Cottage Cheese & Spinach Crustless Quiche

The photo shows a high-protein, crustless quiche made with cottage cheese, spinach and cherry tomatoes, with a browned, cheesy top. The exact recipe isn’t printed in the image, so the recipe below is a close, practical reconstruction using the quantities shown: 2 cups fresh spinach, 1½ cups cottage cheese and 1 cup cherry tomatoes. Similar cottage-cheese crustless quiches use eggs, spinach, cheese and aromatics and bake at about 350–375°F until set.

Recipe at a glance
Servings: 6
Prep time: 15–20 minutes
Cook time: 35–45 minutes
Total: about 55–65 minutes
Oven: 350°F / 175°C
Pan: 9-inch pie dish
Style: Crustless, high-protein, vegetarian
Best served: Warm or room temperature
Ingredients
Main filling
2 cups fresh spinach, loosely packed
1½ cups cottage cheese
5 large eggs
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup shredded mozzarella
¼ cup grated Parmesan
½ small onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg, optional
2 tablespoons chopped green onions, for topping
Optional additions

For more flavor, you can add:

¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh basil
¼ cup crumbled feta
½ cup cooked mushrooms
½ cup cooked bell pepper
¼ cup chopped turkey or cooked chicken

Important: If adding vegetables, cook them first and remove excess moisture. Excess water is one of the biggest reasons crustless quiche becomes watery.

Full Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Preheat the oven

Preheat your oven to:

350°F / 175°C

Lightly grease a 9-inch pie dish with olive oil, butter or nonstick cooking spray.

For an especially attractive browned exterior like the picture, use a metal pie pan or well-greased ceramic dish.

2. Prepare the spinach

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add the diced onion and cook for approximately 3–4 minutes, until softened.

Add the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.

Add the 2 cups fresh spinach.

Cook for approximately 2–3 minutes, stirring, until the spinach is completely wilted.

Remove from the heat.

Don’t skip this step

Let the spinach cool slightly and then squeeze out excess moisture.

If you leave too much water in the spinach, the finished quiche can become wet or watery. Recipes using spinach consistently emphasize draining/squeezing the spinach well before adding it to the custard.

3. Prepare the cottage-cheese mixture

Place in a large bowl:

1½ cups cottage cheese
5 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg, if using

Whisk thoroughly.

For an extra-smooth, restaurant-style texture, blend the cottage cheese and eggs for about 20–30 seconds before adding the seasonings. Blending cottage cheese into the egg mixture is also used in other crustless cottage-cheese quiche recipes.

You don’t have to blend it—the quiche will still taste excellent with visible cottage-cheese curds.

4. Add the spinach mixture

Add the cooked spinach, onion and garlic to the egg mixture.

Stir gently until evenly distributed.

5. Add the cheese

Mix in:

½ cup mozzarella
¼ cup Parmesan

Reserve a small amount of mozzarella and Parmesan for the top if you’d like an especially golden crust.

6. Add the tomatoes

Gently fold in about half of the cherry tomatoes.

Reserve the remaining tomatoes for the top.

This gives you tomato flavor throughout the quiche while also creating the attractive tomato topping shown in the photograph.

7. Fill the dish

Pour the mixture into the greased 9-inch pie dish.

Smooth the surface with a spatula.

Arrange the remaining cherry tomatoes cut-side up over the surface.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.

8. Bake

Place the dish in the center of the oven.

Bake for approximately:

35–45 minutes at 350°F / 175°C

Start checking around 35 minutes.

The quiche is finished when:

The edges are golden.
The center is set.
The middle has only a very slight jiggle.
A knife inserted near the center comes out mostly clean.
The internal temperature is about 160°F / 71°C for an egg-based dish.

Crustless spinach quiches commonly bake in the 30–40 minute range, although the exact time varies with pan depth and ingredients.

9. Rest before cutting

Remove from the oven and let it rest for 10–15 minutes.

This is important.

The center continues to firm up as it cools, and resting makes it much easier to get clean slices.

10. Garnish

Sprinkle with:

Chopped green onions
Fresh parsley
Fresh basil
A little freshly ground black pepper

The green onions give you the same visual finish seen in the image.

What the texture should be like

A good crustless quiche should be:

Creamy + tender + set + slightly custardy

It shouldn’t be:

Runny
Rubbery
Dry
Watery around the edges

The cottage cheese gives the interior a creamy texture and adds protein, while the eggs provide the structure.

Approximate Nutrition

Nutrition will vary considerably depending on the cottage cheese and cheeses you use.

For 1/6 of the recipe, using full-fat cottage cheese and the ingredients above, a reasonable estimate is approximately:

Nutrient Per serving
Calories ~250–280
Protein ~20–23 g
Carbohydrates ~7–9 g
Fat ~15–18 g
Saturated fat ~6–8 g
Fiber ~1–2 g
Sugar ~3–4 g
Calcium ~250–350 mg
Sodium ~500–700 mg

These are estimates, not laboratory values. Brand differences—especially cottage cheese, mozzarella and Parmesan—can change the numbers substantially. Comparable cottage-cheese spinach quiches report roughly 17–24 g protein per serving depending on the recipe and serving size.

Want higher protein?

Use:

1½ cups low-fat or high-protein cottage cheese
5 eggs + 2 egg whites
Reduced-fat mozzarella
Plenty of spinach
Want lower calories?

Use:

Low-fat cottage cheese
Part-skim mozzarella
4 whole eggs + 2 egg whites
Less Parmesan
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use frozen spinach?

Absolutely. Use approximately 5–6 oz frozen chopped spinach in place of the fresh spinach.

Thaw it completely and squeeze it extremely dry before using it. Frozen spinach contains considerable water, so this step is particularly important.

Can I use all fresh spinach?

Yes.

The recipe pictured specifies 2 cups fresh spinach, but spinach shrinks dramatically when cooked. If you love spinach, you can use 3–4 cups fresh spinach without a problem.

Can I use ricotta instead of cottage cheese?

Yes.

Use 1½ cups ricotta. The texture will be slightly different—ricotta tends to produce a softer, more delicate filling.

Can I blend the cottage cheese?

Yes, and I recommend it if you want a smooth texture.

Blend the cottage cheese with the eggs until mostly smooth.

If you prefer the cottage-cheese texture visible throughout the quiche, simply whisk everything together by hand.

Why is my quiche watery?

Usually one of three things:

The spinach wasn’t squeezed dry.
The tomatoes released too much water.
The quiche was underbaked.

Spinach moisture control is particularly important.

Fix: Cook and drain spinach thoroughly, don’t overload the quiche with watery vegetables, and bake until the center is properly set.

Can I use regular tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes?

Yes.

Dice a medium tomato and remove some of the seeds and watery center first.

You can also slice a Roma tomato thinly and arrange the slices on top.

Can I add bacon?

Yes. Cook 4–6 strips of bacon, crumble them, and add them to the filling.

Drain the bacon well first.

You can also use cooked turkey bacon, sausage or ham.

Can I make it vegetarian?

The base recipe is already vegetarian.

For a vegetarian version, simply use vegetable additions such as:

Mushrooms
Bell peppers
Broccoli
Zucchini
Asparagus
Onions

Cook watery vegetables first and drain them before adding them.

Is this gluten-free?

Yes, naturally, provided every ingredient you use is labeled gluten-free when necessary.

Because there is no flour and no pastry crust, the basic recipe doesn’t contain a conventional gluten-containing crust.

Is this keto-friendly?

It can fit into a low-carb/keto eating pattern, depending on your individual carbohydrate target and the specific ingredients.

The main carbohydrate sources are the tomatoes, spinach and dairy.

Can I make it dairy-free?

You can, but you’ll need substitutions for both cottage cheese and cheese.

Use a dairy-free cottage-cheese alternative and dairy-free shredded cheese. The final texture will differ from the original.

Can I make it ahead?

Yes.

Bake it completely, allow it to cool, cover and refrigerate.

For best quality, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days.

Can I freeze it?

Yes.

Cool the quiche completely, cut it into individual portions and wrap them well.

Freeze for approximately 2–3 months for best quality.

Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently.

How do I reheat it?

Oven:
325°F / 165°C for about 10–15 minutes.

Microwave:
Heat an individual slice at 50–70% power in 30–45 second intervals.

The oven gives you a better texture and helps prevent the eggs from becoming rubbery.

Can I make mini versions?

Definitely.

Pour the mixture into a greased muffin tin and bake at 350°F until the centers are set, usually around 18–25 minutes, depending on the size.

They’re excellent for meal prep.

Can I make it without mozzarella?

Yes.

Replace the mozzarella with:

Cheddar
Monterey Jack
Gruyère
Feta
Swiss cheese

For the flavor in the photograph, mozzarella + Parmesan is a particularly good combination.

Why add nutmeg?

Nutmeg is optional, but just a tiny pinch works beautifully with spinach and creamy dairy. It shouldn’t make the quiche taste like nutmeg—it simply adds warmth and depth. Similar spinach quiche recipes use a pinch of nutmeg.

Can I omit the onion and garlic?

Yes.

However, sautéed onion and garlic give the quiche considerably more flavor.

If you’re short on time, use:

½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
What to Serve With It

For breakfast:

Fresh berries
Orange slices
Avocado
Greek yogurt

For lunch:

Green salad
Cucumber and tomato salad
Roasted vegetables
Fruit salad

For dinner:

Roasted potatoes
Steamed broccoli
Asparagus
Simple mixed-green salad
Best Tips for Getting the Picture-Perfect Result

1. Squeeze the spinach extremely well.
This is probably the single most important tip.

2. Don’t overbake.
Take it out when the center is just set. Overbaking makes the eggs tough.

3. Blend the cottage cheese.
Do this if you want the smooth, creamy interior visible in the photograph.

4. Use fresh cherry tomatoes on top.
Arrange them deliberately rather than simply scattering them.

5. Add cheese to the top.
A small amount of Parmesan and mozzarella creates that beautiful browned surface.

6. Rest 10–15 minutes before slicing.
You’ll get much cleaner wedges.

7. Finish with green onion.
It adds both color and a fresh bite.

My recommended version

For the closest result to the photo, I’d use 5 eggs + 1½ cups cottage cheese + 2 cups fresh spinach + 1 cup cherry tomatoes + ½ cup mozzarella + ¼ cup Parmesan + garlic + onion, bake at 350°F for about 40 minutes, and rest for 10–15 minutes before cutting. This follows the same basic technique used in