Deep Dish Spinach Feta Quiche (Mediterranean Recipe)
This just might be my favorite quiche recipe to date. I love a quiche, I’ve made so many quiches, but this spinach feta quiche takes the… quiche?
I wanted to try to make a version that looked a little more rustic with a deeper custard bite, like you might find at an artisanal bakery. So I played with my custard ratios, baking temperatures, and setting times, and this delicious baby was born.
Additionally, while I loveeee a traditionally buttery, simple pie crust, the use of spices in a quiche crust just takes it to the next level. The black pepper and fresh oregano (though you can substitute dried if you don’t have any) bring all the flavors of the quiche together and pack an extra tasty punch.
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DEEP DISH SPINACH FETA QUICHE
One of my most popular recipes is this Easy Mediterranean Quiche. It’s simple, crustless, and oh so good, but I wanted to try a recipe that pivoted towards those classic spinach and feta flavors, but in a deep dish, bakery-style quiche way.
This spinach feta quiche is made in a springform pan for that deep-dish, straight-sided rustic look, and filled with a little more custard to do the bake justice. The crust itself is seasoned with black pepper and oregano, while the filling combines your standards like eggs and milk with bonuses like Greek Yogurt, for extra creamy fluffiness, and lemon zest, for that bright bite.
Since this is a deeper dish quiche, it will need a little help in the setting department, which is why you’ll make a cornstarch slurry – whisking together your milk and cornstarch first – to help the custard set smooth and creamy as it bakes.
What does lemon zest do in a quiche recipe? It may seem like an odd ingredient for a quiche, but the lemon zest adds a brightness to the final bake that brings out the creamy, tart flavors of the feta and other ingredients. I promise, it doesn’t taste “lemony” it just adds a little finesse to the final flavor.
INGREDIENTS
- Flour: Provides structure to your crust while soaking up any excess moisture
- Salt: Balances the flavors in both your crust and quiche filling
- Black Pepper: Adds a little spice to your quiche
- Oregano: Brings a delicious herb flavor to your crust (plus I love seeing the specks of oregano along the edge after it bakes)
- Unsalted Butter: Make sure it’s cold and cut into cubes so it easily crumbles into your crust but doesn’t melt as you work with it
- Water: I like to put ice cubes in a glass of water to keep it extra cold
- Olive Oil: To cook down your spinach without it sticking to the frying pan
- Fresh Spinach: Give it a quick chop and remove any thick stems before sauteeing
- Garlic: Garlic is life and adds a delicious flavor to this quiche
- Cornstarch: Just a little helps to thicken and set your quiche
- Milk: Combined with the cornstarch for a little slurry and to loosen your filling
- Eggs: The core ingredient in quiche, giving it that signature custard texture and structure
- Greek Yogurt: My secret ingredient to a creamy quiche that also adds a little extra fluff
- Nutmeg: Just a dash brings the flavors together
- Lemon: We’re only using the zest for the recipe, to brighten all the flavors
- Mozzarella: A neutral cheese that helps bring the creaminess
- Feta: Sharp, tangy, and salty, perfectly paired with all the flavors of this quiche!
“I don’t have baking weights. What can I use?” I use a mixture of uncooked rice and dried beans. The different sizes ensure that all the nooks and crannies of the crust are weighed down as they bake. Once you remove them from the crust and they’ve cooled, store them in a clean jar to re-use the next time you bake!
HOW TO MAKE A DEEP DISH SPINACH FETA QUICHE
Prepare your springform pan…
Grease your 9-inch springform pan – get all the nooks and crannies! – and tear off a piece of parchment paper a little wider than the pan. Pop open the spring, and remove the sides of the pan from the base. Lay your parchment on the bottom, place your ring back over top, and close the spring.
Now you’ve lined the bottom of your springform pan! Set it aside while you make the dough for your crust.
Make your black pepper and oregano crust…
Grab a medium-sized bowl and combine your flour, salt, pepper, and fresh oregano. With two butter knives held together to form an “X,” cut your butter into your dry ingredients until you have a sand-like consistency.
Pour in your ice-cold water, stir, and then use your hands to compress the ingredients into a ball. You may think you need more water, but I promise you don’t; you just need to compress it more. The butter will start to lightly soften, helping to bind the ingredients together.
Roll and shape your quiche crust…
Tear off two large pieces of parchment paper and layer your dough ball between them. Roll your dough to ⅛” thickness.
Peel the top layer of parchment paper off, then smooth it back over the dough. Flip your dough over and repeat with the other side, leaving the parchment paper off this time.
Carefully invert your dough into your greased springform pan and gently shift it to lay flat across the bottom and sides of the pan. Place your crust in the fridge for 15 minutes to give the butter time to firm up before it hits the oven.
Blind bake your crust…
Preheat your oven to 425°F. Once your oven reaches temperature, remove your pan from the fridge and use a fork to prick along the bottom and sides of the crust. This will help your crust to breathe as it bakes and prevent any unwanted bubbling.
Crinkle one of your sheets of parchment paper (or both if needed) that you used to roll out your dough, and lay it carefully along the inside bottom and sides of your crust. Pour in your baking weights and smooth them into a flat layer, making sure they are snug against your crust.
Bake your chilled crust for 15 minutes, then carefully remove your baking weights and parchment paper from the pan and place it back in the oven to bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Your crust should be lightly golden and no longer “wet” looking along the bottom. Set aside to cool completely.
Make your spinach feta quiche filling…
Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grab a frying pan and heat it over medium heat on the stove.
Add in your olive oil and garlic and saute just a minute or two until fragrant. Add in your roughly chopped spinach, stirring regularly and sprinkling lightly with salt and pepper.
Once your spinach has wilted and the majority of the water has been cooked out, remove from the heat and set aside to cool while you make your custard.
In a large bowl, whisk together your milk and cornstarch to form a slurry until the cornstarch has dissolved. Add in your eggs, yogurt, salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg, and then use an immersion blender to beat until combined.
Stir in your lemon zest and both cheeses before folding in your cooled spinach.
Assembling and baking your Mediterranean quiche…
Grab a baking sheet and place your cooled crust onto it. Pour in your filling and use a spoon, if needed, to swirl any parts of the filling that look like they may have more spinach or cheese than others.
Place your baking sheet with your quiche into the oven to bake for 65-75 minutes. Tap the side of the pan when you think it’s ready, and if the edges are set but the middle just slightly wobbles, you can remove it from the oven.
Allow your quiche to cool at room temperature in the springform pan for at least an hour. The pan should no longer feel hot along the sides or bottom, only lightly warm on the bottom.
Run a knife gently around the edges of the quiche to release it from the pan, then open the spring, and transfer your quiche to a serving plate. Slice and enjoy!
3 reasons you’ll love this spinach feta quiche
TIPS & VARIATIONS
- If you don’t have fresh oregano, dried will work fine (though fresh is always best)! For this recipe, use 3/4 tablespoon of dried oregano to swap in for two tablespoons of fresh!
- For the crust, if you prefer a different herb to oregano, feel free to swap it in! Thyme or basil would pair beautifully in this bake. You can also omit entirely if you prefer.
- This crust contains a lot of butter, so once you’re ready to roll, keep a close eye on your dough. You want it to be pliable but not soft, or it will likely tear as you try to shape it. If you think your crust is becoming too soft, place your parchment on both sides and pop it into the fridge for 10-15 minutes to firm back up
- For extra prevention against a soggy bottom, once you remove your blind-baking crust from the oven and take out the baking weights, brush the inside of the crust with a little beaten egg. This will help create a barrier between the crust and the filling after that second bake, which will seal the crust off!
- Since we’re using more baking weights than usual, the easiest way to remove them is to use a ladle to scoop out half of the weights into a bowl when the crust comes out of the oven. Then, carefully lift your parchment paper with the remaining weights and place in a separate bowl, if needed, to remove the rest.
- Be gentle as you pull the parchment paper off your crust, as your crust is still very soft and fragile (and might want to go with your paper if you pull it too quickly)!
- Turn off your oven and give it time for the temperature to drop before heating your oven to bake your spinach feta quiche. We’re baking the crust at 425°F and then the quiche at 325°F, so I like to turn my oven off after I blind bake my crust, to let it cool down a little before heating slightly back up to 325°F. This will ensure that your oven isn’t too hot when you go to bake your quiche.
- Make sure to really cook down your spinach in the frying pan before adding it to your quiche custard. There is a lot of water in spinach, which you don’t want added to your filling, seasoning it lightly with salt and pepper will help draw some of that liquid out.
- The immersion blender is another “secret” for a smooth and silky quiche filling. The use of the blender ensures that the base of the custard is creamy with no remaining bits of unmixed egg whites or globs of yogurt.
- Using a springform pan for this recipe gives this quiche the most rustic look with those gorgeous straight sides, but it does mean you have to remove the quiche from the pan. It’s very important that you let the quiche cool almost completely at room temperature before removing it from the pan, or you might risk cracking your crust when you go to remove it.
- To remove the crust form the pan, use a pairing knife to lightly loosen the edges of the crust from the pan where needed, before opening the spring on the side. I used two spatulas to slide under either side of the quiche before lifting it off the parchment paper and base of the springform, and transferring it onto a serving plate
MAKING AHEAD & STORING
Wrap your baked quiche or store it in an airtight container and place it in the fridge for three to five days. If you don’t plan on eating all of your quiche in that time, slice and wrap individual pieces and store them in the freezer for up to three months!
Note that once frozen, the texture of the quiche may slightly change when re-heated.
MORE QUICHE RECIPES
- Easy Three Cheese Quiche
- French Quiche Lorraine
- Mushroom & Goat Cheese Quiche
- Mini Mediterranean Quiche for One
Equipment
- 9-inch Springform Pan
- Parchment Paper
- Rolling Pin
- Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Whisk
- Immersion Blender
- Spatula
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Butter Knives
- Frying Pan
- Baking weights I use a mixture of uncooked rice and dried beans
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh oregano chopped or 3/4 tbsp dried
- ¾ cup unsalted butter cold and cubed
- 4 tbsp cold water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 8 oz bag fresh spinach roughly chopped
- 3-4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 cup milk
- 7 eggs
- ¾ cup Greek yogurt
- 1 ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ tsp black pepper
- Pinch nutmeg
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- ¾ cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 cup feta crumbled
Instructions
- Grease a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper
- In a bowl, stir together your flour, salt, pepper, and oregano. Using two butter knives, held against each other with one in each hand to form an “X,” cut your butter into your dough, with the knives pulling away from each other and back in, until you have a sand-like consistency
- Add in your water (I like to put a few ice cubes in a glass before filling it with cold water to make sure it’s extra cold), stir together, and then compress the dough into a ball. See notes below if you have a food processor!
- Place your dough between two large pieces of parchment paper, and roll to ⅛” thickness, making sure your dough is an even thickness throughout
- Gently peel the parchment back from the top layer, lay it back onto the dough, flip all of it over, and repeat with the bottom (now top) layer of parchment
- Removing one side of the parchment, carefully lay that side face down into your prepared 9-inch springform and remove the top layer of parchment
- Carefully shift the dough to ensure it lies flat within the pan and along the sides. Then fold under the overhanging dough along the rim, to form your crusts edges
- Place your pan in the fridge for 15 minutes to allow the butter in your dough to chill
- Preheat your oven to 425°F
- Once chilled, remove your springform from the fridge and prick the bottom and sides of your crust with a fork to prevent the crust from puffing when you bake. Crinkle a piece of parchment paper and lay it carefully in your pan before pouring in your baking weights. Since you are using a deep pan, you will need more baking weights than usual for this bake. Make sure you have enough weights to reach to almost the top of your crust
- Bake your chilled crust for 15 minutes, remove from the oven, and carefully remove the parchment paper and baking weights before returning to the oven to bake an additional 15 minutes, until the inside bottom of your crust is no longer wet-looking and is lightly golden. Cool completely before adding your filling
- Preheat your oven to 325°F
- Place your frying pan over medium heat, then add your olive oil and minced garlic. Stir for a minute or two until fragrant, then add in your chopped spinach and a dash of salt and pepper, stirring until wilted and most of the water has been cooked out of the spinach. Set aside to cool
- Whisk together your milk and cornstarch in a large bowl until the cornstarch is dissolved
- Add in your eggs, yogurt, salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Use an immersion blender and blend just until combined. You just want to mix together your custard, we’re not trying to add in extra air
- Stir in your lemon zest, mozzarella, and feta before folding in your garlic spinach
- Place your cooled crust on a baking sheet and pour the filling mixture into your crust. If you notice some spots seem to have more spinach or cheese, use a spoon or knife to lightly swirl those bits to separate them, without touching the crust
- Bake for 65-75 minutes, when you tap the side of the pan, the edges will be set and the center will have a very slight wobble to it. You can stick a knife in the center, and it should come out clean
- Allow to cool for at least an hour at room temperature in the pan. If the quiche still feels hot through the pan, wait another 30 minutes and feel again. After it’s cooled, use a knife to loosen the sides of the quiche from the pan, open the springform, and place it on a serving plate
- Slice and enjoy!
I love this quiche! It’s a perfect flavor combination and the seasoned crust really makes it a stand out!