Turkey Bacon and Spinach Quiche with Sweet Potato Crust

Usually made with gobs of cheese, heavy cream, and eggs, quiche is normally a calorie-dense dish. Instead, this quiche slashes calories and fat with egg whites, fat-free cheese, turkey bacon and skim milk—not to mention a crust made of grated sweet potatoes that is so tasty, you’ll never miss traditional pastry dough.

Yield: 5 servings (2 slices each)

• 1 medium sweet potato, washed
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• 6 slices turkey bacon, thinly sliced
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen, chopped spinach, thawed
• ¾ teaspoon dried dill
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 4 large egg whites
• ¼ cup skim milk
• 1 ½ tablespoons fat-free feta cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Place a box grater into a medium bowl. Grate the sweet potato until there are 2 cups grated sweet potato. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. Gently press the sweet potato into the bottom of the pie plate and up the sides; the sweet potatoes will be loose but will hold together once cooked. Place in the oven and bake until sweet potato crust is cooked, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and decrease oven temperate to 350°F.

3. Meanwhile, in a medium pan, warm oil over medium-high heat. Finely dice the onion and add to the pan. Cook until almost translucent, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add turkey bacon, continuing to stir and cook until onions and bacon begin to brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in spinach, dill, salt, and pepper; cook until water from the spinach is released, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Use a spatula to transfer mixture from pan into the sweet potato pie shell.

4. In a bowl, add eggs, egg whites, and milk. Using a fork, whisk to combine. Pour eggs over vegetable mixture in the pie shell. Dot the feta cheese over the top of quiche.

5. Cook quiche in oven until eggs in the center are set, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool just a few minutes before slicing. Serve.