Yesterday I promised you a savory recipe using pie dough, so here it is!
We grew quite a few butternut squash in our garden this year, so I’ve been dillegently working to make puree and stock my freezer (you can puree butternut squash the same way you would puree pumpkin). The last time I made puree, I had more than would fit in the containers I had for the freezer. So, I set out to come up with a creative way to use the butternut squash in a recipe.
I finally decided that it would be fun to add some of the puree to a quiche. I love having egg dishes for dinner, and I frequently make frittatas. In fact, I considered making a frittata, but since I had some pie dough on hand, I decided to make a quiche instead. To compliment the butternut squash and give the quiche some more substance (I was going for a one dish dinner), I decided to add some kale and pork sausage.
The result was surprisingly good. My husband even requested that I add the recipe to his Husband’s Picks section of the site. That’s quite the endorsement! I loved the flavor of the butternut squash mixed in with the eggs and milk. It’s a simple meal that you can serve for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner. How’s that for versatility?
Butternut Quiche with Kale and Sausage
Serves 6-8
- Dough for single pie crust
- 1/2 pound bulk pork sausage
- 1 small onion, diced
- 6 ounces kale, thick stems removed and chopped
- 1 cup butternut squash puree
- 2 eggs + 2 egg whites
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3/4 ounce parmigiano-reggiano cheese, divided
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Roll out the pie dough to about 1/4-inch thickness and transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. Trim any excess and crimp the sides. Line with parchment or aluminum foil and some pie weights (a pound of dried beans will work well, too). Bake for 20 minutes.
Remove the pie weights and parchment/foil. Increase the oven temperature to 350°F and bake the empty pie shell for an additional 15 minutes until golden.
Meanwhile, brown the sausage in a skillet over medium heat. Once the sausage has browned, add the onion and cook in the fat rendered from the sausage. Gradually add the kale to the skillet and wilt into the sausage and onion mixture. Transfer the mixture to the baked pie shell.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the butternut squash puree, eggs, egg whites, milk, and 1/2 ounce of the parmigiano-reggiano cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the sausage and kale mixture in the pie shell. Top with the remaining parmigiano-reggiano cheese.
Bake at 350°F for about 30-35 minutes until the eggs are set. Broil for an additional minute or two until the top is golden and bubbly. Cool for a few minutes before serving.
Don’t forget that this month’s Kitchen Bootcamp challenge is Pastry Doughs and Batters… There’s still plenty of time to join in!
I love that you are so fearless in the kitchen. This sounds like such a hearty, cold weather dish. I’m bookmarking this one for a Saturday nite casual dinner w/friends and Netflix.
This sounds scrumptious! I think I could totally do the veggies this way.
Yum! I have swiss chard in the garden right now – do you think that would sub for Kale all right?
Celina – Absolutely! Swiss chard would be a great substitute for the kale.
i don’t eat sausage, but I LOVE butternut squash and kale. this quiche looks super yummy!
You are talking my language with this one. Sheeesh.
I just printed this and put it on my fridge to make very very soon! What an excellent fall recipe idea! Thanks Jen!
Quiche is one of my absolute FAVORITE things to eat. They are so versatile and easy to make. This looks perfect Jen!!!
Luv the kale and squash together! Both are coming in droves from the garden right now and new ways to use ’em are most appreciated!
Gorgeous space you have here! Glad to have discovered you :-)
Keep up the good work n I promise to come back again!
Lovely, lovely dish Jen. It appears that kale is grown on a different planet where I live because when I asked for it at the grocery store, they looked at me like I was the one with three eyes.
Mags – Yeah, I hadn’t really heard of it until we started getting boat loads of it from our CSA. Swiss chard or collards would be equally delicious. Even spinach would be great!
This quiche looks wonderful!
Wow…this looks lovely! The colors are gorgeous!
Oh wow, this looks fantastic. And another great way to use one of my favorites, butternut squash!!!
Like Mags, I had never heard of kale until, oh say last year when it appeared every week faithfully in my organic box. I am definitely bookmarking this for this winter – always need creative ways to use up kale!!
I have yet to make a quiche…now I know I need to try!
I absolutely love kale and am always looking for more ways to cook with it. Combining it with butternut squash and sausage sounds like the perfect way! And, I can enjoy seasonal flavors at the same time. Thanks so much for sharing, Jen!