gCarbs

Counts 11 of 12 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Romano Cheese1 oz (28g) cheddar113
Mozzarella Cheese1 oz (28g)85
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Spinach1 cup raw (30g)7
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Thyme1 tsp dried (1.4g)4
Basil5 leaves fresh (2.5g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Pie Crustnot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Thyme + basiltop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,768 recipes

    Shared aroma: terpineol (pine, woody).

  2. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  3. Spinach + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,435 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  4. Clove + thymetop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together4,108 recipes

    Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).

  5. Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together25,665 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Eggs
Set the custard and give the quiche its structure as they cook.
Olive oil
Carries the onion's flavour and keeps the onion from sticking while it softens.
Spinach
Adds the main vegetable body and moisture to the filling.
Mozzarella cheese
Melts into the custard, adding richness and a stretchy, creamy texture.
Pecorino romano cheese
Adds salty, sharp flavour and helps the filling brown lightly on top.
Onion
Sweetens as it cooks and adds savoury depth to the filling.

The step that matters

Bake until the centre is set. Eggs set as their proteins coagulate with heat. Pulling the quiche too early leaves a loose, wet centre, while overbaking makes the custard rubbery and dry.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, onion, spinach, egg, garlic, thyme, basil):

  1. Oreganofits better
  2. Parsleyfits better
  3. Marjoramfits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, onion, spinach, egg, garlic, thyme, basil. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

You might also like

Macaroni and CheeseMacaroni and Cheese102 recipesCheese MakingCheese Making50 recipesSpinach SoupSpinach Soup50 recipesCheese FrittersCheese Fritters34 recipes