Zucchini Quiche Recipes and Variations with Phyllo and Puff Pastry

Zucchini quiche recipes have “summer” written all over! Just imagine – a super delicious and flaky pie crust, creamy filling and fresh notes from zucchini! A slice of tasty quiche is the perfect light snack, lunch or dinner! All you need for the perfect summer evening is a glass of wine!

Of course, quiches are a great idea for party food, picnic or any outdoor gathering with family and friends. They can be served as starters or as a main dish with some fresh green salad on the side. It is not difficult to prepare such a light summer dish and we will show you different zucchini quiche recipes and variations to try at home!

Zucchini Quiche Recipes – How to Combine the Ingredients

While some people call it a tart, others refer to it as “pie”, the term that seems to be correct for a savory pie with filling is “quiche”.

A pie is a sweet or savory dish with a crust and a filling. It can be open or closed, and the crust is made of flour, salt, cold water, and lard (or shortening). Pies are served straight from the dish in which they were baked.

By definition, a quiche is a savory, open-faced pastry crust with a filling of savory custard. The filling may include cheese, meat, seafood, and/or vegetables. Quiche can be served hot or cold. Very much like tarts, a quiche is prepared in 4 easy steps:

• Blind Bake a Pie Crust
• Prepare filling
• Combine Eggs and Milk/Cream
• Bake pie crust with filling

What are the best ingredients for a zucchini quiche? Well, it always depends on the personal taste of everyone, but zucchini are perfectly combined with goat cheese, feta cheese, gruyere, comte, cheddar and other types of cheese. Another ingredient that will make your zucchini quiche exceptionally delicious is bacon. Tomatoes will also add a special flavor and taste to this summer dish. Of course, we should not forget chives, onion, spices and herbs like thyme, oregano, dill, etc.

What type of zucchini to choose? To make the perfect quiche (tart/pie), it is best to pick small and tender zucchinis. You can choose and combine different colors – dark green and yellow zucchini will look spectacular, and will make your quiche visually pleasing. You can even grow zucchini in your own garden!

Zucchini Quiche Recipe

Ingredients:

For Crust

• 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• ½ cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
• 3 tbsp ice water

For Filling

• 3 tbsp butter unsalted
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 cups zucchiniр sliced
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup milk

Directions:

Prepare pie crust: Combine flour, salt and pepper, oregano and basil in a food processor. Add in butter, cut into cubes and pulse pea-like crumbles and continue pulsing while adding cold water. The dough will begin to stick together.

Form the dough and refrigerate: Flour your work surface and roll out the dough, then kneading until it comes together – do not knead too much. Form dough into a disc shape, wrap in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°F/200C.

Prepare the filling: In a medium skillet melt the butter and add in basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix in onion and allow to sauté for 3-4 minutes – once soft and translucent add in zucchini and allow to soften. In a small bowl, whisk together milk and eggs; set aside.

On a floured work surface, roll out the disc so it is about 12 inches/30cm in diameter. Roll the pastry around the rolling pin, then lift the rolling pin over the pie plate and unroll the dough into a 9 inch/22cm pie or quiche plate and flute the edges. To do this, working around the perimeter, pinch sections of the dough with one hand while pushing against it with the index finger of the opposite hand to create a scalloped pattern.

Sprinkle mozzarella over the pastry, follow with the sautéed zucchini, then carefully pour egg mixture over the zucchini.

Bake 30 – 40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean and crust is golden brown.

Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Zucchini Quiche Recipes and Variations – Tomato, Zucchini and Red Onion Tart

Ingredients:

• 1 zucchini, sliced and ends removed
• 1 red onion, cut into thin rings
• 1 cup small red tomatoes, sliced
• 1 large red tomato, sliced
• 1 pie crust, cooked completely in a tart pan
• 8 ounces/225g Gruyere and/or mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon thyme leaves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F/220C.

Sprinkle zucchini, tomatoes and onion with salt and lay on paper towels to drain for 20 minutes.

Place pie crust in tart pan and fully cook according to package instructions.

Fill pie crust with 3/4 cheese. Lay thin layers of zucchini over cheese. Top with remaining cheese. Arrange onion rings on top of the zucchini layer, then add tomatoes. Top with thyme and pepper. Place tart in the center of the oven and bake 20-25 minutes.

Remove from oven, slice, and serve immediately.

Lentil, Zucchini and Tomato Puff pastry Tart with Feta Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg (7.7 oz/225 g) puff pastry, 10×11 inches (25×28 cm)
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 2 small zucchini, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• ¾ cup cooked red lentils
• ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 Tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, yellow and red, cut in half
• extra virgin olive oil, for garnish
• chopped fresh dill, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Unroll puff pastry and slide onto parchment lined baking sheet. Refrigerate while preparing filling.

Heat oil in a large frying pan and sauté zucchini over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool.

Stir together, in a large bowl, lentils, feta cheese, green onions, mayonnaise, dill, lemon zest, and pepper. Stir in zucchini. Spread evenly on puff pastry leaving a ½ inch (1.25 cm) border.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and top with cherry tomato halves. Bake another 10 minutes.

Remove from oven. Cut into wedges. Drizzle each piece with olive oil, garnish with fresh dill, and season with sea salt and black pepper.

Quick Zucchini Puff Pastry Tart with Cream Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 2-3 small zucchinis, thinly sliced
• 8 oz/220g cream cheese, softened
• 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 2-4 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp hot chili flakes
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F/200C.

Unfold one sheet of puff pastry and place it on parchment lined baking sheet. Gently roll it out until you have a rectangle. Score a ½ inch (1.25 cm) border around edges of pastry, prick all over the inside of the scores with a fork. Bake for 10 minutes. If any of the center section puffs up just press down on it with the back of a spoon.

In a small bowl, stir together the cream cheese, parmesan, lemon zest, garlic cloves and thyme.

Spread cheese mixture thinly over warm pastry. Top the cream cheese with zucchini slices, overlapping them slightly. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with chili flakes and salt.

Bake for another 20 minutes, until zucchini are cooked through and pastry is a nice golden brown and has puffed up on the edges.

Cut into slices and serve.

Zucchini and Feta Cheese Tart with Phyllo Pastry

Ingredients:

• 4 small zucchinis
• 5 oz/140 g plain Greek yogurt
• 5 oz/140 g feta cheese
• 2 medium-sized eggs
• 3 oz/80 grams olive oil
• 3-4 fresh mint leaves, chopped
• a handful of dill
• 5 sheets of phyllo pastry
• salt and pepper

Directions:

Unfreeze phyllo by leaving it in the fridge overnight.

Grate the zucchinis and add to a strainer. Add ½ teaspoon of salt and massage the zucchinis for the salt to spread evenly. Let the grated zucchinis drain for half an hour. While the zucchinis drain remove the phyllo from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature without removing it from its package.

Squeeze the zucchinis to remove any excess water and add to a mixing bowl. Combine with the Greek yogurt, feta cheese, eggs, mint and 2 tablespoons of olive oil (keep the remaining oil for greasing the pan and phyllo). Season with a pinch of salt and a bit of pepper.

Preheat oven to 350F / 180C.

Grease well with olive oil the bottom of a 28 cm / 11 inch round pan. Place a sheet of phyllo in the pan and grease well. Repeat until you have 5 layers. Add the filling and spread evenly with a spoon.

Overlap the excess phyllo that hangs out of the pan on top, in order to cover the filling. Make sure you grease well each phyllo with olive oil. Prick the pie a few times with a knife and bake for approximately 30-45 minutes until pie gets a nice golden brownish color.

Quick Zucchini, Cheddar and Prosciutto Tart

Ingredients:

• 2 sheets frozen shortcrust pastry, thawed
• 1 1/2 cups (180g) cheddar cheese, grated
• 185ml creme fraiche
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped, plus extra to serve
• 6 slices prosciutto
• Extra virgin olive oil, to brush and drizzle
• 1 small zucchini, sliced into thin rounds
• 1 bunch rocket

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F/180°C. Grease the base and sides of a 34cm x 11cm/14×4 inches loose-based rectangular fluted tart pan.

On a clean work surface, join the pastry sheets together by 3cm and press firmly to adhere. Line the base and sides of the prepared pan with the pastry and press firmly into the pan. Fold the overhanging pastry in half and press firmly into the sides to create a thick, double layer for the sides. Trim excess pastry.

Prick the base of the tart with a fork and chill for 15 minutes. Line with baking paper and fill with pastry weights or uncooked rice. Blind bake for 10-12 minutes, carefully remove the weights and paper. Bake for a further 10-12 minutes until the pastry is lightly golden. Cool slightly.

Combine cheddar, creme fraiche, eggs and parsley. Season to taste and set aside.

Pour cheddar mixture into tart, arrange prosciutto slices on top and brush with olive oil (this will help the prosciutto become crispy). Fill the remaining gaps with the zucchini and bake for 40-45 minutes until golden.

Scatter over rocket and extra parsley leaves.

Drizzle over olive oil to serve.