Author Notes
I was inventing this on the fly, late one afternoon. I wanted to twist up the pepper, onions, and sausage combination in a new way. First, I was going to whip up some cauliflower hash browns and use them as a crust. But when I made the mixture, I included cheese and by the looks of it, I decided to just line the bottom of a large pan and pre-bake it for toppings. I had decided on the combination of bulk sausage and links. And I wanted to make a vegetable layer and a cheese layer (in some order, but I only decided at the last minute which way to go with that). When I mixed the ricotta, cheeses and eggs, I was well on the way to a quiche custard, so I first layered the pepper and onions onto the crust, then poured the cheese mixture, then distributed the meat.
I was deciding what to name this thing while I was eating it, and I found out that the Germans make something called a Zwiebelkuchen (onion cake), and that kuchen is the etymological origin of the work quiche. The Zwiebelkuchen is either made either flat or deep-dish, starting with a pastry crust that contains caraway seeds – proof positive that I did not know of these Zwiebelkuchen, because adding caraway seeds to the crust is a simply awesome idea. A ton of caramelized onions are added to the crust, which is then covered by an egg and sour cream mixture and topped with a meat.
I made a cauliflower crust based on some cauliflower hash brown recipes. I used pepper and onions for the vegetable layer and a ricotta/cheese/egg mixture for the custard. Then I topped it all with a mixture of the bulk sausage and sausage slices, with a sprinkle of cheese at the end.
A 2.5 x 3.5 inch slice, 1/16 of the 9x13 pan, clocks in at only 350 calories with 10g total carbs (4g of which are sugars that mostly come from the onions). —Brian Coppola
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Ingredients
- Crust
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5 cups
cauliflower (riced in a food processor)
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4 teaspoons
starch
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3 tablespoons
EVOO
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2 teaspoons
white pepper
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4 ounces
sharp white cheddar cheese
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2
large eggs, beaten
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2-3 teaspoons
caraway seeds (I wish I knew this the first time!)
- Filling
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1 pound
sweet Italian sausage, bulk
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4
links hot Italian sausages (ca. 1.2 lbs)
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2
red bell peppers, chopped
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2
medium sweet onions, chopped
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5
large eggs, beaten
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12 ounces
ricotta, drained
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6-7 ounces
shredded mozzarella
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6-7 ounces
shredded parmesan (divided in 2 portions)
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2 tablespoons
white pepper
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2 tablespoons
fennel seeds
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2 tablespoons
minced garlic
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2 tablespoons
oregano leaves
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3 tablespoons
tomato paste
Directions
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Crust: combine and mix the cauliflower and cheese
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add the starch, pepper, eggs, and EVOO, mix well
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spread evenly into an oiled 9x13 pan
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bake to light golden, 25 min, 375F, remove and reserve
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Filling: broil the sausage links at 400F for 15 min, turning 3 times, remove and reserve (slice just before assembly)
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brown the bulk sausage in a skillet on medium heat, add some fennel seeds and pepper, remove and reserve
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combine ricotta, mozzarella, eggs, pepper, half the parmesan, reserve
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half caramelize the onions in scant oil, then add the peppers, near the end, add garlic to heat, then combine with tomato paste, fennel, oregano, white pepper
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Assembly: add the pepper/onion mixture onto the crust, spread evenly
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pour the egg/cheese mixture onto the vegetable layer and even out
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distribute the browned ground meat on top, then distribute the sliced sausage pieces
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sprinkle with pepper and fennel seeds
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cook for 60 minutes at 375F, topping with the remaining parmesan for the last 10 minutes
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remove and let set for a few minutes, cut into 16 pieces; each slice is est. 350 cal with 10 g total carb including 4-5 g sugars
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