Butternut Squash, Spinach and Bacon Quiche

Can you believe it's already the end of the week?! It seems like just yesterday we were surrounded by friends and family celebrating Thanksgiving. After the whirlwind of holiday gatherings, T & I went to work finding a Christmas tree (or two!) and getting our house all decorated for the holidays. As the temps have continued to fall...it's currently a whole -5 degrees outside right now in our neck of the woods...I decided that warm, cozy, comfort food was just what we need to help ward off the chill. Enter today's recipe: Butternut Squash, Spinach, and Bacon Quiche.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I rarely pass up the opportunity to get breakfast. I love nothing more than exploring all the little mom and pop breakfast restaurants scattered around whatever town we happen to find ourselves in. Most of the places have similar menus, but some definitely stand above the rest with their unique takes on breakfast menu items - I'm looking at you Bluebird Diner in Iowa City/North Liberty! Now that I think of it, it sounds like an excellent idea for T & I to go brunching this weekend and really get into the spirit. If you have any must-try breakfast favorites, by all means, let me know when and where!

Step One: Gather the ingredients.

Step Two: Melt a Tbsp of butter over medium-high heat in a large pan. Saute the butternut squash and onion until onions become translucent (about 8-10 min). Add the garlic and cook an additional minute before removing from heat.

Step Three: In a separate large bowl, mix together the spinach, eggs, milk, flour, salt, pepper, baking powder, feta, and bacon. Add in the butternut squash, onion, and garlic stirring well to combine.

Step Four: Pour the egg mixture into a prepared pie crust.

Step Five: Bake at 350 degrees for 45min-1hr. Check to see that a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe slightly adapted from Gimme Some Oven

BUTTERNUT SQUASH, SPINACH AND BACON QUICHE | Yield: 1 quiche | Total Time: 1 hr 20 min.

INGREDIENTS:
1 pie crust, homemade or storebought
4 Tbsp bacon crumbles
1 Tbsp butter
2 C chopped butternut squash
1 small white onion
6-8 eggs, whisked*
3/4 C milk
3 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
3 handfuls fresh spinach, whole or roughly chopped
4 oz crumbled feta cheese (1 small tub)

*NOTE* I have a deep dish pie plate I was using, so I added a couple extra eggs. If you have a standard quiche or pie dish, start with 6 eggs and adjust from there.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll out a prepared pie crust into your baking dish of choice (I used a pie dish, but you could use a quiche dish as well). Bake for 5 minutes, then set aside.

Melt butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add butternut squash and onion. Saute for 8-10 minutes, or until the onions are translucent, and the butternut squash is tender. Add garlic and cook an additional minutes. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, flour, baking powder, milk, salt, and black pepper. Stir in the sauteed vegetables, spinach, cheese, and bacon crumbles.

Transfer the quiche filling to the crust, and use a spoon to smooth the surface. You'll want to pat down any spinach that is trying to escape the egg mixture, or it will get too crispy as the quiche cooks. Bake for 45 min-1hr, or until a toothpick comes out clean. The quiche will rise while baking, and will settle down once removed from the oven. After removing quiche from the oven, allow it to rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve warm with your favorite fruit, some crispy hashbrowns, and a cup of jo!