Bacon and Kale Quiche with Hash Brown Crust (gluten free, dairy free)
When you come back home from your local farmers’ market or grocery store visit, do your creative juices start flowing about meal possibilities. I know I do, and one surprise dinner that is an easy win is this tasty bacon and kale quiche with hash brown crust.
There’s A Lot of creative play with quiche, so this is a great meal to match up to your tasty and fresh market purchases.
A Family Tradition
This bacon and kale quiche with hash brown crust has actually become such a favorite. It was even a Christmas eve dinner favorite for years as our family gathered and watched the family’s favorite Christmas movie and opened a single gift each after attending a candlelight service.
There’s minimal prep and clean-up, so we can focus on the celebrating (and maybe still prepping for Christmas Day).
Have you tried quiche before?
If you’re part of the crowd that thinks quiche is only bite-size bits that are only served at parties, let me encourage you to think again. There are just too many tasty possibilities to limit yourself to those frozen bites.
Just chop, mix, pour, and bake this deliciously healthy, gluten free, dairy free Bacon and Kale Quiche with Hash Brown Crust.
- 1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil or Ghee
- 3 Red Potatoes (Washed and shredded)
- 1 Clove Garlic (Skin and scab removed, minced)
- 1/2 White Onion (Skin and scar removed, shredded)
- 1 Egg (Whisked)
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
- Dash Pepper
- 3 Strips Bacon (Chopped)
- 3 Leaves Kale (Washed, stems removed, chopped)
- 1-2 Teaspoons Dijon Mustard
- 9 Eggs (Whisked)
- 1/8 Cup "Milk"
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
- Dash Pepper
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Preheat oven to 375, adjusting the rack to the middle position with plenty of clearance above. Lightly oil the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie dish.
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Gather and prepare your ingredients for use.
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Stir together shredded potatoes, minced garlic, 1 whisked egg, 1/4 salt and dash of pepper in a medium bowl.
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Press potato mixture evenly on the bottom and sides of pie dish being sure to avoid too thick a crust in the bend of the dish.
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Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from oven in preparation to be filled.
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While your crust is cooking, lightly oil a skillet and cook your bacon until just done. Turn off your flame, stir in your chopped kale, cover with a lid and let steam form approximately 2 minutes (until kale wilts).
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Remove lid and stir in mustard.
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In a separate medium bowl, whisk your remaining eggs, "milk", salt and pepper together. Set aside.
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After removing your crust from the oven, distribute your bacon/kale mixture evenly across the bottom of the crust and then pour in the egg mixture.
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Return your now filled pie dish to the oven, and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until the center of your pie is set but slightly soft.
- Spinach is a yummy and easy replacement for the kale in this recipe.
- Diced ham can be an easy substitute for the bacon.
- This recipe would also make a tasty frittata if you prefer no crust.
Favorite Ingredient Choices
Here’s a list of the ingredients that you might find helpful:
- For coconut oil without the coconut flavor, try Nutiva Refined and Tropical Traditions Expeller-Pressed.
- Pork from a pasture-raised, natural-diet-eating pig is preferred like from one of our favorite Texas source, Yonderway Farms, or turkey bacon from Organic Prairie.
- Redmond Real Salt (fine) is a favorite and can be found online or in your local grocery store.
- Aim for organic grass/bug/seed-fed meats and eggs.
- Check out my other post to make your own nut “milk, but you can also use cashew milk, dairy, coconut, or other nut milks.
- I like Mustard or this.
- I recommend and prefer organic, locally grown fruits and vegetables whenever possible.
- Check out your local farmers’ market, Local Harvest, or the Environmental Working Group for more information regarding your choices for fruits, vegetables, eggs, and meats.
Time Estimates
Most of your active time is spent cleaning and chopping your ingredients. Give yourself about 20 minutes as a typical amount of time needed to prepare, which might be an overestimate. Also, a food processor with a shredder blade definitely speeds up the hash brown crust process significantly. I usually simply chop the rest of my vegetable ingredients with a good knife.
Variations and Benefits
While this recipe features bacon and kale, you can really vary your ingredients quite a bit. Adding mushrooms and onions, cheese and tomato slices, or maybe eliminating the crust altogether and turning your quiche into a frittata, can really expand your meal planning options.
You can definitely have plenty of protein, healthy fat, and quality carbohydrates present in this one-dish meal. With less than 30 minutes of active work on your part, you’re soon serving up breakfast for dinner.
