Butternut Squash, Arugula, Caramelized Onion, & Feta Quiche

Shortly after Marie was born, a friend from church brought us a delicious meal including a spinach quiche.  Quiche!  Why don't I think to make quiches more often?  Our two-year-old loved the "egg pie" and devoured several pieces over the following days, spinach and all!

I've made quiche a couple of times since then, with a particular fondness for a zucchini and caramelized onion one I made in August.  I tend to approximate my ingredients, based loosely on Julia Child's quiche but with any ingredients I like instead of the bacon (um, I'm a vegetarian).  I also find that I need another egg or two (her recipe calls for just three) to fill up a pie plate!

Earlier this week I made two quiches: a bacon one for my meat-eating, vegetable-hating husband, and a vegetarian one for Nell and myself.  People, it was so good I was literally raving about it to an audience of one: myself.  Yes, it's probably pathetic to compliment one's own cooking, but when your toddler doesn't give you too many kudos and your husband can't quite comprehend why anyone would want to eat something with vegetables in it, sometimes you have to just give yourself a pat on the back.  This quiche required some serious back-patting.

Here's a recipe for you, sort of.  If you make it, tell me what you think!

Butternut Squash, Arugula, Caramelized Onion, & Feta Quiche

1 pie crust, either homemade or store-bought.  I used one from Trader Joe's, because I can't do it all on days when I work right up until dinnertime!

4-5 eggs (I honestly can't remember how many I used.  Ridiculous!  Just see what looks right.)
1 c. cream (or milk, if you want it to be less delicious)
2 c. cubed butternut squash (aim for bite-sized pieces)
1 sweet or yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 handfulls of fresh arugula, either whole or torn into pieces
Approximately 3-4 oz. of crumbled feta (I had a 6 oz. container and put about half in this quiche.  Oh, and I'm sure goat cheese would be delicious, too!)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
dash of nutmeg

First, par-bake your pie crust for 7 or 8 minutes in a 375 degree oven.  (Or make a crustless quiche if you prefer, and omit the crust altogether.)

Caramelize your onion in a bit of butter in a pot or saute pan.  Keep it cooking over low heat until it is nice and brown and the whole house smells lovely.  Set aside.

Cook your squash by sauteing over medium heat (or you could roast it in the oven with a little olive oil!) with a drizzle of olive oil until it is tender, about 10-12 minutes.  Set aside.

Whisk together your eggs, cream, salt, and pepper.  Add crumbled cheese and handfuls of arugula.  Finally, add your caramelized onions and cooked squash, after they have cooled slightly.  Poor mixture into pie crust.

Bake at 375 for 35-45 minutes or until center is well set when tested with a knife.  Mine took a bit on the longer side, but I had two quiches in the oven, so your baking time may vary.

Cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving.

It's delicious as leftovers the next morning for breakfast, too!

And I promise -- it's way tastier than my poor iPhone photos can possibly convey.