BLT Crustless Quiche

What is the difference between crustless quiche and frittata?, you might be wondering.  As far as I can tell, not much.  The only difference that I know of, is that crustless quiche (like regular quiche) is made of a custard mixture (eggs and some form of cream or milk), while frittata is made of eggs.  The end products end up being slightly different...quiche has a lighter and more delicate texture, while frittata is denser.

In my recipe for crustless quiche I lighten it up by replacing cream with a purée of low-fat cottage cheese and milk…it actually has a very creamy consistency and does a good job of simulating real cream.  It makes me wonder, what else could this low-fat, high-protein cream-substitute be used for?  (Ah, the joys of experimentation in the kitchen.)

One of my favorite things about quiche is its flavor versatility.  You can make it with virtually any cheese/meat/veggies you want.  I made a BLT (bacon, lettuce, tomato) version with turkey bacon, spinach instead of lettuce (for the simple reason that wilted lettuce in my quiche didn’t appeal to me), and diced tomato on top.

BLT Crustless Quiche

(Yield:  1 entrée-sized portion)

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 slices turkey bacon, finely chopped

½ c frozen spinach

¼ c low-fat cottage cheese (I used 1% milkfat)

¼ c low-fat milk (I used 1% milkfat)

1 egg

2 egg whites

1 TB all-purpose flour

Dash pepper

About 1 teaspoon butter (to grease the pan)

¾ c cherry tomatoes, quartered

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Sauté the turkey bacon in the olive oil over medium heat until crispy; add the spinach and sauté for about 2 minutes.  Allow the bacon/spinach mixture to cool slightly.  In a blender, purée the cottage cheese and milk until smooth; add the egg, egg whites, flour, and pepper and blend until just mixed.  In a bowl, combine the bacon/spinach mixture with the egg mixture.  Grease a small pan (about 6” in diameter) with butter.  Pour the quiche mixture into the greased pan and bake for 20 minutes or until the quiche is set and the edges and bottom are golden brown and slightly crispy.  Turn the quiche out onto a plate and top with the diced tomato.