Zucchini is one of my favorite things about summer. I love it in a casserole, I love it stuffed, I love it in pasta, but mostly I love it in this pie that’s not quite a quiche and not quite a tart. It’s a savory goat cheese-studded pie that feels a little like quiche, but celebrates zucchini’s zucchininess much more than it does eggs or anything else. It’s perfect for brunch, perfect for a light dinner, perfect for any time!
The filling here is soft in texture but a flaky pie crust is just the thing to contrast that. This has the potential of getting soggy — after all, zucchini is a very water-heavy vegetable — so you want to make sure to squeeze out as much liquid from the zucchini as you can after you’ve grated it. You also want to blind bake your pie crust here so that it holds up to that moisture. Just fill your crust with pie weights or dried beans or rice and give it a head start in the oven for twenty minutes.
The filling goes in and cooks at a lower temperature. It’s just a quick mixture of that grated zucchini, eggs, heavy cream, goat cheese, and a few seasonings. It’s a simple mixture but it’s sure a delicious one, accented by a little bit of bright lemon zest. I love the combination of goat cheese and zucchini and this filling is no exception.
Zucchini Pie
Ingredients
- 1 9-inch pie crust
- 3 medium zucchini
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Roll out pie dough and line a 9-inch pie plate, trimming excess dough to 1/2-inch. Fold under excess dough and crimp or press with the tines of a fork.
- Prick bottom of dough all over with a fork, then line dough with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove pie weights and parchment paper and bake 5 minutes more. Set aside while you make the filling.
- Reduce oven to 375°F.
- Trim ends off zucchini, then shred zucchini with a grater or food processor. Place shredded zucchini in a clean kitchen towel, then gather up the edges and squeeze as much liquid from the zucchini as you can. Set aside.
- To a large bowl, add the eggs, heavy cream, lemon zest, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, salt, and pepper. Whisk to combine well. Gently fold in the zucchini and goat cheese.
- Pour filling into crust, then bake until filling is set, about 45 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!