I LOVE my cast iron skillets! This quiche turned out delicious!
Maybe some of you are like me and have a few things from your garden cooling in your garage on newspapers or filling up space in your crisper. I've had this spaghetti squash around for a couple of weeks. This is the first year I grew them and I didn't really know what to do with them. So I experimented a bit. I've been trying to eat less carbs these days but I miss my breads and crusts (and pastas)! So this turned out so yummy and healthy at the same time. I LOVE when that happens!
Like always, there will be a link at the bottom of this post for you to click which will take you to another recipe site with a link to print the recipe. If this doesn't work for some of you, please let me know! Thanks!
Along with the spaghetti squash, the other stars of this show are sausage, spinach, cheese please, coconut milk, and LOTS of eggs - nine in all.
I do have one thing to clarify...we live in a very small almost 60-year-old cabin. The lighting is...well, very poor. I don't like to use artificial lighting. I like natural light. Having a dark house leaves a lot to be desired in the photography field. There is NO natural light what-so-ever in my kitchen, so I have to take every photo in a small corner by a back door and a window which is probably 5 steps from my stove and oven. I realize none of these photos are on an actual stove. I'm just doing my best to show the steps in the recipe. Thanks guys, for understanding! Maybe someday I'll share my work area...maybe. Not so exciting. But I have fun!
Washed and dried spaghetti squash in a deep bowl.
Prick the squash all over with a fork, then place the whole business (not the fork!) in the microwave. Zap on high for 15 minutes. Be careful when you remove the bowl from the microwave. Lots of hot juice comes out of the squash. Don't burn yourself!
This is where my bottom lip juts out.
My squash is sad.
Set it aside and let it regain its composure.
Meanwhile, heat your skillet over medium high heat. Pour in that teaspoon of olive oil. Spread the love around the pan...
...then add your sausage. Break it up into small pieces while you brown it.
Drain. Set aside in a medium bowl. Don't wipe out the skillet, you'll need it again.
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.
Now that the squash has cooled off (and regrouped), slice it in half and scoop out the seeds. Discard them.
Using a fork, shred the remaining squash. Put into a colander and squeeze out as much juice as possible.
Find an old clean towel, place the squash inside and squeeze, squeeze, squeeze.
Perfect!
Add the salt and pepper and mix it up.
Press the squash into the skillet you used to brown the sausage.
Place it into the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Let cool.
In a non-stick fry pan prepared with cooking spray, cook 3 cups of fresh spinach until wilted - about 2-3 minutes.
Yay!
Add the cooked sausage and mix together. Remove from heat.
Crust is set and edges slightly browned.
Now you can turn the oven down to 325 degrees F.
Get yourself a big bowl and mix up the 9 eggs, coconut milk, cheese, salt and pepper.
Add the spinach sausage mixture. Mix well.
Pour into the skillet over the baked squash crust. Put it into the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until the eggs are set. Use a butter knife and test various spots. If the knife comes out clean, the quiche is ready!
Yum!
Such a healthy breakfast! And if you want to jump start your day, sprinkle a little hot sauce over your serving and slice up some green onions and toss them over the hot sauce.
It's gonna be a great day!
Here's the recipe and a link to print it out.
Country Breakfast Skillet Quiche with Spaghetti Squash Crust
Ingredients
- Crust
- 1 Large Spaghetti Squash
- ½ teaspoons Salt
- ⅛ teaspoons Pepper
- Filling
- 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
- 16 ounces, weight Pork Sausage
- 3 cups Fresh Spinach Leaves
- 4 Eggs
- 5 Egg Whites
- 1 cup Coconut Milk, Unsweetened
- 1 cup Colby Cheese
- ½ teaspoons Salt
- ⅛ teaspoons Pepper
- Hot Sauce, Optional
- 4 Green Onions, Sliced Optional
Preparation
Add oil to a 10″ cast iron skillet. Add sausage and break into pieces while it cooks. Brown completely. Drain. Spoon into a medium-sized bowl and set aside. Don’t wipe out the skillet!Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Crust:
Put the spaghetti squash in a large microwavable bowl. Prick the squash all over with a fork. Microwave on high for 15 minutes. Be careful removing from the microwave because there will be very hot juice from the squash in the bowl. Let it cool slightly on the counter.
Place the squash on a cutting board and slice it in half. Scoop out the seeds and discard. With a fork, shred the squash which remains. Discard outer shell. Place the shredded squash in a strainer in the sink and push out as much juice as you can. Using an old towel, spoon squash onto towel, fold up, and squeeze over sink. Get as much juice out as possible. Place squash in a bowl. Mix in the salt and pepper. Press into the skillet you used to brown the sausage. Bake for 15 minutes or until edges are slightly brown. Let cool.
Reduce oven to 325 degrees F.
Filling:
Spray a non-stick pan with cooking spray and warm to medium heat. Add the spinach and cook until it is wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Add the cooked sausage and mix together. Remove from heat. Let cool.
In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, egg whites, milk, cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir in sausage and spinach. Pour over baked spaghetti squash crust. Bake for about 45 minutes or until eggs are set. Let it cool slightly. I usually take a butter knife and loosen the quiche from the side of the skillet. Then I take a rubber spatula and loosen the sides and bottom a little more.
Optional: Sprinkle drops of hot sauce over servings along with chopped green onions.
