Name: Crustless Leftover Turkey, Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche (High Protein, Low Carb, Optavia Lean and Green)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6 serving(s)
Ingredients: 24 oz leftover cooked turkey, diced (about 4 cups); 6 large eggs; 1/2 cup egg whites; 4 cups broccoli florets, cut small; 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced fine; 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tsp Dijon mustard; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp black pepper; 1/4 tsp smoked paprika; Olive oil spray

Crustless Leftover Turkey, Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche

Crustless turkey, broccoli and cheddar quiche. A high protein Lean and Green breakfast casserole that uses up holiday leftovers, ready in 50 minutes.

Optavia Lean and Green Recipes Published November 13, 2026 1,090 words · 6 min read

Why this recipe works

The day after a holiday dinner, the fridge is full of turkey and nobody wants another plate of the same meal. This quiche is the answer to that problem, and it works because it treats leftovers as an ingredient instead of a repeat. The turkey goes into eggs with broccoli and cheddar, the whole thing bakes into a sliceable breakfast, and it tastes like a new dish rather than a reheated one. That is the trick with leftovers: change the format, and people stop noticing they have eaten the same protein twice.

Skipping the crust is what keeps this quiche on plan, and it is also what makes it easy. A pastry crust needs chilling, rolling and blind baking, and it adds refined flour to a meal that does not need it. Without it, the eggs set around the filling in a greased dish, the top goes golden, and the quiche slices cleanly once it has rested. The broccoli needs one small step first: a quick steam so it is tender before it goes into the eggs, because raw broccoli in a quiche stays hard while the eggs finish.

For the Optavia 5 and 1 plan, a slice is a complete breakfast as written: the turkey and eggs are the Lean, the broccoli and onion are the Green, with no starch and no fruit in the dish itself. Breakfast is the meal where the plan is hardest to hold, because most breakfast food is bread, cereal or pastry, so a savoury, high protein bake that comes out of the fridge ready to reheat is worth more than another egg recipe.

Short on time? The recipe card below has everything on one screen: tick off the ingredients as you gather them, scale the servings up or down, and tap each step as you finish it.

Why this one is Day 6

This is the first breakfast post of the calendar and the first post built for the day after Thanksgiving, when the site's readers have a fridge full of turkey and a real problem to solve. The calendar places it the week before the holiday so it is indexed and pinned before the leftovers exist. It also fills a gap the inventory showed clearly: the site has Lean and Green Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Breakfast Bake and Lean and Green Egg Muffins Three Ways, but no quiche and no leftover-turkey recipe at all, so this is new ground rather than a repeat of a post the site already owns. For the holiday dinner itself, see Lean and Green Roasted Turkey with Mashed Cauliflower and Steamed Green Beans.

Tips, swaps and storage

Dry the broccoli properly. Steamed broccoli holds water, and water is the enemy of a quiche that sets cleanly. Pat it dry in a tea towel and let it sit for a minute before it goes into the eggs.
Do not overbake it. A quiche that stays in the oven too long turns rubbery and weeps liquid as it cools. Pull it when the centre barely stops jiggling; it finishes setting in the 10 minutes it rests on the counter.
Swap the protein, keep the counts: leftover chicken or ham works in place of turkey with the same timing, but ham is saltier and fattier, so work the counts out again first. Roast beef is a different Lean too.
Make it a meal prep: this is a breakfast built for the fridge. Bake it on Sunday, slice it, and reheat a slice in the microwave for 60 seconds on weekday mornings. Store covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. It also freezes well in slices for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge.
If you only have frozen broccoli: thaw it fully first, then squeeze it dry in a tea towel. Frozen broccoli holds more water than fresh, and wet broccoli is the fastest way to a soggy quiche.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use chicken instead of leftover turkey?

Yes. Diced cooked chicken is a straight swap with the same timing, and the counts work out the same way if the chicken is plain breast meat. Rotisserie chicken works too, but remove the skin first and work the counts out again, because the skin adds fat.

Why did my quiche come out watery?

Almost always wet broccoli, or eggs that were not whisked enough. Dry the broccoli in a tea towel, drain any liquid from the turkey, and whisk the eggs until they are fully combined before the filling goes in. Letting the quiche rest 10 minutes before slicing also helps, because the eggs finish setting as they cool.

Can I make this without cheese?

Yes, but the flavour changes more than you would expect, because the cheddar carries most of the savoury flavour in the dish. Leave it out and add an extra half teaspoon of mustard and a pinch more salt. Work the Healthy Fat count out again first, because the cheese is the Healthy Fat in this recipe.

This recipe is educational information, not medical advice. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by Optavia LLC or Medifast, Inc.

Crustless Leftover Turkey, Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche

Why this recipe works