What a way to show off your summer garden tomato harvest than with this delicious and nutritious kale and heirloom tomato crustless quiche.
Some say tomato, others say frittata. Huh? Or is this a crustless quiche? In farsi, we call these egg dishes, kookoo. I tend to over think things when I’m naming a new recipe. Remember my not-too-long-away slushy-icee-cooler dilemma?
Although I do have Italian flavors in this egg dish, including parmesan cheese, I decided to name this dish with my first choice, the crustless quiche. No rhyme or reason, it just felt right.
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Why this recipe is so awesome
The Italian frittata is made with mostly eggs with little to no milk or cream. It is traditionally prepared in a cast iron pan, started on the stove and then finished in the oven. The Spanish tortilla is also prepared similarly to the Italian frittata. A quiche contains cream and is completely baked in the oven.
Now quiche’s come in all flavors and textures. Some are silky smooth and others are more rustic. This crustless quiche is more on the rustic side, which I think pairs beautifully with my garden kale and heirloom tomatoes.
It is very easy to make and is a fabulous way to show off your gorgeous summer tomatoes.
Persians also have a similar crustless quiche called kuku. Persian kookoo have less eggs and always have another vegetable mixed in with it. There’s Kuku Sabzi (made with herbs) and even Kuku Sib Zamini (made with potatoes).
You should also try my crustless quiche with sausage and vegetables – so hearty and delcious!
Ingredients you need
- Kale: Other greens you can use include chard and spinach.
- Fresh basil: Fresh herbs give so much more flavor than dried herbs. You can also use oregano or chives.
- Tomatoes: Be sure to choose use fresh tomatoes that are in season and have flavor. The more colorful tomatoes make a bigger impact in presentation.
- Eggs: I use large eggs in this recipe. You can use extra large eggs, it will just have a thicker egg layer.
- Heavy cream: You could use whole milk, but heavy cream makes the dish richer and fluffier.
- Parmesan cheese: Use grated parmesan cheese instead of shredded as it will melt more evenly while it bakes.
- Pantry staples: Baking soda, salt and black pepper
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Step-by-step directions
- Whisk the eggs. Combine eggs, cream, cheese, salt, black pepper and baking soda.
- Chop kale. Wash and remove stems from kale. Finely chop kale and basil then mix in with the eggs.
- Add to skillet. Pour egg mixture into a 9-inch cast iron skillet. You can also use a lightly greased pie plate.
- Add tomatoes. Cut tomatoes into ¼-inch rounds then layer the tomato slices over the top of the egg mixture, slightly overlapping them. Season tomatoes with salt and pepper.
- Bake. Bake in the oven at 350ºF for 40 minutes, or until the center of the quiche is set.
Recipe tips and FAQs
You can make any variety of crustless quiches depending on the flavors you love. You can take any quiche recipe, omit the crust and bake the filling using the directions I provide below.
When I make a crustless quiche, many people ask, well, why? Why omit the crust of the quiche? Well, if you are counting carbs, this crustless quiche is the best way to enjoy a quiche.
Also, I never really cared for the crust of the quiche. Many times it is soggy and flavorless, so removing it from the dish completely only improves the meal. Well, that’s my opinion.
Got too many tomatoes and need more tomato inspiration? How about a Whole Wheat Pizza with Pesto, Tomatoes and Brie or an even simpler Tomato and Brie Tart made with puff pastry? Oven Roasted Tomato Salsa is so easy to make and even more delicious when you use homegrown tomatoes!
Yes, a crustless quiche can be frozen after it has been baked and cooled. If you want to freeze the crustless quiche as a whole, bake it in a metal pie pan because it is freezer safe. To reheat your frozen crustless quiche, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and then bake it in the oven at 400ºF for about 20-30 minutes.
You can also freeze individual slices of your crustless quiche. Wrap each slice tightly in foil and freeze. To reheat, unwrap from foil, place on a microwave safe plate and microwave for 1-2 minutes. You also reheat the individual slice of crustless quiche in a toaster oven.
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Kale and Heirloom Tomato Crustless Quiche
Ingredients
- 8 large eggs
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 5 kale leaves
- ½ cup fresh basil loosely packed
- 5 tomatoes medium-sized and various colors
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon black pepper and baking soda.
- Wash and remove stems from kale.
- Finely chop kale and basil then mix in with the eggs.
- Pour egg mixture into a 9-inch cast iron skillet. You can also use a lightly greased pie plate.
- Cut tomatoes into ¼-inch rounds then layer the tomato slices over the top of the egg mixture, slightly overlapping them.
- Season tomatoes with remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper.
- Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, or until the center of the quiche is set.
- Optional: Heat the quiche on broil for 5 minutes to brown the top.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback.
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Written by Laura Bashar
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!
Terrific recipe! I do like crusts, but more and more these days skip them when making a quiche. A bit of a nuisance, and they don’t add that much flavor. Particularly when the filling is as wonderful as this! Wow, so nice — thanks.
Do you need to grease the cast iron pan first?
If your cast iron is well-seasoned, no you do not need to grease it.
this quiche… i can’t decide if i want to frame it or eat it! so lovely.
Thank you! I still enjoy staring at this picture, too.
Stunning photos!
That crustless quiche should find room at the Smithsonian – it’s beautiful and should be shared with everyone. 🙂
I am still amazed at the different tomato shades. I want!! =D
What a gorgeous quiche! I love the idea of the heirloom tomatoes forming ‘stripes’ of varying colour… the photo of the unbaked quiche is just beautiful. Thanks for the inspiration Laura!
Such a pretty quiche, those heirlooms are stunning!
I can’t get over how beautiful this dish is!! Perfect for this summer. I’m honored to have my girls’ eggs featured, too. 😀
[K]
Lovely dish! Gorgeous colors. I think I’d have called it Rainbow Tomato Frittata — I’d expect to see much more cream in a quiche recipe than the 1/3 of a cup you call for. But that’s a quibble — I’ll bet this is totally delish no matter what you call it. Squirrels have gotten so many of our tomatoes this year! I’ve got netting up now, but in something like two days they got the majority of our crop. 🙁
Love the colors – I’m jealous of your garden! This looks like a perfect summer brunch. : )
Beautiful – I’d call this rainbow crustless quiche – what colors!