SPINACH QUICHE

Ingredients

PIE SHELL

Pillsbury Ready to use Pie Crust

2 Tbls margarine
3/4 cup shredded Kraft medium Cheddar cheese

FILLING 
1 large Valdalia onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
8 oz Fresh spinach leaves, stemmed and coarsely chopped
3 large eggs
1 1/3 cups half-and-half 
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions         

             Lightly butter a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie pan.  Dust pan with flour lightly and center the pastry on it. Tuck the pastry into the pan without stretching it.  Fold back the overhanging pastry, pinching it into a ridge.  Preheat the oven to 400º F.  Line pastry with a large piece of aluminum foil, that overhangs each side a little, pressing it into the bottom.  Add enough dried beans or rice to fill the pan about halfway and bake the pastry on the center oven rack for 20 minutes.  Remove pie pan from the oven and lift out the foil along with bean/rice filler.  Prick the bottom of the pastry 5 to 7 times with a fork, then put the pie shell back in the oven. Reduce the heat to 375º F and bake the shell for 10 minutes more. Then remove it from the oven and immediately sprinkle a handful of grated cheddar and swiss cheese over the fork holes, letting it melt to seal them and keep the egg mixture from leaking out. Set the shell on a cooling rack while you prepare the filling.  

          Heat 2 Tbls. of vegetable oil in a large skillet and add the onion and sauté it over medium heat for about 8 minutes, until clear. Stir in the garlic and spinach. Cover and steam the vegetables for about 4 minutes, stirring once or twice, until tender.  Remove the pan from the heat.  Whisk the eggs in a large bowl, and then blend in the half-and-half, mustard, salt, and pepper. Spread the cooked vegetables evenly in the pie shell and sprinkle on about half of the cheese.  Now slowly pour the egg mixture over the filling and sprinkle on the remaining cheese. 

          Bake the quiche at 375º F for about 40 to 45 minutes, until slightly puffy and golden brown. When done place the pan on a wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes. Serve warm, or cold.