Foodie Frugal Friday: Broccoli Cheddar Quiche

Is this a frugal Friday?  Or is this a Foodie Friday?  Or is it just a random post on a Friday?   There is just too many decisions!   I can’t handle the pressure!  Haha.  But one thing for sure, there is no pressure or stress when making this recipe!  It’s super easy and delicious!  Oh and did I mention that it is healthy?

Broccoli Cheddar Quiche

This recipe is light and tasty.  We enjoy this meal as a lighter fare.  The filling is very easy to make and I use a frozen pie shell which further reduces the cost!  But you know what, I hate having to scroll through tons of paragraphs to get to the recipe…so here goes!

Ingredients:

1 9 inch frozen pie shell

1 tbs olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion 

1 1/4 ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 tbs  Dijon mustard

3 eggs (to save calories you can do one egg and two egg whites)

10 oz frozen broccoli, thawed and chopped

1 tap oregano

dash salt and pepper.

1.  Preheat oven to 360°

2. In a skillet, heat the olive oil and cook the chopped onions until translucent 

3. In a large bowl combine; ricotta cheese, eggs, Dijon mustard, cheddar cheese and spices.  Mia until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.

4.  Food in onions and broccoli.

5.  Pour ricotta/broccoli mixture into pie shell.

6.  Bake at 375° for 35-45 minutes.  The quiche should be golden brown

7.  Let the quiche set for 10 minutes until set up.   Cut and serve.

 To get a printable version of this recipe you can follow this link.  

The frugal aspect of Broccoli Cheddar Quiche

So you can see that this recipe is easy , tasty and won’t break the calorie bank!  That alone is a win, but let me also say that this recipe is frugal also!  I added up the ingredients..using Aldi prices. 

Ricotta cheese $1.89

Dijon mustard $0.95 …but since we only use Amal portion of the bottle I counted it was 10 cents.

Cheddar cheese $2.85…but I used less than half of the bag….so counted it as $1.20

Frozen Broccoli $0.95

pie crist 1.75  (I think that package that I found when pricing it out may have included 2 crusts, but I wasn’t sure so I am counting the whole price!)

Eggs $0.95 for a dozen…but I used three.  I counted it as 25 cents

Onions, spices and olive oil I counted as 40 cents as the cost of those staples on the kitchen is negligible!

That brings the total cost of this dish to $6.54.  This dish serves 4   Typically we each eat 1/4 of the recipe, That makes the total cost per person to be between $1.64.   Tell me where anyone can eat for that?   That is frugal for sure!!!   Even if you are super hungry and eat two servings (which still won’t be horrible for your calorie count) you are still only just over three dollars!   Frugal I tell ya!!

This recipe for Broccoli Cheddar Quiche is a winner on so many fronts.  The tastiness of the recipe is the first win.  But when you realize how easy it is to prepare and the fact that it is such a low budget option, you can’t help but get excited!   We have been eating this recipe for a few years and I am sure we will continue for many more!  To see more recipes,  check our my Recipe page

Foodie Friday: Baked Zucchini Parmesan

Zucchini, the vegetable of the summer.  It seems as if zucchini is super plentiful in the summer, to the extent that people are sometimes inundated with zucchini.  This happened to me a few years back.  I was determined to let NO produce from my garden go to waste.   I scoured and searched for different ways to prepare and use zucchini and I stumbled upon Baked Zucchini Parmesan.

What a find.  This recipe quickly became one of my all-time favorite ways to prepare zucchini.   No, not one of my all- time favorite ways.  This is the BEST way to make zucchini.  The light breading that coats the outside gives the vegetable the bit of a crunch but gives way to the soft and tender flesh of the zucchini.  The flavor of the parmesan bursts to life in your mouth.  This is truly heaven!

When I was young my mom once told me that making homemade onion rings was a labor of love.  We loved them and she loved us, so she took the time to bread the onions herself.  Every time I make Baked Zucchini Parmesan I think about the statement.  You see, they are a labor of love.  And while Jason knows that they baked zucchini parmesan is breaded and takes a few minutes of my time, so he rarely asks for them.  I quickly offer them because they are a labor of love.  I would definitely make them for him because I love him.  BUT, they are a labor of love for me also because I really do love these delicious bites of goodness!  I may think to myself for a hot second “I don’t want to take the time” but within seconds I am slicing and breading up my zucchini!  

I’m telling you, they really are that good!   Now honestly, if you wanted to you could mix the breadcrumbs and parmesan together and bread them as normal and fry them in a skillet of vegetable oil.  And admittedly, they are good that way but why bother?  That little dot of butter on top of the baked ones gives it the same flavor and taste and is so much easier!  

So here goes, I give to you the perfect Zucchini Recipe!

2 zucchini (medium) 

1 cup of plain breadcrumbs

1 egg

1 tbs butter

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a cookie sheet with a non stick spray.

2.  Wash and trim the ends from the zucchini.  Slice the zucchini into 1/4 inch slices.

3.   In one bowl place bread crumbs.  In a separate bowl whip egg slightly with a fork to break the yolk.

4.   Doing one zucchini slice at a time dip first into the egg and then dip into the breadcrumbs to coat and place on the cookie sheet.  Continue until all slices of zucchini are breaded.

5.  Using the butter cut off a small sliver and place on the top of each zucchini disk.  Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the top of the breaded zucchini

6.  Place in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the zucchini slices are golden brown.

For more recipes, visit my recipe page!