Quiche-tastic Monday: Go greek with zucchini and feta

Zucchinis are abundant this time of year. It is a versatile summer squash--but so often I buy a bunch and I am left wondering what to make. One of besties, Rachel, always has an abundance of zucchini from her backyard garden. Rachel came over for lunch today, so I thought I'd give a zucchini quiche a try.

This yummy and summery quiche is filled with fresh zucchini, carmelized onions, fresh tomato and topped with feta cheese. I love feta cheese--it reminds me of a trip I took to Lesvos, Greece. The island was bursting with tomatoes, zucchini and feta. It seemed every meal included a sprinkling of this distinctive cheese (and a gallon of Ouzo).

And like all my quiche recipes--make two at a time and freeze the second--makes for a great meal in a week.

The stuff

2 small zucchinis

1/2 small red onion, sliced

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

4 eggs, beaten until they are frothy

1 cup whole milk

1 1/2 T. mixed fresh herbs, chopped ( I used a mixture of parsley, chives, marjoram, basil and mint--use what you have)

1 teaspoon of dried dill

4 cherry tomatoes, halved

3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

Crust: make your own OR be lazy like me and use the pre-made kind from the refrigerated section of the grocery store OR go crustless, just spray your pie pan with olive oil before baking.

Get cooking

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Slice eight rounds of zucchini (about 1/8- 1/4 inch thick). Reserve for later.

3. Grate remaining zucchini using a hand grater (it grates up super fast.) Place in a colander and press with a bar mop or paper towels to squeeze out excess moisture.

4. Melt butter in skillet over low-medium heat. Add sliced onion and cook until caramelized (translucent and caramel-y brown at the edges) about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

5. Beat 4 eggs, by hand until pale yellow and frothy. You want to add air to the eggs--this could take 5-10 minutes (it is a fabulous arm workout, like yoga in the kitchen)

6. Carefully unroll your pie crust into a pie pan. Pinch the edges. Indent the bottom of the crust with a fork (let's steam escape).

7. Stir 1 cup milk, shredded zucchini, fresh herbs, dried dill and salt/pepper into beaten eggs. Pour into crust.

8. Top with caramelized onions. Then arrange 8 reserved zucchini slices along the outside edge of the quiche. Arrange the 8 pieces of cherry tomato on the inside ring of the quiche, seed side down.

9. Evenly sprinkle feta cheese on top.

10. Bake for about 45 minutes or until quiche is set. If edges of crust burn too quickly, just cover with foil.

And of course, Eat it!