Zucchini and Italian Sausage Quiche

By ebdonahue

The end of the growing season brings with it a flurry of activity that can exhaust the most hardy of souls—harvesting, canning, preserving, baking, freezing and finally, putting the garden to bed. What better time to take a breather and celebrate the season with family and friends.

At harvest time, there aren’t many people who don’t have a plethora of zucchini to use up. This dish is a favorite of mine for putting the prolific vegetable to good use.
~ Lynda King, Hobby Farm Home "Country Fare" columnist

Ingredients

• 1 , 10-inch, deep dish pie crust, baked
• 1 lb. zucchini, shredded
• 1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage
• 2-4 T. olive oil
• 1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. white pepper

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from hobbyfarms.com

Preparation

Step 1

Remove casing from sausage and sauté in 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil until no pink remains. Drain and set aside. Squeeze excess moisture from zucchini and sauté in 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil until tender, about 5 minutes. Spread zucchini evenly on bottom of pie shell. Sprinkle crumbled sausage and Swiss cheese over zucchini. Beat eggs lightly in large bowl. Add milk, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, salt and white pepper; blend well. Pour over ingredients in pie shell.

Bake at 450 degrees F for 15 minutes; lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until center is almost firm, but still soft. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Serves 6.

Make-ahead Note: After sprinkling crust with zucchini, sausage and cheese, cover and refrigerate. Beat remaining ingredients, cover and refrigerate. When ready to cook, stir egg mixture before pouring into pie plate. Continue as directed but increase second cooking time.