Sundried Tomato Pesto Quiche: the new travel snack.

Okay, “snack” might be a little aggressive, but I guarantee that if I whip out this golden-crusted, green goddess of a quiche on my next flight and offer my neighbors a slice, they will be decidedly less miffed when I climb over them for no fewer than three bathroom breaks. They might even let me set the quiche on their tray table while I make my exit.

Admittedly, quiche will probably never replace trail mix or granola bars as the go-to B.Y.O. travel snack—the in-flight serving space is uncomfortably cramped, and the TSA would likely confiscate the serving knife. Regardless of its airport security status, quiche still is well-suited for portability, so when Ben’s aunt asked me what I’d like to bring for our family Easter celebration in Chicago (a two-hour drive from our home), I immediately turned to my good travel buddy, quiche.

Not only can quiche easily withstand the two-hour ride in our backseat, but also it’s one of the best dishes to prepare in advance, making it perfect for holiday entertaining. Well-wrapped, fully baked quiche can be frozen for up to two months, though I’m relieved that I won’t have to resist this beautiful sundried tomato pesto parmesan quiche for nearly that long.

Every August when basil is booming, I make and squirrel away dozens of containers of pesto to bring a little brightness to our table in the winter months. Earlier this week while reorganizing our mess of a freezer, in between a forgotten container of Slow Cooker Jalapeno Cheddar Cheese Soup and a frost-bitten veggie burger, I uncovered a treasure: one last container of sunny summer pesto. I knew immediately that I wanted it to be the star flavor of my Easter quiche.

The Best Pesto Quiche Recipe

Stirring pesto into the quiche filling adds instant vibrancy in both color and taste, so I chose the remaining quiche ingredients with the purpose of highlighting the pesto: sundried tomatoes, spinach, and Parmesan cheese.

I’ve also been playing around with different ways to make quiche healthier without losing its signature decadence (or offending the French), and today’s pesto quiche recipe is my favorite version to date. I traded the heavy cream for Greek yogurt, which keeps the filling thick and rich without adding fat, and I also replaced some of the whole eggs with egg whites for extra lightness.

Beneath that green machine pesto quiche filling: an ultra flaky crust. I used my foolproof Darn Good Whole Wheat Pie Crust (and if you think pie crust isn’t for you, please please read yesterday’s post!)

Make Ahead and Storage Tips

To Store . Cover quiche and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

. Cover quiche and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To Make Ahead and Freeze . Pastry dough may be frozen, unbaked, for up to 3 months. Fully baked quiche can be wrapped and frozen for up to 2 months.

. Pastry dough may be frozen, unbaked, for up to 3 months. Fully baked quiche can be wrapped and frozen for up to 2 months. To Reheat from Frozen. Remove from freezer and let stand for about 10 minutes to take some chill off of the pan. Reheat in a 350 degree F oven, tenting as necessary to prevent overbrowning, for 20 to 25 minutes or until heated through.

More Delicious Quiche Recipes

Perfectly portable, marvelous made-ahead, and green for spring, this pesto quiche will be a star at any gathering.

It also would make some airline passengers very very happy. Pesto quiche instead of peanuts? Now that is my idea of an upgrade!