High Protein Mediterranean Potato Quiche

Soy-free Option:

• You can make this recipe soy-free by using a non-soy tofu (like pumpkin, chickpea or fava bean tofu) and using a soy-free mozzarella.

This High Protein Mediterranean Potato Quiche is great if you’re looking for a high volume meal that’s still pretty low in calories. It’s packed with a ton of veggies and a good amount of protein! When I was a vegetarian as a child, my mom actually made something similar to this, but only on my birthday because it does take a bit of work, and also because I was pretty much the only one in the family that liked vegetarian food. I’ve made a lot of modifications to what she made (it’s now vegan and high protein), but taste-wise, it’s very nostalgic for me 🙂

It does require a bit of effort because it has a lot of components, but you can cut down on the time a lot by multi-tasking. I like to make the vegan fresh mozzarella ahead of time, and slice the potatoes and make the tofu mixture at the same time the veggies are cooking.

If you’re looking for more delicious high protein, high volume foods, be sure to check out my High Protein “Bacon” Ranch Salad and High Protein Stuffed Peppers recipes!

Ingredients

• Russet Potato – go with a large potato for this recipe so you have enough slices to fully cover the bottom and sides of the baking dish.
• Roma Tomatoes – I prefer Roma because they are less wet than other tomato varieties.
• Fresh Baby Spinach – you could also use frozen spinach but instead of 8 cups of baby spinach, use about 5 oz of frozen.
• Onion – I used a sweet onion for this recipe.
• Kalamata Olives – I love the taste of Kalamata Olives – they are really briny and salty, so I use the full amount listed in the recipe. If they are too strong for you, either use less Kalamata Olives or substitute with Black Olives, or go half Kalamata/half black olives. Black Olives are also less expensive if you’re trying to reduce the cost of this meal. Side note, the olives are one of the biggest contributors to the flavor of this dish, so if you hate olives and aren’t going to use them at all, I personally wouldn’t make it because it’s not going to be nearly as delicious.

• Firm Tofu – it’s important to get the excess water out of the firm tofu. I like to use a mesh strainer or cheese cloth, but you can also just press the tofu in advance.
• Just Egg – I use the liquid Just Egg for this recipe. I also have a recipe for a liquid Just Egg dupe if you want to try that out; it’s pretty much identical!
• Nutritional Yeast – this is a shelf-stable ingredient used in a lot of vegan recipes. It adds a cheesy, savory flavor, and is also very high in protein. You can find it at most grocery stores, and because it’s shelf-stable, you can also buy it online.
• Basil – I used dried basil.
• Fresh Vegan Mozzarella – I used my Fresh Vegan Mozzarella for this because the flavor of it goes incredibly well with this meal. Feel free to sub out with your favorite vegan mozzarella if you don’t have the time or ingredients to make your own!

Instructions

• If you will be making my Fresh Vegan Mozzarella to use in this recipe, be sure to make it in advance. It takes a little bit to set up. If you will not be making this mozzarella, you can sub in your favorite store-bought cheese.
• Press the tofu.
• Pre-heat the oven to 350 F (177 C).

• Peel and dice the onion.
• In a medium-heat non-stick pan, saute the diced onions until they are translucent. This usually takes around 5 minutes. Be sure to stir regularly to avoid sticking or burning. (Nobody likes the taste of burnt onion).
• Add in the baby spinach and cook down until most of the excess water is gone. Make sure you’re stirring regularly to avoid burning. It should look like this when done.

• Thinly slice the Kalamata Olives (make sure there’s no pit) and mix in with the other sauteed vegetables and set aside for later.
• Peel the potato and slice it.It should be around 1/4″ thick. I use a mandolin for this step. If you will also be using a mandolin, be really careful because they can be dangerous.
• Either press the tofu, or use a cheese cloth or mesh strainer to squeeze the excess water out of it. I prefer to use a cheese cloth or metal strainer because I don’t have to remember in advance to press it.
• In a food processor, blend together the pressed firm tofu, liquid Just Egg, nutritional yeast, and basil. It should be well mixed and creamy!

• Spray a small amount of oil in the 8″ x 8″ baking dish.
• Cover the bottom and sides of the baking dish with potato slices. It should look like the picture below. Make sure the potatoes you’re standing up on the sides of the dish are stood up on their short end (wider across than they are tall). This keeps the top of the potatoes from burning.

• Layer the sauteed spinach, onions and olives on top, and spread out evenly.

• Add the tofu/Just Egg mixture on top of the veggies and spread out evenly.

• Slice the Roma tomatoes. You should have 4-5 slices per tomato (they’re fairly thick). You need to end up with 9 tomato slices.
• Layer the sliced tomatoes on top of the tofu mixture; should look like the picture shown below.

• Cook for 35 minutes without the mozzarella.
• Take out of the oven and add the mozzarella. You can also sprinkle on a little bit of basil too.
• Cook for an additional 10 minutes. I also like to broil it for a couple minutes at the end so that the mozzarella browns.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes or more. This helps the tofu mixture set up well. It should look and cut like this once it’s done!

Silly Little Haiku

Potatoes are good

So are tofu and olives

You should make this meal