James Martin Courgette Quiche is made with fresh sliced courgettes, sweet caramelized red onions, rich double cream, and crumbly Wensleydale or Cheddar cheese. This recipe creates a luxurious, deep-filled tart with a buttery, flaky pastry and a silky custard that highlights the delicate flavor of the vegetables. It is a perfect vegetarian main course for a summer lunch, a picnic, or a comforting light dinner served with a crisp salad.
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💛Why You Will Love This Courgette Quiche Recipe:
- The Ultra-Creamy Texture: unlike basic recipes that use whole eggs and milk, this recipe uses double cream and extra egg yolks. This creates a custard that is incredibly smooth, rich, and silky rather than rubbery.
- Sweet and Savory Balance: The secret step of slowly caramelizing the red onions adds a deep natural sweetness. This perfectly balances the salty tang of the cheese and the mild, fresh taste of the courgettes.
- Buttery, Flaky Crust: The homemade shortcrust pastry uses a high ratio of butter. This ensures the crust is crisp and crumbly, so it holds up well against the creamy filling without getting soggy.
- Versatile Dining: It tastes just as good at room temperature as it does warm. This makes it the ultimate “make-ahead” dish for stress-free hosting, picnics, or packed lunches.
- Vegetarian Luxury: It proves that a vegetarian meal can be hearty and indulgent. The combination of Wensleydale (or Cheddar) cheese and rich cream makes it satisfying enough for meat-eaters too.
🥒Courgette Quiche Ingredients
For the Shortcrust Pastry:
- 300g plain flour (plus extra for dusting)
- 150g butter, chilled and cubed
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 pinch salt
- Fresh thyme leaves (optional)
- Water, if needed to bind
For the Filling:
- 2 medium courgettes (zucchini), thinly sliced lengthways or into rounds
- 2 red onions, thinly sliced
- 15g butter (for frying onions)
- 175g Wensleydale or mature Cheddar cheese, crumbled or grated
- 300ml double cream
- 100ml full-fat milk
- 2 free-range eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
🥧How To Make James Martin Courgette Quiche?
- Caramelize the onions: Melt 15g of butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the sliced red onions and a pinch of salt. Cook gently for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are soft, sticky, and caramelized. Set them aside to cool.
- Make the pastry: Place the flour, cold butter, salt, and thyme (if using) into a bowl. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
- Bind the dough: Add the beaten egg and mix until the dough starts to clump together. If it feels dry, add a teaspoon of cold water. Bring it together into a ball with your hands, wrap in cling film, and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat and roll: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) or 320°F (160°C) Fan. Roll out the chilled pastry on a floured surface to fit a 27cm (10-inch) tart tin. Lift the pastry into the tin and press it gently into the corners.
- Blind bake (Recommended): Line the pastry with parchment paper and baking beans. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the paper and beans and bake for another 5 minutes to dry the base.
- Prepare the custard: In a jug, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, double cream, and milk. Season generously with salt and black pepper.
- Assemble the quiche: Spread the cooled caramelized onions over the base of the pastry. Arrange the sliced courgettes on top and scatter over the Wensleydale or Cheddar cheese.
- Bake: Pour the egg and cream mixture over the filling. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the filling is set and golden brown on top.
- Cool and trim: Remove from the oven and let the quiche stand for at least 5 minutes. Trim the excess pastry edges with a sharp knife before serving.
✨Recipe Tips
- Sauté the Courgettes: For a more intense flavor and to prevent a watery quiche, you can quickly pan-fry the courgette slices in a little oil before adding them to the tart. This removes excess moisture.
- Don’t Skip the Chill: Chilling the pastry dough is crucial. It relaxes the gluten so the pastry doesn’t shrink back when it hits the heat of the oven.
- Using the Right Cheese: James Martin often uses Wensleydale for this recipe because its crumbly texture and slight tartness cut through the rich cream. However, a strong mature Cheddar is a perfect substitute.
- The Wobble Test: The quiche is done when it has a slight wobble in the very center but is set around the edges. It will continue to firm up as it cools.
🍽️What To Serve With Courgette Quiche?
This rich quiche is best balanced with fresh, acidic, or crunchy sides. Serve it with a peppery rocket (arugula) and parmesan salad dressed with balsamic glaze. It also pairs beautifully with buttered new potatoes or a simple tomato and red onion salad. For a picnic spread, serve it alongside coleslaw and crusty bread.
🥡How To Store Leftovers Courgette Quiche?
- Refrigerate: Allow the quiche to cool completely, then cover it tightly with foil or place slices in an airtight container. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It is delicious served cold or reheated.
- Freeze: Wrap individual slices or the whole quiche in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of foil to prevent freezer burn. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly in the fridge before reheating in the oven at 350°F (180°C) for 15-20 minutes.
♨️How To Reheat Leftovers Courgette Quiche?
Important Tips
- Room Temperature First: If possible, take the quiche out of the fridge 30 minutes before reheating. This helps it reheat evenly.
- Avoid Overheating: Because this recipe uses double cream and eggs, overheating it can cause the filling to separate and become oily. Warm it gently until just hot.
Quick Reheating Tips:
- In The Oven (Best): Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Place the quiche on a baking tray and heat for 10-15 minutes until the pastry is crisp and the filling is warm.
- In The Air Fryer: Heat a slice at 160°C (320°F) for 3-5 minutes.
- Microwave: Not recommended as it will make the pastry soggy.
💭FAQs
Yes, to save time you can use a block of high-quality store-bought shortcrust pastry. Roll it out to the thickness of a pound coin before lining your tin.
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Check Price: £12.50 »This usually happens if the filling is too wet or the oven wasn’t hot enough. Blind baking the pastry case (baking it empty first) seals the crust and helps prevent a soggy bottom.
Absolutely. This recipe works very well with added cooked bacon lardons or cubed ham. Scatter them over the onions before adding the cheese and custard.
You can slice them into rounds (coins) or use a vegetable peeler to create long, thin ribbons. Ribbons look very elegant but cook faster; rounds provide a meatier texture.
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📊Courgette Quiche Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 slice (serves 8)
- Calories: 540 kcal
- Total Fat: 42g
- Saturated Fat: 24g
- Cholesterol: 185mg
- Sodium: 310mg
- Total Carbohydrate: 28g
- Dietary Fiber: 2g
- Sugars: 4g
- Protein: 12g
James Martin Courgette Quiche
Course: Dinner, Lunch, SidesCuisine: American, BritishDifficulty: Easy8 slices
servings30
minutes45
minutes540
kcal James Martin Courgette Quiche features a crisp buttery crust filled with tender sautéed courgettes and a rich Gruyère custard. It is perfect for an elegant lunch.
🕓Prep Time: 30min(+chill time)
Ingredients:
- For the Shortcrust Pastry:
300g plain flour (plus extra for dusting)
150g butter, chilled and cubed
1 egg, beaten
1 pinch salt
Fresh thyme leaves (optional)
Water, if needed to bind
- For the Filling:
2 medium courgettes (zucchini), thinly sliced lengthways or into rounds
2 red onions, thinly sliced
15g butter (for frying onions)
300ml double cream
175g Wensleydale or mature Cheddar cheese, crumbled or grated
100ml full-fat milk
2 free-range eggs
2 egg yolks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Caramelize the onions: Melt 15g of butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the sliced red onions and a pinch of salt. Cook gently for20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are soft, sticky, and caramelized. Set them aside to cool.
- Make the pastry: Place the flour, cold butter, salt, and thyme (if using) into a bowl. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
- Bind the dough: Add the beaten egg and mix until the dough starts to clump together. If it feels dry, add a teaspoon of cold water. Bring it together into a ball with your hands, wrap in cling film, and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat and roll: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) or 320°F (160°C) Fan. Roll out the chilled pastry on a floured surface to fit a 27cm (10-inch) tart tin. Lift the pastry into the tin and press it gently into the corners.
- Blind bake (Recommended): Line the pastry with parchment paper and baking beans. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the paper and beans and bake for another5 minutes to dry the base.
- Prepare the custard: In a jug, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, double cream, and milk. Season generously with salt and black pepper.
- Assemble the quiche: Spread the cooled caramelized onions over the base of the pastry. Arrange the sliced courgettes on top and scatter over the Wensleydale or Cheddar cheese.
- Bake: Pour the egg and cream mixture over the filling. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the filling is set and golden brown on top.
- Cool and trim: Remove from the oven and let the quiche stand for at least5 minutes. Trim the excess pastry edges with a sharp knife before serving.
Notes
- Sauté the Courgettes: For a more intense flavor and to prevent a watery quiche, you can quickly pan-fry the courgette slices in a little oil before adding them to the tart. This removes excess moisture.
Don’t Skip the Chill: Chilling the pastry dough is crucial. It relaxes the gluten so the pastry doesn’t shrink back when it hits the heat of the oven.
Using the Right Cheese: James Martin often uses Wensleydale for this recipe because its crumbly texture and slight tartness cut through the rich cream. However, a strong mature Cheddar is a perfect substitute.
The Wobble Test: The quiche is done when it has a slight wobble in the very center but is set around the edges. It will continue to firm
