Sweet potato quiche with carmelized onions and polenta crust

Sometimes I am struck with a sudden urge to make something that does not seem to have anything to do with what I’ve been thinking.  And yet, it often uses ingredients that I have in the cupboard at the time.  Today, it was a sweet potato quiche.  I had a can of pureed sweet potatoes, some shredded carrots, an onion, and a tube of pre-made polenta on hand that would make the job fairly quick and easy.

In the end it took me a few minutes of looking at a variety of quiche recipes to find the right mix of eggs and milk, and 20 minutes to prep the quiche itself.  The result: a quiche that looks like a pumpkin-pie, but with a savory taste.

If I had cooked the sweet potatoes myself, I would have wound up with a more-traditional looking quiche.  This is because I would put chunks of potato in the pan and pour the egg mixture over the top, rather than mix the puree in with the eggs.

I enjoyed the quiche, but my husband wasn’t thrilled with it.  Next time, I would add a bit more sage and salt and mix the onions into the egg mix.

Recipe for quick and easy sweet potato quiche with carmelized onions and polenta crust

• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground sage
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb sweet potatos, pureed or chopped
• ½ cup chopped carrots
• 1 18-oz tube of pre-made polenta
• 1/3 cup coconut milk (So Delicious brand)
• 1/3 cup rice milk
• 3 eggs
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• Pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425F degrees. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until soft and golden. Add the sugar, carrots and garlic.  Cook, stirring for 2 minutes or until onion caramelizes. Add the sage and stir to combine. Remove from heat.

While onions cook, lightly grease a pie or tart tin and prepare polenta.  Cut polenta into small chunks and place in a microwave-safe bowl, add 2 Tbsp of water and microwave for 1 ½ minutes.  With a fork, break polenta chunks down until crumbly.  Pour into tin and press into the base and up the sides of the tin with your hands to form ½ inch thick layer.

Whisk together the sweet potato, milk, eggs, salt and pepper.  Add the caramelized onions and stir.  Pour the vegetable-egg mixture into the tin.

Bake at 425F for 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350F and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until golden.  Quiche should be firm and golden.