Long before I enjoyed eating spinach on any sort of regular basis, I tasted spinach quiche and fell in love. The combo of eggs and cheese and spinach that wasn’t the least bit slimy or gooey was a winner for me. It was definitely a gateway to liking spinach for this girl. It was also a gateway to getting my kids to eat it later on.
This version combines a little bacon and a combination of smoked cheddar and swiss for a smoky twist on one of my favorites. It comes together in mere moments, leaving you time to toss a salad and watch an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer while it cooks. Even slayers need to eat their vegetables.
Like quiche but not a spinach fan? Try one of these other versions:
Pizza Quiche
Roasted Sweet Pepper Quiche
Or for a low-carb version, how about Crustless Mushroom & Feta Quiche?
Veggies, cheese, and BACON! Oh my. Smoky Spinach Quiche
Smoky Spinach Quiche
1 pie crust (I prefer Pillsbury refrigerated crust)
1/2 cup chopped red or yellow bell pepper
1 package frozen spinach (thawed and liquid squeezed out)
4 strips bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled
3/4 cup grated smoked cheddar or Gruyère cheese (I used a combo of the two)
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups half ‘n’ half
Salt & pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
Prep all of your ingredients. In a small bowl beat eggs, half ‘n’ half, nutmeg and salt & pepper. Set aside.
Chop, shred, squeeze, beat. I do all of my prep ahead of time.
Pre-heat oven to 425˚. Unroll your pie crust and place in a pie pan (I usually dust with a bit of flour on the bottom to prevent sticking). Smooth out air bubbles and crimp edges.
Start with the crunchiest ingredients. I put the peppers in first (reserving a few to sprinkle on top). Then the spinach. I prefer to use frozen spinach for this. Thaw it and squeeze as much of the liquid out as you can. You can use fresh spinach if you prefer, but if you do, cook it first, cool, and squeeze out any liquid.
Layer the ingredients. Veggies first. Be sure to squeeze the liquid out of the spinach so you don’t end up with a soggy quiche.
Continue to layer ingredients, with crumbled bacon and smoky cheese going next. Sprinkle with the rest of the peppers.
Looking good, almost there!
Pour egg mixture over the top.
Ready to go in the oven, carefully!
Bake at 425˚ for 15 minutes. Turn down heat to 350˚ and continue to cook for another 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let it set for 10 minutes before cutting.
Beautiful! It will be poofed up like this when it first comes out, and will sink down a bit as it cools.
3hungrymonkeys 
Oh my! This makes me even want to eat spinach!