Mushroom Kale Quiche

Mushroom kale quiche is loaded with shredded Monterey Jack cheese, sautéed mushrooms, hearty kale. The creamy egg custard is baked within a homemade buttery, flakey crust.  

It’s not a proper brunch without quiche on the menu!

There are certain breakfast and brunch menu items I refuse to order at restaurants and cafes. These include avocado toast, baked eggs, and quiche. I prefer to make these at home because I’m quite particular about how I like them. My avocado toast needs a touch of garlic. The yolks in my baked eggs needs to be the right amount of runny.

And finally quiche- the pie shell must be flakey and butter and definitely no soggy bottoms! It needs to have a decent amount of cheese and a whole lot of vegetables.

Mushroom Quiche

This is my favorite quiche to make whenever we have guests over. It’s a favorite for several reasons!

First, this kale quiche can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge. I like to make it on Friday afternoon, keep it stored in the fridge, and simply reheat slices in the toaster oven for brunch all weekend.

(This is the toaster oven I currently use. I LOVE IT. I’ve recommended it several friends who also love it. The toaster oven is rather small, so it doesn’t take up much counter space. It uses light to heat up your food. I’ve had mine for over three years and it’s still running consistent and strong. I love this toaster oven because keeps the quiche slice bottom crisp and flakey.)

pie dough that doesn’t shrink

I used a variation of my go-to pie dough recipe. It is similar to the one used in this persimmon cranberry pie and apple slab pie. The secret is vinegar!

Distilled white vinegar prevents gluten development in the pie dough. Gluten forms when water and flour are mixed together. Gluten gives dough strength and elasticity. By inhibiting gluten development, the pie dough is easier to roll out. It won’t have much stretch and it won’t shrink during baking!

Worried about the sour vinegar smell? You’ll definitely smell it when the pie dough is raw, but you won’t be able to taste it after baking. Feel free to substitute apple cider vinegar in place of the distilled white vinegar. I use them interchangeably when making pie dough.

Blind Bake Quiche Shell

Bling baking sounds scary, but it’s not.

For this mushroom kale quiche, we will be partially blind baking the crust.

Chilled pie dough is rolled out and placed inside a 9-inch pie dish. Flute, crimp, or decorate the edges of the pie as desired. Cover with plastic wrap and let the pie chill in the fridge until cold.

How to partially blind bake crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Line the chilled pie crust with crinkled up parchment paper (this helps the paper mold more easily to the shape of the pie). You can also use aluminum foil or place a second pie tin on top.
3. Fill with dried beans, dried rice, or fancy pie weights. Bake for about 10 minutes until the edges of the crust starts to color.
4. Remove the pie weights and bake for another 8-10 minutes until the bottom of the pie starts to color.

No need to wait and cool the pie crust. You can immediately fill it with quiche ingredients!

I like to sprinkle a layer of cheese on the bottom. Follow with the pre-cooked veggies and then top with any remaining cheese. Slowly pour in the whisked egg, milk, and cream mixture. And then bake!

See that fork full of quiche photographed above? See that browned bottom pie dough? To me, that’s the sign of a great baked pie shell! It’s not soft and soggy on the bottom.

Partially blind baking the pie dough before adding the filling helps to ensure that the pie dough is cooked well throughout. It ensures that you’ll get that nice crisp and flakey pie dough with each bite!

More Kale Recipes

• Mushroom Kale Pesto Pizza
• Brown Butter Spaghetti
• Avocado Kale Smoothie
• Savory Bread Pudding