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Combine eggs, cheese, onions, and cooked turkey into a delicious Crustless Turkey Quiche! No pie crust involved – the quiche creates its own crust as it bakes.
During the holidays – when guests from out-of-town stay for the night – we’re always looking for quick and easy ways to feed a crowd using our Thanksgiving leftovers. This Crustless Turkey Quiche is a delicious option!
Cooked turkey, cheddar cheese, and sauteed onions are combined with a simply seasoned egg custard, then baked until set. As the quiche bakes, it forms its own outer crust along the edges – so no separate pie crust step is needed.
Key ingredients and Substitutions
- Cooked Turkey – You can use leftover white or dark turkey meat – or a mix of both in this quiche. It’s a flexible recipe so you could also add in cooked turkey sausage or turkey bacon as well – or make this crustless quiche with cooked chicken.
- Eggs – A key component in any quiche and one of the binders that keeps this dish all together. You could swap in some eggs whites if you’d like a lighter option.
- Light cream – Light cream mixed with the eggs is the base for the custard. Half and half (which is milk and light cream) or whole milk are other options too, but the texture of the baked quiche will be softer.
- Cheddar cheese – We added sharp white cheddar to our quiche, but feel free to substitute other types of cheddar, or even Swiss cheese if you prefer.
- Butter and onions – We sautéed sliced sweet Vidalia onions in butter, but you can use yellow or red onions if that’s what you have on hand.
- Flour and baking soda – All-purpose flour is mixed with baking soda to help lighten the texture of this quiche and give it body.
- Seasonings – A simple mix of kosher salt, ground white pepper, freshly ground nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and dry mustard season the crustless quiche and allow the turkey and cheese flavors to shine though. You could swap in a dash of your favorite hot sauce for the cayenne – or omit all together – but this touch of acidity cuts through the overall richness.
Special supplies needed
- 9½ – 10” pie plate
- A roasting pan larger than the 10” pie plate or a round braiser like this, to use for the water bath
Chef’s Tip –
You’ll be using the water bath method to cook this crustless turkey quiche. A water bath ensures even baking and the moisture in the oven yields a soft, tender baked quiche.
How do I make Crustless Turkey Quiche?
- Saute butter and onions in a skillet for ten minutes, then set aside to cool.
- Beat eggs in bowl, then set aside.
- Whisk flour together with the baking soda, salt, pepper, cayenne, nutmeg and mustard in a large bowl.
- Slowly whisk the cream into the bowl with the flour mixture – mixing until completely incorporated. Then, pour in the beaten eggs and whisk again until smooth.
- Add shredded cheese, cooked turkey, and cooked onions to the mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until evenly mixed.
- Spray a 10” pie plate with kitchen pan spray and set this pan into a larger roasting pan.
- Scrape the quiche batter into the prepared pie plate, then set the pan on the rack in the center of your preheated oven.
- Pour boiling hot water in the outer pan three quarters of the way up the sides of the pie plate. Slide the rack in carefully and set the timer for 30 minutes. Rotate pan and keep checking for doneness – every five minutes or so – until the quiche is lightly browned on top, and a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove the pie plate from the water bath and let sit for 10 minutes to set up.
- Slice and serve.
Frequently asked Questions
Can I make Crustless Turkey Quiche ahead? Yes, you can bake it and let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
How do I store leftovers? Cover and refrigerate for up to three days.
How do I reheat leftovers? Reheat slices in the microwave, or place the pie plate back into a water bath and heat to serving temperature.
Can I add vegetables to this Crustless Turkey Quiche? Sure – we’d suggest cooking the vegetables ahead of time, and draining them well, so that they don’t release excess water into the custard, making your quiche soggy. Some good vegetable options are chopped broccoli, mushrooms, and spinach.
What is the difference between a crustless quiche and a frittata? They are quite similar in that they are both crustless egg dishes with various ingredients added for flavor. However, a crustless quiche is usually baked, while a frittata is cooked partly on the stove and finished off in the oven.
You might enjoy these other Turkey leftover recipes:
- Turkey Pot Pie
- Turkey & Stuffing Turnovers
- Hot Turkey and Stuffing Sandwich
- New England Turkey Chowder
- Sweet Onion Turkey Cheddar Pie
We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
Crustless Turkey Quiche
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium to large onion, sliced thin (8 ounces in weight)
4 whole eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Few grinds of fresh nutmeg
1 cup light cream
6 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded (3/4 of an 8-ounce stick)
1 1/2 cups cooked turkey, cubed (white or dark or combined)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with rack in center position.
- Spray a 9-1/2″ or 10” pie plate with kitchen pan spray then set this pie plate into a larger pan wide enough to accommodate the pie dish and of equal or higher sides. (A round braiser like this is perfect for baking a pie in a water bath but you can also use a rectangle roasting pan.)
- Place a tea kettle on with water to boil.
- In a medium saute pan, melt butter over medium heat and saute the onions until lightly browned, about ten minutes. Set aside to cool.
- In a small to medium bowl, beat the eggs and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, pepper, mustard, cayenne and nutmeg to combine.
- Add the cream and whisk until smooth.
- Add the beaten eggs and beat to make a smooth batter.
- Add the shredded cheese, cooked turkey and the cooled cooked onions and butter and mix until combined with a wooden spoon.
- Scrape this quiche batter into the prepared pie plate then lift both pans together and set on the oven rack.
- Use the tea kettle to pour boiling water into the outer pan until it comes three quarters of the way up the side of the pie plate.
- Carefully slide the rack into the oven without sloshing the water and close the door.
- Bake for 30 minutes then gently rotate the pan and bake in five-minute increments until a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Ovens vary; ours took exactly 40 minutes to bake. Your oven may be different.
- Remove the pie dish from the outer pan being careful not to dip your fingers in the hot water. Set the quiche to rest for ten minutes before slicing into six portions and serving.
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