Quiche With A Spaghetti Squash Crust!

In pie-style foods, it is often the butter-laden and carb-heavy crust that comes with most of the caloric burden, while the contents can often be quite healthy.  I love this solution to make quiche easier on the waistline - using spaghetti squash to make the crust!  

I've taken the original recipe and modified to lose the egg yolks and I've cut down on the milk a bit as well, as I like to use lots of veggies and the extra moisture requires a little less fluid in the recipe. You can also try a leaner cheese, though the kick of the swiss cheese really tastes great.



INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb Asparagus
• ½  of a small yellow onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
•   1 cup of egg whites
• 3/4 cups skim milk
• 1 cup swiss cheese
• ½ teaspoons salt
• ¼ teaspoons pepper
• 3 cups cooked spaghetti squash (about 1 small squash)

(You can cook your spaghetti squash by preheating your oven to 400ºF, lining a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper, slicing the squash in half, placing it face down and putting it the oven for about 20 minutes. Or if you are in a pinch, you can cook it in the microwave - but take it from me, that's a whole lot messier!)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 400ºF.

2.  Cut off the woody ends of the asparagus. Chop the onion, mince the garlic, and cut the asparagus spears into 1-inch pieces. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat, and saute onion and garlic for several minutes, until the onion is soft. Add the asparagus and continue to saute until the asparagus has turned bright green and is soft but not limp.

3.  Whisk together the egg whites, milk, cheese, salt, and pepper.

4.  Grease a pie pan. Press the cooked spaghetti squash to the sides and bottom of the pan, forming an even crust. Pour the egg mixture into the pan. Add the asparagus, onion, and garlic on top of the egg mixture; be sure it sinks in.

5.  Bake for 40 minutes until quiche is firm. Enjoy!

Makes 6 servings.  Per serving, approx:

• Calories: 135
• Fat: 6g
• carbs: 9g
• protein: 11g

Thanks to Bridgette for the heads' up on this awesome recipe!

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