Zucchini Quiche with Hashbrown Crust

Name: Zucchini Quiche with Hashbrown Crust
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 55 min
Ingredients: 10 oz hashbrowns (I use the Simply Potatoes brand, it is sold in the refrigerated section near the eggs); 1/4 cup fat free cheddar; 1/2 tsp kosher salt; fresh cracked pepper; 2 cups shredded zucchini (drained of all excess water); 1 small onion (chopped); 4 eggs (I use Egglands Best); 3/4 cup liquid egg whites; 1 cup fat free cheddar; 1 tsp kosher salt; fresh cracked pepper

February 12, 2021 By Stephanie 91 Comments

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What’s better than a quiche? A quiche whose crust is made out of hashbrowns! Let’s dive into this zucchini quiche with hashbrown crust.

Eggs for breakfast

Let’s talk about this zucchini quiche with hashbrown crust, because honestly, it’s my new favorite breakfast. There are so many ways you can prep eggs. They are easy to make and versatile, and when baked in a pie plate or muffin format, they make for a great grab-and-go breakfast. Eggs are a great way to get a nutritious, protein-packed, filling breakfast in, even on your busiest of days.

All about the zucchini filling

There are many recipes out there for egg bakes and quiches. What makes for a good one though? For one, I love a creamy, flavorful filling. This quiche has shredded zucchini inside, which not only bulks up the filling, but also makes it very moist and flavorful. The zucchini in this recipe is a nice change-up from the usual pepper and onions mixture that I typically use for frittatas and omelets. To prep the zucchini, shred it using a box cheese grater over a large bowl. Once it is shredded, it is super important to get rid of the excess water. Zucchini holds a ton of excess water. If that water is not released, it dilutes the flavors in your dish. It also makes for a watery filling, and it will never set up correctly.

To wring the water out, simply wrap the zucchini up in a paper towel or dish towel, secure tightly, and squeeze it over the sink. You would be shocked at how much water is released! Once this step is done, the zucchini is much drier and will take on all of the flavors you add to the dish.

What else is in the quiche filling?

I use sautéed onion in this recipe because – let’s face it – I use onion in everything. I can’t help it! When onion is sautéed it develops such delicious, slightly sweet flavor. A great quiche also usually includes cheese. Usually the cheese is inside the filling, but this recipe uses cheese both in the filling and in the crust! Is there any such thing as too much cheese? Nah, didn’t think so. For this recipe, I mix whole eggs with egg whites. This helps cut down the calories a bit, but still gives you that filling protein you need for a nutritious breakfast. You can always use all eggs, or all egg whites, though. Feel free to make this your own, and use what you have on hand! The seasonings are super simple here: salt and pepper. With all of the other flavors happening in this recipe, there is no need for an abundance of seasoning.

The crust

Let’s face it, the crust is the star of the show here. Instead of using a traditional crust, the crust here is made out of hash browns! The hash browns and cheese together form a delicious nest for the filling to bake in. Each bite of this quiche is better than the next, as you get a little taste of all the flavors and textures. I use these

pre-shredded hash browns from the bag from the brand Simply Potatoes. In my grocery store, these are sold right where the eggs and egg substitutes are sold. You can definitely shred your own hash browns, but buying them pre-shredded just saves you an additional step, and they are budget-friendly as well. If you shred your own, make sure to rinse them a couple of times to release some of the starch, and then squeeze them really dry before adding the other ingredients. As for the cheese, I used Kraft fat free cheddar here. As with anything else, you can substitute any other cheese of your preference, the stats will just change accordingly.

You need to par-bake the crust here, which is a fancy way of saying: bake the crust alone so it can set up before the filling is added. This is similar to methods used in making dessert tarts and cheesecakes. It allows the crust to firm up and get crispy, instead of becoming soggy after adding the liquid filling.

Assembly, serving and storage

Once you have prepped the crust and par-baked it, simply pour the filling into the crust and bake it like you would any other quiche. It’s really that simple.

Once it is cooled, cut the quiche into four generous servings. I enjoyed this quiche with a side of chicken breakfast sausages – these are my favorite. This quiche is filling enough on its own, however, or paired with some fruit. To store the zucchini quiche with hashbrown crust, make sure it has fully cooled from the oven. You can either store it in the pie dish you baked it in (simply cover tightly with plastic wrap), or you can place the individual servings into smaller storage containers (I recommend using glass storage containers for meal prep, I use these). To reheat the quiche, you can simply microwave it, or you can pop it in the oven or air fryer to crisp up. Looking for other easy egg-bake breakfasts? Here are some of my other faves: