Crazy Delicious Crustless Spinach Quiche

I have loved Spinach for as long as I can remember. Not sure why, but as a child, I found ‘the green stuff’ was one of my favourites. I’m glad this leafy green and I bonded early on, as it offers a ton of essential nutrients our bodies need. I’m very excited to share its story and this tasty Crustless Spinach Quiche with you. Now you can get inspired to eat it more often!

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Below is the list of the post sections, in case you want to jump straight to something specific, like the Recipe 🙂

Where did Spinach Originate from?
When in Spinach Season?
Is Spinach really an Iron Powerhouse?
Spinach Nutrition
Common Spinach Questions
How to Buy and Store Spinach
How to Eat Spinach

RECIPE: Crustless Spinach Quiche with Chorizo

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Before we get into the recipe, let’s take a moment to appreciate this vegetable.

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Spinach – Popeye’s Favourite Vegetable:

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) is the flowering plant belonging to the family Amaranthaceae, native to western and central Asia.

Where did Spinach Originate from?

Spinach is said to have originated in Ancient Persia – where Iran is today, along with its neighbouring countries. It’s not known when, but Spinach was then introduced to India. From there it made its way through Nepal and was introduced to China. The earliest available record of the plant was in Chinese, and they referred to it as the “Persian vegetable“.

From its origin in southwest Asia, it was also introduced via trade routes through the Middle East to North Africa. From North Africa, it was introduced to the south of Europe – making its way to Sicily, southern Italy, by the Moors in the 12th century. By then it was becoming a popular Arab Mediterranean vegetable. From there it spread to Spain in the last part of the 12th century, gradually journeying to the rest of Europe.

Spinach is now grown all over the world. The top Spinach producing countries are China, United States, Japan, Turkey and Indonesia. China is by far the leader, producing about 90% – that’s about 21 million tonnes of Spinach every year!

When in Spinach Season?

Spinach is available all year round, but its primary season is Spring. Spinach prefers cooler climates and will grow leaves quickly in the mild weather of Spring and Autumn.

Is Spinach really an Iron Powerhouse?

Spinach gained some popularity by being featured in the cartoon Popeye, launched in 1929. The ambitious little sailor character would pull out his can of Spinach whenever he needed extra strength. After eating it, his muscles would grow big and strong, and he was able to conquer anything. A powerful message to children, who wanted to grow big and strong. Mmmm, maybe that’s why I loved the green so early on?

From Popeye, Spinach gained its popularity as being an epic source of Iron. But, even though this vegetable is packed with a good dose of iron, it’s important to understand how much of it can actually be absorbed.

There are 2 types of iron, Haem Iron and Non-Haem Iron. Haem Iron is found in animal products and is easily absorbed by our bodies. Non-Haem Iron is found in plant products, and a little more difficult to absorb. So, even though Spinach may contain a lot of iron, not all of it can be absorbed into our bodies when we eat it.

Raw Spinach also contains Oxalic Acid, which is an organic substance that can interfere with the absorption of essential nutrients like calcium and iron. So the iron we absorb from Spinach can then be even further reduced because it contains this element.

Fear not, as this does not make this vegetable any less of a powerhouse. Spinach still contains a good amount of iron to absorb, and a ton of other nutrients to give you the strength you need.

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Spinach Nutrition:

Now that we’ve cleared up the Iron myth, let’s look at the nutrients that 100g of Raw Spinach has to offer.

Energy		23 kcal (97 kJ)
Carbohydrates		3.6 g
	Sugars	0.4 g
	Dietary fiber	2.2 g
Fat		0.4 g
Protein		2.9 g
Vitamins	Vitamin A equiv. (59%) Beta-Carotene (52%) Lutein Zeaxanthin, Vitamin A, Thiamine (B1) (7%) Riboflavin (B2) (16%) Niacin (B3) (5%) Vitamin B6 (15%) Folate (B9) 49%) Vitamin C (34%) Vitamin E (13%) Vitamin K (460%)
Minerals	Calcium (10%) Iron (21%) Magnesium (22%) Manganese (43%) Phosphorus (7%) Potassium (12%) Sodium (5%) Zinc (6%)
	NOTE: The Vitamin and Mineral percentages above are approximated using US daily recommendations. For example: A 100g of raw Spinach will give you 12% of the US Daily recommended amount of Potassium necessary based on this chart. Of course, this is never a definite, so use these percentages as a guideline, more to understand what Vitamins and Minerals you are getting for the foods you eat.
Water		91.4 g

As you can see above, Spinach is low in calories, fat and sugar. It is also a rich source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Magnesium, Manganese, Iron and Folate. Additionally, it’s a good source of the B Vitamins, Vitamin E, Calcium, Potassium, and Dietary Fibre.

So, as you can see, regardless of its iron content, Spinach offers much much more.

One of the biggest surprises to me was the large amount of Vitamin K in 100 grams of Spinach. Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays a vital role in bone and heart health. One sure reason to add this leafy green to your plate!

Spinach, like other non-starchy vegetables, is a good ingredient to add to your shopping list if you’re wanting to lose some weight. This is because it’s low in calories but still provides many essential nutrients to keep you healthy.

Did You Know?

Spinach contains Chlorophyll, which is the green pigment in plants that facilitates photosynthesis. With Spinach’s lovely deep green colour, it’s not surprising to know that it contains a lot of Chlorophyll.

Over the years, researchers have been looking into the benefits Chlorophyll may have on the human body.

Some of the potential benefits of Chlorophyll include: the prevention of some cancers, antioxidizing properties, flushing out heavy metal toxins, treating bad bread, anti-inflammatory & wound healing, and many more.

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Common Spinach Questions:

What is Spinach good for?

The health benefits of Spinach include:

Healthy Eyesight, because it is rich in Beta-Carotene, Lutein, and Xanthene.

Healthy Cardiovascular System for many reasons. Spinach can help maintain healthy blood pressure because it contains a high amount of Potassium (which lowers the pressure) and is still low in Sodium (which increases the pressure). Spinach also contains a good amount of Folate, which helps reduce hypertension in the blood vessels, maintaining proper blood flow.

Bone and Muscle Health: Spinach contains a lot of antioxidants. Some of these play an important role in strengthening important muscles like the heart.

Boosting Metabolism: Spinach has a lot of protein for a vegetable. This gives our metabolism a boost and helps make sure our organs are functioning optimally.

Cancer Inhibiting: Spinach contains Folate, Tocopherol, and Chlorophyllin, which could potentially help prevent and treat some cancers, such as lung or liver cancer.

Do you have any other useful information to add to the above? Please do so in the comments!

Is Spinach better raw or cooked?

I personally enjoy Spinach both raw and cooked. Raw in salads, but cooked in stews, curries, soups, and quiches, just to name a few.

However, there are a lot of questions about whether it’s better for you Raw or Cooked. I would assume raw would be better, right? Well, interestingly enough, this may not be completely true in Spinach’s case. It depends on what nutrients you want more of.

As mentioned above, Raw Spinach contains Oxalic Acid, which is an organic substance that can interfere with the absorption of essential nutrients like Calcium and Iron. However, when Spinach is heated, the Oxalic Acid is broken down. So steamed or sautéed spinach actually offers more Calcium and Iron for absorption than if you ate it raw. Pretty interesting right?

That is not to say that you should never eat Raw Spinach. Both cooked and raw Spinach offer different quantities of many nutrients, so you’ll get a health kick either way.

Raw Spinach: When raw, essential nutrients like Folate, Vitamin C and Potassium, are more available to our bodies than when cooked.

Cooked Spinach: When cooked, Spinach will offer you higher amounts of other nutrients like Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Protein, Zinc, Calcium, Iron and Beta-Carotene.

Each offers its own benefits, so simply look for a balance.

Important to note: The nutritional content will vary depending on the quality and freshness of the Spinach you get • When cooked it can lose as much as half of its nutrients • Don’t boil Spinach as this removes even more nutrients into the water it’s boiled in, wasting much of the goodness. Rather steam, saute or lightly fry it, and just eat more to make up for its size and nutrient loss.

What’s the difference between Big and Baby Spinach?

Nothing really.

“Baby spinach” simply describes Spinach that has been harvested at an earlier stage of the plant growth. Baby Spinach leaves can be picked as early as 15-35 days after planting. Fast growing!

Side note: There are three basic types of Spinach: Savoy Spinach, Smooth-Leaf Spinach, and Semi-Savoy Spinach.

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How to Buy and Store Spinach:

When Buying Spinach, try and buy as fresh as possible. If you can get from a local fresh market, great! When buying, look for fresh green leaves. Avoid Spinach with any browning or yellow colour. Varieties can vary in thickness – Mature big leaves should be nice and crisp, while smaller baby leaves are often softer. Either way, avoid Spinach that is wilting or has blemishes.

When Storing Spinach, it’s important to know that water is what will cause it to wilt quicker. When you wash spinach, you’ll notice that it starts getting soft and starts wilting quickly. So you should never store freshly washed and wet Spinach in the fridge. Rather let it dry, or dry it yourself with some paper towel, before storing it. Fresh Spinach can actually keep for a few weeks in the fridge if stored properly – Dry and in a sealed container or bag. If you want to store your Spinach for an extended amount of time, you can also freeze it. Follow this how to freeze post for the best method.

That said, if possible, buy your fruit and veg fresh! I typically go to the shops for fruit and veggies every 3 or so days, and stock up. I then eat the fresh produce over the next few days and stock up when needed.

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How to Eat Spinach:

Spinach is a versatile vegetable. It can be eaten raw or cooked.

In terms of cooking, Spinach can be fried, steamed, or sauteed (Avoid boiling at all costs, and many of the nutrients will get lost in the water it’s boiled in). Steamed and sauteed are the healthiest options, but I do enjoy a light fry up. It’s important to note that, if you are planning on frying Spinach, only add a little oil. Spinach contains lots of water that it will release in the fry-up. So, a lot of oil is not necessary and will prevent the Spinach from absorbing a high amount of oil that will make it higher in calories.

Raw: Add to salads and smoothies. Replace bread and instead use Spinach leaves as your wraps.
Cooked: Add to scrambled eggs, soups, stews, curries, and quiches. Enjoy as a simple side dish to eat with your protein.

Here are some Simple Spinach recipes:

Tuna and Spinach Salad
Simple Sautéed Spinach (great with a protein)
Scrambled Eggs with Spinach and Parmesan

But these will have to wait, as it’s now finally time for this tasty Crustless Spinach Quiche, yum! I love making this quiche, as it’s super simple to make, with only 6 ingredients, and so darn delicious. I mean, look at this… #nomnomnom

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Crustless Spinach Quiche with Chorizo:

I try to limit my carbohydrates these days, especially in the evenings. So this recipe is a real winner. This Crustless Spinach Quiche is perfect for those wanting an easy and delicious recipe that gives you a good dose of nutrients without the carbohydrates.

From cooking this recipe, these are some tips for doing it right:

Buy quality ingredients. When you are using as little as 6 ingredients, make them count. Look for fresh Spinach. Pick Chorizo without added sugar (or as close as possible). Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil instead of other types that aren’t as nutritious. If you can, use Pink Himalayan Sea Salt instead of table salt, as it is a healthier option with many minerals (and it tastes better). Think fresh and clean.

Use the oil in the chorizo to add liquid to your pan. When frying up the Garlic, Onion and Mushrooms, the pan may start to get dry. Instead of adding a splash of extra oil, throw in the Chorizo a little earlier which will help a lot as it releases its oil. The Mushrooms and Spinach will also release water, so you’ll have more than enough liquid to prevent sticking. Just keep stirring and lower the heat if necessary.

The time to bake your spinach quiche may vary. Don’t just set your clock for 50 minutes and leave the kitchen. Your quiche may take a shorter time to cook, and you don’t want to burn and dry it out. Instead, set your alarm to check up on it every 10-20 min. I find that, in my little baking dish, my quiche is ready in 35min.

Double up your ingredients if you’re using a bigger baking dish. My darling little baking dish is only 16.5 cm wide and 3 cm deep. Pretty small. If you have a bigger dish, just double up all the ingredients. You can then fill up your dish, and use the leftovers in other ways. For example, you can make a little egg scramble. Or you could pour the rest into a muffin tray and bake some extra mini quiches at the same time.

Eat with a fresh salad side. A quiche goes so well with a side salad. Simply add leaves to your salad bowl, and dress in a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Fresh Lemon and Salt. Yum! It’s a wonderful balance.

Save some for the next day. After a day, it’s even better! Enjoy it for breakfast, or take it with you to work for lunch. It’s easy to transport in a container.

Try other ingredients. This recipe is very versatile and you can swap out or add any ingredients you like. If you are vegetarian, you could add some Ricotta or Feta cheese instead of the Chorizo. You could also add Tomatoes. Have some fun and try out different mixes.

Time to get cooking!

I hope you enjoyed this post. Go on, try out this easy (and very tasty) Crustless Spinach Quiche recipe below. Let me know what you think!

If you have any tips or comments to share, please do so in the comments below.

 

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Other posts you may find useful:

• Baked Avocado Egg Breakfast
• Fabulous Fennel and Tomato Soup
• Simple Sautéed Artichoke Recipe