Prosciutto & Asparagus Egg White Quiche

If you're looking for a light, yet flavor packed breakfast or lunch idea, but need a recipe that's quick to make, this prosciutto and asparagus egg white quiche is the perfect fit.

By leaving out the fat and calorie heavy cheese, whole eggs, and cream that many vegetable quiches call for, this healthy spring meal can be eaten any time of day, guilt free! Chalk full of fresh asparagus, you can even bake this egg white quiche in a pan without a crust to make it even healthier, and gluten free!

This post contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated if a purchase is made through the links provided. For more information please read my affiliate disclosure.

The Perfect Egg to Dairy Quiche Ratio

All quiches are essentially a custard thickened with egg which is then baked in a crust with various ingredients to flavor it.

The custard filling traditionally uses a rough 2:1 ratio to ensure the right quiche texture.

•  ½ cup of dairy(125 ml) : 1 Large whole egg (56 ml)

This ensures there is enough egg to set the custard without the quiche becoming scrambled egg.

Whole eggs are usually used because the yolks add richness and flavor to the finished product. They aren't really necessary though, as the real binding power lies in the egg whites.

Egg White Quiche Ratio

To make a lighter, and healthier quiche using only egg whites, we have to tweak the above ratio a little. Instead of 1 whole egg per ½ cup of dairy well use 2 egg whites per ½ cup of dairy.

• ½ cup of dairy (125 ml) : 2 egg whites (60 ml)

Preparing Your Spring Inspired Prosciutto & Asparagus Egg White Quiche

To make this quiche as quickly and hassle free as possible you need to plan ahead. This goes for most recipes though, with a little planning all food becomes easier to prepare.

The Pie Crust

You can use a store bought pie crust, but I prefer making my own, as it only contains 4 ingredients, and doesn't contain preservatives.

Make it the night before (it only takes 5 minutes!) to let it set in the fridge overnight.

You can even completely forego the crust and make a 'crust-less quiche' by simply pouring the ingredients and egg mixture into the quiche mold itself.

The Flavorings

Asparagus is only in season a few short weeks of the year, so why not take advantage of it! You don't even need a whole lot of it for this egg white quiche, 6 or 7 spears cut into ribbons will do. Of course feel free to load it up with more if you prefer! Use a vegetable peeler to cut the asparagus into ribbons for a delicate and professional looking asparagus quiche!

The prosciutto provides a natural salty rich flavor in contrast to the light asparagus. Regular bacon or pancetta can be substituted but will be much higher in fat.

If asparagus isn't your thing, use spinach or even kale as a vegetable - Chef Markus Mueller

Assembling the Asparagus Quiche

Lets get started...

Before you begin make sure you have on hand:

• A vegetable peeler
• A 9 inch pie or quiche mold

For ingredients you'll need:

• 1 9 inch pie crust
• 6 -8 thick asparagus spears
• 6 egg whites or 180 ml liquid egg white
• 1 cup milk

Start by pre heating your oven to 425F. As the oven, pre-heats roll out your pie dough, and lightly grease your pie pan or quiche mold with butter or oil.

Line the pie pan with the dough making sure to press it firmly into the corners. Dock the pie crust with a fork,(this prevents it from bubbling up while blind baking), and then place it in your hot oven to blind bake for 10 minutes. While blind baking quiche is a topic that's debatable for some, I feel that it provides a more thoroughly cooked crust.

As the crust is blind baking, quickly dice the prosciutto, and saute it in a pan. You don't need to cook it till it's crispy, just to slightly cook it.  While it's cooking, trim the woody end of the asparagus, and then using your vegetable peeler, shave the asparagus stems into thin slivers.

Mix the asparagus and prosciutto together, and lightly season it with some cracked black pepper.

By now the quiche shell should be just about done baking, or have already come out of the oven. Add the filling to the partially baked crust. Set the partially baked quiche aside.

Take a mixing bowl and quickly whisk together the egg whites and milk. Pour this mixture into the quiche shell and then place the filled egg white quiche back in the oven. Immediately drop the oven temperature to 325F. Bake the asparagus quiche for 30 to 40 minutes until the egg mixture is fully set and does not jiggle when shaken.

Either serve the asparagus quiche immediately while hot, or fully cool then cut the quiche. The individual cold portions can be baked in a hot oven or heated in a microwave to re-heat.

Made the recipe? Comment & Rate it below, then take a picture and tag me on Facebook & Instagram: @earthfoodandfire . For more from scratch recipes follow me on Instagram & Pinterest

Recipe