Roasted Vegetable and Ricotta Quiche

Spring? Is that you? I think it might be.... the sky is bright blue, the temperatures are warming up, and the snow is definitely melting. I am ready to whip out the summer dresses (check) go for a run (hear that, foot?) and... eat some buttnernut squash? I don't believe this "winter" squash nonsense. Squash is a spring food, too. And fall. And summer. There is no wrong time to eat squash.

In celebration of Easter, I decided to make my favourite eggiest dish: quiche, featuring roasted vegetables and a coconut oil crust. A little bit of spring, a little bit of winter, a little bit of summer, and some herbs and creamy ricotta to tie everything together. The roasted carrots, mushrooms and squash add some depth and colour to this quiche, complementing the light and fluffy egg and ricotta base.


The vegetables and crust can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated, at which point the quiche can be put together in minutes. Alternatively, I have laid out the steps in an order that flows together easily if you want to make it all at once without having to turn the oven on and off for the different parts. This recipe takes a little bit of time, but is not too difficult and is really, truly worth it. I promise.

Ingredients
Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1 tsp thyme
• a dash of salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp water, more as needed

Vegetables:

• 1/2 medium butternut squash
• 3 carrots
• 10 oz mushrooms
• 1 tbsp coconut oil (or olive oil)
• 2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tbsp rosemary
• 1 tsp salt

Filling:

• 8 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 1/2 tbsp rosemary
• 2 tsp thyme
• 1 tbsp parsley
• 3/4 cup ricotta

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
2. Mix dry ingredients for crust.
3. Add coconut oil to flour mixture. Knead in the oil to soften it. Add 1 tbsp water.
4. Place mixture on a working surface, knead, and add as little water as necessary to keep crust together. It should still be very flaky and not all stay together.
5. Roll out crust and press into baking pan or dish. Refrigerate.
6. Cut squash in half lengthwise, place facedown on a baking tray. Cook on the middle oven rack for about 50 minutes, or until roasted through.
7. Thickly slice carrots and mushrooms. Toss carrots with oil and spices and cook on middle rack for 30 minutes.
8. Add mushrooms to carrots, mix to combine, and cook for another 15-20 minutes, until mushrooms are browned and carrots are softened.
9. Take crust out of oven and bake for 10 minutes.
10. Mix eggs, milk, yogurt, herbs, and roasted squash in a large bowl. The squash will still have chunks, but break them up into small pieces so they are spread through the egg mixture.
11. Layer mushrooms along bottom of crust. Pour egg mixture overtop, and add pieces of ricotta throughout the top of the quiche. Cover with roasted carrots, and bake for 45 minutes, until edges are brown and center is firm.

Notes:

My oven seems highly unpredictable, so basically I cook things until they look/feel/taste done. I would monitor the vegetables - the squash is pretty forgiving, but the mushrooms may burn easily. My quiche also definitely took longer than 45 minutes to cook, but I think that my oven is the problem. Test for doneness by poking a fork into the center, and cook for longer if need be.

I also made myself a baby version of this quiche in a ramekin.

If you have fresh herbs, definitely use them in the egg mixture! I didn't have them, but they would have been lovely in this quiche. Roasted or caramelized onion would also work well mixed with the roasted mushrooms.

The idea for this crust and the roasted carrot topping came from Marla's Roasted Rainbow Carrot Tart, where she features a gluten-free version of a coconut oil crust.

PS. Check out my quiche and some other delicious recipes at Cookin' Canuck's Easter Roundup. Thanks, Dara!