Magic Crust Tunisian Garden Mini Quiches

A bit of fiesty harissa paste along with fresh garden sweet peppers, onions, baby eggplant (or zucchini) and tomatoes give these little meatless mini quiches just a tingle of heat and a lot of flavor! The breadcrumbs on the bottom make a super simple magic “crust”. For a gluten free “crust”, use gluten free breadcrumbs.

What is harissa? If you haven’t heard of harissa, it’s a spicy, aromatic chile paste that’s widely used in North African and Middle Eastern cooking. Harissa recipes vary between countries and regions, but a standard version includes a blend of hot chile peppers (which are often smoked), garlic, olive oil and spices, like cumin, coriander, caraway and mint. Tomatoes and rose petals are also common ingredients. I first “met” harissa when I reviewed Ally’s cookbook and I loved it, so I decided I need to do more with it this year (since the peppers from the garden were so plentiful!)

Where can you get harissa? You can purchase harissa online or at Middle Eastern markets … or you can make it yourself.

There is just a teaspoon of harissa in this recipe so it’s not really spicy … you get a little tingle on your tongue, like a dance, with a beautiful color and spectacular flavor.

My dad gave me a bunch of these little baby eggplant when they were starting to clear out the garden and told me they are good in frittatas and you don’t even have to peel them. Wait, what? Eggplant and eggs? Why had I never considered such a thing? I seriously HAD to try that. With harissa. Because I just KNEW that harissa would be amazing with eggplant, and I’d already tried stirring it into scrambled eggs, so I knew it was good with eggs.

(If you’re not into eggplant, substitute zucchini. The quiche will still be delicious.)

Magic Crust Tunisian Garden Mini Quiches

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 2 servings 1x

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 – 3 mini eggplant or zucchini, chopped (about 1/2 – 3/4 cup, chopped)
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• Red Robin Seasoning (or your favorite seasoned salt) & Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute (or Mrs. Dash)
• 2 mini sweet peppers or 1/2 of a bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs (for gluten free, use GF breadcrumbs)
• 3/4 cup shredded Swiss or Gruyere cheese
• 1 small tomato, cored and chopped (I used a yellow taxi tomato)
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon harissa paste (recipe here)
• A pinch of each: nutmeg, cinnamon and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup milk

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Oil or spray 2 oven-safe bowls (3 – 5 inches in diameter) with cooking spray.
2. In a small frying pan over medium heat, add the oil and use a spatula to spread it all over the bottom of the pan. Add the eggplant (or zucchini), onion and garlic and saute until the onion is soft and translucent and the eggplant is tender. Sprinkle with seasonings and stir in the chopped peppers. Saute for a couple more minutes, then remove from heat.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, harissa, seasonings and salt until well mixed.
4. Sprinkle the bottoms of both bowls with breadcrumbs, then cover with the sauteed veggies, using half the veggies in each. Sprinkle with cheese. Pour the egg mixture over, dividing it roughly in half. Add the tomatoes on top.
5. Bake at 375 F. for 25 – 30 minutes or until the eggs are set. Enjoy!

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Notes

If you want your quiches to be spicy, add more harissa paste.

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

© Copyright 2018, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.

Looking for more recipes using harissa?

Here are some good harissa recipes from me and my foodie friends:

• Harissa Spiced Chicken Kabobs – Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
• Sheet Pan Moroccan Steak with Carrot Top Chimichurri – Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
• Harissa Chicken and Vegetables – Ally’s Kitchen
• Veal Harissa Meatball & Fruit Kabobs (winner of the Dole California Cookoff!) – Ally’s Kitchen
• Barley Lentil Harissa Veggie Stew
• Harissa Tomato Soup with Cheese Crisps
• Harissa Moroccan Chicken with Roasted Peppers & Olives

Want more quiche recipes?

• Ham & Asparagus Quiche with Hashbrown Crust
• Mushroom Asparagus Quinoa Quiche Cups
• Ham & Broccoli Quiche Romesco