What do you get when you cross a tomato basil eggplant quiche with an eggplant quiche? Brunch. Or lunch. Or a tasty dinner. All of the above. This vegetarian quiche recipe is loaded with chunky roasted vegetables and layered with a luscious egg custard and melty gruyere cheese for a Ratatouille Veggie quiche recipe that everyone will love.
You know those people who will look you in the eye and pay you a compliment while simultaneously dissing you?
“What a beautiful ring — and your hands are so small it makes the diamond look bigger.” “That’s a lovely Christmas tree, I thought it was fake.” “Wow, you look so young, you must Botox.”
Um, thank you? That’s kind of how I feel about this quiche. It’s mouthwatering, even though it’s loaded with eggplant. I’ve never been a fan of aubergine. I always found it spongy and flavorless — and as such, it was systematically avoided in the supermarket. However, when I’m at the farmer’s market, there’s something about the abundance of fresh produce, the shock of colors and shapes that pushes me to pick up something I normally wouldn’t and wonder aloud, “What could I do with this?” That’s how I ended up with an eggplant in my bag…
Ingredients For Ratatouille Veggie Quiche Recipe
- Pie Crust
- Eggplant
- Bell Pepper
- Onion
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Tomato
- Eggs
- Milk
- Fresh Basil
- Gruyere Cheese
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
3 days later, as the eggplant on my counter mocked me, I drew back my shoulders and faced the challenge. When in doubt. I quiche. In this case I took my standard tomato basil quiche and added some extra roasted vegetables. Bell pepper is one of my favorites for sweetness and eggplant, when it’s seasoned properly, isn’t all that bad. In a vegetarian quiche recipe, it’s perfect.
For the topping, slice the tomatoes and remove the seeds, to prevent the quiche from being too mushy.
Grate a generous amount of gruyere cheese for this veggie quiche recipe. Combined with the savory egg custard and vegetables, this brunch main is a thing of beauty.
The roasted eggplant is tender and delicious — especially when combined with the rest of the ingredients. Even a self-avowed eggplant hater will enjoy this one.
Combine the roasted eggplant and onions with the egg custard and cheese.
Toss in the roasted bell pepper and fresh basil and pour into your par-baked crust. I like to decorate the top of this ratatouille veggie quiche recipe with the sliced tomatoes and bell pepper strips for a little pizzazz.
This is a really simple dish to make, it just takes a little time. That said, it’s worth it.
The end result is an absolutely divine vegetarian quiche. The cheesy, eggy custard nestles the meaty eggplant and sweet peppers into one harmonious bite.
And don’t you just love that crown of tomatoes? So bright and cheery. I brought this one to my grandfather’s house for lunch. We had it with a green salad and I’m happy to say, my grandfather enjoyed two slices — and frankly, so did I.
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Ratatouille Quiche
Ingredients
- 1 9-inch pie shell I used Pillsbury
- 1 small eggplant about 1 pound, cut into 1/2"-3/4" dice
- 1 bell pepper red, yellow or orange
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 teaspoon rosemary fresh chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoon thyme fresh chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 tomato large ripe
- 5 eggs large
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
- 1/4 cup basil freshly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups gruyere cheese shredded (can also use Fontina, Emmentaler or Comte
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper fresh ground
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°.
- Arrange the pastry in a pie plate, pressing firmly on the bottom and sides. Fold any overhanging pieces of pie dough under itself and crimp the edges with your fingers (or the tines of a fork) to make a pretty edge. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the crust and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 8-9 minutes until pastry is set. Remove from oven and let cool.
- Reduce the heat to 350°.
- Place the chopped eggplant on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with half the rosemary and thyme and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Use your hands to toss the herbs and oil with the eggplant until it's coated. Arrange the eggplant on a single layer and bake in the hot oven for 15 minutes. While the eggplant is cooking, place the bell pepper in the oven to roast for 30 minutes or until skin is blackened and flesh is tender.
- While the eggplant roasts, toss the chopped onions with the remaining olive oil and herbs. Add the onions to the eggplant after the first 15 minutes and toss to combine. Spread into a single layer and continue to cook for an additional 15 minutes, until eggplant has shrunk and appears a little dry and the onions are tender. Remove from oven and let cool.
- Remove the bell pepper from onion and place in a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and steam for about 10 minutes.
- Slice the tomato crosswise and remove the seeds. Lay the slices on a cutting board and lightly sprinkle with salt. Set aside.
- When pepper is cool enough to handle, peel the skins and discard them. Remove the seeds and slice the pepper into thin strips. Reserve 5 strips for garnish, and chop the remainder.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs and milk. Stir in the 3/4 of shredded cheese and basil. Add the chopped pepper and roasted eggplant and onion mixture. Stir to combine. Pour the eggplant mixture into the prepared pastry.
- Pat the tomato slices dry with a paper towel and lay the sliced tomatoes on top of the quiche, pressing them slightly into the egg mixture. Arrange the slices of pepper in between the tomato slices. Top with the remainder of cheese and bake for 20 minutes. Turn the dish 180° in the oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Turn the dish one more time and bake for 10 more minutes. Let the quiche rest for about 20 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
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More Mouthwatering Quiches:
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- Bacon Cheddar Kale Quiche
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- Homemade Spinach Gruyere Quiche
-
- Loaded Baked Potato Quiche
I just commented and I meant it was too much milk and egg. There is no such think as too much cheese ?
This was delicious! I made it tonight with fresh herbs from the garden and local veggies, and my husband and I thought it was awesome. The amount of milk and cheese was way too much for a regular pie crust, probably right for deep dish. Used less milk, too. For a regular pie crust I would say 1/3 cup milk and 4 eggs. We used a cheddar greyere. Will be making it again soon! Thanks!
I’m planning on making this for a brunch this weekend, but have a question. Can this be made ahead and if so, could you give me some tips on how to do that?
Thanks!
Hi Carolee! You can make the whole quiche and bake it then let it cool to room temperature. Wrap and freeze. Defrost the quiche and and then warm it in a 300° oven for 20 minutes to serve.
Certainly going to try this recipe. I love eggplant and cook with it as much as I can. My favourite way to cook with it is a greek dish called briam. Easy to prep and cook, punched full of flavour with garlic, greek herbs & olive oil.
I’ve never heard of briam before, but I love the way you’re describing it. You’ll have to share your recipe!
Two of my favorite things: quiche and eggplant and this is both!! I’m definitely going to give your recipe a try! Yum.
Please let me know how you like it, Patty!
Loaded with veggies this Quiche looks delicious. I can imagine the flavours
Thank you! It’s a good one!
How beautiful and delicious looking! And yes, I know people like that, who compliment but it sounds like a diss! I love your recipe! Such wonderful ingredients.
I think we all know a few of “them”!
This looks like a wonderful brunch idea. Can’t wait to try!
I love eggplant and would love this quiche! I agree that roasting the veggies brings out a wonderful sweetness, and then combined with the custard and crust, it’s a fabulous combination. Beautiful!
I’m a big fan of veggies quiche and I love to try all the possible combinations I can. Love this ! Sounds so refreshing. Your quiche looks so inviting.. Gonna try for sure. Pinning for later.
Ive never been a quiche fan. but you make this look delish. thanks for sharing
Maybe this one will sway you to the “dark side”!
What a wonderful idea, it looks and sounds delicious!
This looks gorgeous! I’d love to try this!
Beautiful photo tutorial and great tasting recipe, I’ll bet since I love ratatouille!
Thanks so much! I hope you like it!
I’ve always been the same with eggplant; I just couldn’t get myself to like it no matter what I did with it! This quiche, however, looks perfect and the most delicious way to use eggplant!
Have to be honest Annie — it’s completely unobjectionable in this quiche! Finally, a way I can appreciate eggplant!
Ratatouille is delicious! I love that you’ve made it into a quiche. It would be great to serve this at Sunday brunch. Bookmarking to try soon.
I LOVE eggplants and feel it is such versatile veg. The idea of turning the ratatoullie recipe into quiche is just brilliant. I really got to try this recipe.
Let me know if you do try it, Sia!
You should post a warning: do not read on an empty stomach… I love eggplant, don’t cook it often. I love the context you provide to your posts, too.
LOL! You are too funny Yined! I hope you get a chance to try this — I think you’d like it!
What a innovative way to get your veggies! I love quiche and this looks like a must make for brunch or dinner.
Thanks so much — I love veggies – but have never been fond of eggplant, so I look for ways to sneak it in on myself…
My grandmother was supreme master of the left-handed compliment—your examples made me laugh! I feel approximately the same way about eggplant (my husband is even less enthusiastic), but I do try to sneak it into our diet occasionally. Your post and gorgeous pictures make me intensely miss the bounty and vibrant colors of the farmers’ market. This quiche looks fabulous and I can’t wait to try it!
I’ve learned to let those remarks just roll off my back — but I’m glad I’m not the only one who receives them! Glad you like the quiche!
Wow! This quiche is gorgeous…not to mention delicious looking! Quiche is probably one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast/brunch. I’m going to try this one!
Thanks, Kristine — it’s really tasty! I hope you enjoy!