Tortilla-Crusted Broccoli and Sausage Quiche

Quiche is one of my favorite foods.  Ever.  Eggs, cheese, and any kind of savory addition you would like to throw into a buttery, flaky crust…what could be better?  I’ve wanted to try an easy quiche recipe for a while now, and was inspired when I saw this version on Carrots 'N' Cake. The cost and calories were cut down by making the crust out of tortillas, which I was skeptical about, since the crust is always my favorite part.  However, I’m open to trying new things and I always have tortillas on hand, so I decided to give it a shot.

I’m really glad I did, because it came out great!  I changed the recipe a little bit to cater to what I had in my fridge, such as substituting cheddar for feta.  I also substituted sausage for mushrooms, because mushrooms are probably the one food (fungus, really) that I will never learn to love.  Everything was delicious and all the ingredients worked great together.  Surprisingly, the tortilla crust was also really tasty.  It is a perfect solution for when you want to make a quiche without leaving the house, because who has quiche crust lying around in their fridge?  I will admit, however, that although it is an acceptable alternative, the tortilla can’t really compare to the real thing.  If you really want to wow your guests (or splurge on yourself), I would suggest buying the real crust.  Tortillas will work just fine for the penny-pinching college kid, though.

Tortilla-Crusted Broccoli and Sausage Quiche

Adapted recipe and photos by Culinary Chronicles of a College Kid.blogspot.com

Original recipe by Carrots 'N' Cake

Serves: 7-8

• 4 tortillas
• 1 cup broccoli
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ½ red onion, finely chopped
• 1 sausage, removed from casing
• ½ cup cheddar cheese (add more if you like it extra cheesy)
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Remove the casing from the sausage and form into small balls with your hands.  Place the sausage in the skillet and toss them around so that they cook evenly. 

Steam the broccoli in the microwave for about a minute.  Chop the onion as this is cooking.  Add the broccoli and the onions to the skillet with the sausage and let the mixture sit until the sausage is completely cooked.

As this cooks, overlap the tortillas in a pie plate or deep dish to make a crust.

Pour the sausage, onions, and broccoli into the crust, and top with cheddar cheese.  In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and the yogurt, then season with salt and pepper.  Pour the egg mixture into the crust.

Place in the oven for about 30-35 minutes.  The quiche should be firm and slightly golden brown when it is finished.  Let rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

The tortilla crust burnt and folded over a little at the tops, so try to place the tortillas closer to the middle so that there is not too much exposed at the top.

That one slice was the only piece out of the whole quiche that I had.  As soon as my housemates and friends got word that it was in the fridge, it was devoured in a couple of hours. 

One of my good friends had never even had quiche before, so I was afraid that I would turn him away from quiche forever if he didn’t like it.  But, it turned out that there was no need to worry because he ended up loving it.  He does eat pretty much anything, but I like to think that it was my wonderful cooking that turned him on to quiche :)

This is another great make ahead recipe that you can attempt on the weekends and save for the rest of the week.  Perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

Total time: 45 minutes