Leftovers Quiche, and How I Got My Husband to Eat 4 Despised Foods in One Meal

On a side note: I found my camera! It was at the Indian restaurant that Max and I went to after work last Thursday. Yay!

My husband is a picky eater. He’s not as bad as he used to be, but it’s still a challenge sometimes. In an effort to get him to eat ‘strange’ foods, lately I just haven’t told him what stuff is. I just tell him, “Eat it, you’ll like it.” And, surprise, surprise, he does.

Wednesday night I served four things that normally he either turns up his nose at, or flat out refuses to eat.

1. Quiche. Whenever I say we’re having quiche for dinner, my husband shudders and considers eating cereal for dinner instead. I admit – I’ve had a few less than stellar quiches (don’t use lime basil in quiche, it ends up tasting like Fruit Loops) – but overall they’re quite tasty, as several people will attest.
2. Spinach. He flat out refuses to eat spinach, unless it’s raw in a salad and he drowns it in dressing.
3. Potatoes. Yes, my husband hates potatoes. Unless they are in fry form and have lots of ketchup, or are homefries from this one particular diner that we go to every now and then.
4. Chickpeas. He’ll occasionally eat hummus, but he’s got this thing about beans in general.

If you’re a quiche disliker, and the thought of eating one more bite of egg/ham/onion/cheese makes you gag, try making a quiche with things that you do like. Like pork fried rice. nummers Or macaroni and cheese. Or, stay with me here, cheeseburgers (think: ground beef, cheese, sautéed onion, stale bread, topped with ketchup and maybe some relish).

I made Leftovers Quiche with Aloo Palak and saffron rice from my dinner out last Thursday, spinach, and some shredded turkey. Aloo Palak is an Indian dish whose main ingredients are spinach, chickpeas, and potatoes. The spices are warm and savory, and take over the dish in a very satisfactory way. Yum. OMG, yum. Hubby initially fussed about the whole quiche business, but when he smelled it cooking he started to change his mind. And after the first bite he declared it “really good” and wolfed down the rest of his slice. I didn’t tell him until later that night what it was that he ate. He was skeptical, but supposed he could eat it again if I prepared it the same way.

Quiche is quick, easy (with the help of a frozen pie crust), and use up leftovers like no other dish I’ve come across. There isn’t a hard and fast recipe for Leftovers Quiche. Essentially you:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
2. While your oven preheats, put leftovers in a pie crust, chopping/dicing things if they’re not already cut small. Rice, vegetables, meat, cheese, even bread works well. If it worked as a tasty dish in the first place, it will probably still work with the addition of eggs. If I only have meat, I’ll often add frozen veggies and just cook a little longer. Add spices, play around, find what works for you. This is a good dish to experiment with. Note: I don’t suggest using raw meat in this recipe. If you want to use meat, make sure it is cooked first.
3. Beat eggs in a separate bowl and pour over the leftovers so it fills to ½ to ¼ inch below the rim of the pie crust. Generally I need 4-6 eggs. Add a little milk to the eggs if you want.
4. Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes or until the eggs are set and lightly browned around the edges and are set in the center.
5. Let the quiche rest at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving.

That’s it! How easy, right?

Have you made Leftovers Quiche before? What’s your favorite?

Max loved it! (especially as a hair product)