Red pepper quiche

Red pepper quiche is a colourful and tasty vegetarian quiche made with a filo pastry shell, red peppers, feta and fennel.

I have made this quiche dish using filo pastry partly for its lightness and also because it is quicker than making a traditional shortcrust pie crust.

It is a light and attractive tart packed with fresh ingredients and can be prepared quickly saving you time in the kitchen.

It is great for main meals and light lunches and similar to summer vegetable quiche and mushroom and leek quiche, it is delicious served either hot or cold.

This easy quiche recipe is also versatile. If you don't want to use filo pastry then you could use an alternative pie crust such as shortcrust pastry or wholemeal pastry. You could also substitute other types of soft cheese such as ricotta or mozzarella in place of feta.

But stick with red pepper and fennel for that delicious combination of flavours and vibrant colour.

While this quiche with filo pastry can be prepared in only around half an hour you could save time further by using a ready made pie crust. Simply fill with the other quiche ingredients and bake!

And if you have extra sweet peppers why not try ratatouille or sweet peppers with Stilton and quinoa, two more colourful vegetarian dishes.

This easy quiche recipe will make one 20cm diameter tart.

Ingredients and substitutions

• 1 medium red pepper - use a fresh pepper rather than frozen for maximum flavour and texture.

• 3 to 5 mushrooms - use roughly a handful of mushrooms, the number will vary depending on size. Use fresh mushrooms rather than tinned or frozen.

• A few sprigs of fennel - this will add a beautiful aniseed-like flavour. if you don't have fresh fennel then the closest alternative is dill.

• A handful of spinach - again, use fresh spinach. Frozen spinach contains too much water and is not suitable for this quiche recipe.

• A few slices of courgette - other vegetables such as aubergine or asparagus could be used in place of courgette.

• A few slices of leek - you could substitute sliced onion, red or white, either uncooked or lightly roasted.

• 100g feta cheese - mozzarella or ricotta cheese could be used in this tart in place of feta.

• 5 eggs - ideally select medium or large eggs. If you only have small eggs use 6 instead.

• 3 sheets filo pastry - using filo pastry is a quick way to form a pastry case but you could make this tart using a shortcrust pastry case if you prefer. Alternatively, you could prepare this quiche using a ready made pie crust to save time.

• Olive oil - ideally use extra virgin olive oil for maximum flavour.

Equipment needed

• Chopping board
• Sharp knife
• Medium sized roasting tin
• 20cm diameter non-stick loose bottomed flan dish
• Pastry brush
• Whisk
• Medium sized bowl to whisk the eggs
• Small dish (for the olive oil when brushing the filo)

How to make red pepper quiche

First, cut the red pepper into chunks, slice the mushrooms, leek and courgette and roast in olive oil until soft. Set aside to cool.

To make the pastry case, take one sheet of filo and lay across the non-stick loose bottomed flan dish and brush with olive oil. Fold the overhanging edges of the filo into the pastry case. Repeat with the second and third sheets. When cooked, the pastry case looks more attractive if the three layers of filo are folded into the pastry case separately rather than altogether.

Lay the spinach in the base of the pastry case.

Add half the roast vegetables and arrange evenly over the base of the pastry case.

Crumble the feta cheese (100g) and arrange evenly in the pastry case on top of the vegetables.

Whisk the eggs and pour into the pastry case over the other ingredients.

Chop the fennel.

Arrange the remaining half of the roast vegetables and the fennel evenly over the other ingredients.

How to bake

Cook at 180^oC, 350^oF, gas mark 4 in the centre of the oven.

The tart will be cooked when the egg mixture is firm and the pastry is golden but check regularly to make sure the pastry doesn't burn. This will take around 30 to 40 minutes.

If the pastry looks to be cooking too quickly place small pieces of foil over the parts of the filo which you don't want to cook any more and return to the oven.

If you have an Aga, place the tart on the grid shelf of the floor of the roasting oven and cook as above.

How to serve

Red pepper quiche can be served hot straight from the oven. Alternatively, it can be left to cool, chilled and served cold. 

This cooked quiche is not suitable for reheating. 

How to store

Once the quiche has cooled it should be stored in the fridge where it can be kept until the next day.

This quiche is not suitable for freezing.

Tips

1. Work quickly with the filo sheets to prevent them drying out. Wrap any unused sheets straight away and return to the fridge.
2. If you don't have a loose bottomed non-stick quiche dish you could use a similar sized solid dish (such as ceramic). Cut a square of non-stick baking paper approximately 20cm by 20cm and place in the base of the flan dish before adding the pastry. The corners of the paper square should project a little bit above the pastry edges. When the quiche is cooked, carefully lift the corners of the paper to take the quiche out of the dish.
3. Check the quiche part way through the cooking time as filo pastry cooks quickly and can easily become overcooked. If any parts of the filo pastry case look to be cooking too quickly cover those parts of filo with pieces of foil and return to the oven. The foil will stop the filo overcooking.

Other vegetarian quiche recipes

Take a look at some other vegetarian quiche ideas.

Other recipes using sweet peppers