Swap out fatty crusty quiche for a lighter, flavor-packed Spaghetti Squash Quiche with Kale and Mushrooms!
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Spaghetti squash is a vegetable with a noodle-like flesh and a slightly sweet taste. It can easily replace pasta in a casserole like spaghetti squash casserole, make a low carb noodle boat like these stuffed spaghetti squash boats, and now form a crust in this meaty and delicious gluten-free spaghetti squash quiche. Why not?!
You don’t have to squeeze the liquid out or any extra steps. Once pressed in a pie plate, spaghetti squash easily replaces traditional flour crust without extra carbs. Cheesy, meaty and so full of flavour. It melts in your mouth.
Warm or cold, I love it both ways. I’m a huge fan of mushrooms and combined with leafy greens like kale, you can’t go wrong. This combination will blow your mind!
Besides swapping traditional crust for a spaghetti squash one, I replaced some cheese with cottage cheese and swapped a few eggs with egg whites. More protein and less fat. Healthy fat is good for you but again, in moderation. You won’t miss any cheese in this healthy spaghetti squash quiche.
How to Make Spaghetti Squash Quiche
Start off by cutting and baking some squash. If you need a refresher, I have posted full series about how to cut open spaghetti squash, baking it whole and even cooking spaghetti squash in air fryer.
For this recipe, you need a bit undercooked squash and you will have to use some muscles to separate it into strands. The longer the squash cooks, more liquid it releases. And we don’t want to end up with a hot mess as the quiche bakes with a filling inside.
Then saute your mushrooms. Nice golden brown colour, just enough to release the excess liquid. Then kale. I added spices to kale on purpose, do not skip this important step to an aromatic spaghetti squash quiche. Trust me, I tested this recipe 3 times.
Whisk eggs, cottage cheese, cheese and spices together. Do not worry, cottage cheese will melt and incorporate with other ingredients beautifully. Nothing will curdle.
Then form a crust with your hands. Just press spaghetti squash to the sides and bottom of a pie dish. I used a deep pie dish but regular one will work just fine. I added a few spices to the crust as well. Nothing complicated – salt, black pepper and thyme. Can’t stand bland food.
Then mix kale and mushrooms with the liquids. Just until combined. Pour into the crust and press with spatula to dunk all vegetables in the liquid. This way the veggies won’t dry out as the quiche rises. You could even open the oven after 20 minutes of baking and press again.
I baked my spaghetti squash quiche for 50 minutes. Check with a knife and if it comes out clean, your quiche is ready.
Like with any casserole or pie, let it cool to ensure proper slicing, about 30 minutes. You might have to lift the edges of the crust with a knife a bit. Alternatively, you could spray the pie dish edges with a cooking spray before adding the ingredients to it.
More Egg Recipes to Try
- Crustless broccoli quiche
- Crustless spinach quiche
- Crustless zucchini quiche
- Instant Pot egg bites
- Crustless zucchini pie
More Spaghetti Squash Recipes
You can also browse through this list of healthy egg recipes or spaghetti squash recipes!
Spaghetti Squash Quiche with Kale and Mushrooms
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 medium spaghetti squash about 2.5 lbs
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp onion or garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Filling:
- 3 cups mushrooms sliced
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 5 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 cups kale chopped & packed (I used 1 bunch of Lacinato kale)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup egg whites
- 1 cup 4 oz any cheese, shredded (I used 3 cheese blend)
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 2 tsp onion or garlic powder
- 1 + 1/2 tsp dried thyme divided
- 1/2 tsp salt divided
- 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper divided
- Cooking spray I use Misto
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut squash in half and place face side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil. Bake for 30 minutes, remove from the oven and set aside to cool until safe to handle.
- In the meanwhile, preheat large skillet on high heat and spray with cooking spray. Add mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a medium bowl. Return skillet to medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray. Add onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add kale, 1/2 tsp thyme, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper and saute until kale is wilted. Transfer to a bowl with mushrooms and set aside.
- To make the crust, seed spaghetti squash and separate flesh into strands using a fork. Add to a medium bowl along with thyme, onion/garlic powder and salt, and mix to combine. Transfer to a deep pie dish and press evenly on the bottom and sides using your hands. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine eggs with egg whites and whisk for 30 seconds. Add cheese, cottage cheese, previously cooked mushrooms and kale, 2 tsp onion/garlic powder, 1 tsp thyme, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper and mix to combine. Pour into prepared crust and flatten with spatula to make sure all vegetables are dunk in the liquid. Bake in 400 degrees F oven for 50 mins or until the knife inserted comes out clean. Let quiche cool down for at least 30 minutes. Cut into 8 slices and serve hot or cold.
Great tips on getting the seasoning right! It made all the difference. I used Gruyere with the cottage cheese and it was delicious. I was so surprised and now I’m miserably full! KEEPER!
I’m yet to try Gruyere cheese lol. Glad you enjoyed, Lisa.
Hi, if I just wanted to use all eggs and no egg whites how many eggs should I use? Thanks
6 eggs total.
I don’t like mushrooms. What would you suggest as an alternative?
Sautéed bell peppers.:)
Would cherry tomatoes work?
Yes, for sure.
Can not wait to try tonight for dinner! Told hubby about it last week and he has been wanting it ever since! We are going to add some crab to it as well.
Oh, fresh crab would be nice. Is that what you are doing? I do not like canned variety because of preservatives they add – has medicinal taste for me. Enjoy!
Made this yesterday and it was great! Thanks for the recipe.
Very welcome, Eleonora.
Made this and it was great! We omitted the thyme because we are not fans of it!
can you use the yolks or does it change it?
Yes you can. Just make sure total eggs equal total egg whites. Replace 1:1.
looks delish! Will this work if I leave the cheese out? On a dairy free diet.
I haven’t tried but I don’t think so. Flavor and texture wise…
Try it with Daiya. it’s a vegan(i think) dairy free cheese. melts beautifully and is wonderful in cooking.
About how many large eggs would it take to make a cup of egg whites?
About 5. Just take a measuring cup and fill up with open eggs.:)
This was amazing!! Thanks so much for the recipe – definitely worth the time it takes to prepare.