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The thought of eating high-lactose foods like quiche, fettuccine Alfredo, or pudding can give you feelings of both yearning and dread if you have severe lactose intolerance. The good news? You can still enjoy these tasty dishes.

The trick is to swap in calcium-fortified lactose-free milk or nondairy milk for regular cow's milk, or use lactose-free options instead of cheese, cream cheese, and yogurt in recipes. Nondairy drinks, such as almond, rice, or soy milk, are also tasty options. Use olive oil or canola oil instead of butter if the lactose in butter gives you problems.

If you can eat some types of regular cheese or yogurt, feel free to add as much as you can tolerate to the recipes below. You can also take a lactase enzyme pill before you eat, to make any dairy you do include easier to digest.

Spinach Quiche


Olive Oil Wheat Crust

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup unbleached white flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons ice water (a teaspoon or two more, if needed)


1 1/4 cups plain lactose-free milk (or almond or soy milk)

2 large eggs (higher omega-3, if available)

1/2 cup egg substitute (substitute 2 large eggs, if desired)

1/2 medium-sized sweet onion, finely chopped

6 slices crisp, cooked turkey bacon, crumbled (optional)

1 cup shredded soy cheese of your choice (mozzarella or Jack flavors work well)

3/4 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and then gently squeezed of excess water

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (add more, if desired)


  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large mixing bowl, combine whole wheat flour, white flour, salt, and olive oil, and beat on low until crumbly. Drizzle ice water over the top, and beat on low just until dough forms.
  2. Squeeze dough into a ball and place in a deep pie plate coated with canola cooking spray. Use hands to spread dough evenly into bottom and sides of pie plate.
  3. In same mixing bowl used for the crust, combine lactose-free milk (or almond milk), eggs, and egg substitute; set aside.
  4. In medium bowl, combine chopped onion, turkey bacon (if desired), soy cheese, and chopped spinach, and then pour into the prepared crust. Sprinkle nutmeg and black pepper over the top. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the top of the spinach mixture and bake until center of quiche is set (about 55 minutes).

Yield: 6 servings

Per serving: 256 calories, 16 g protein, 23 g carbohydrate, 11 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 6 g monounsaturated fat, 3 g polyunsaturated fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 228 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 38%. Omega-3 fatty acids: 0.4 g, Omega-6 fatty acids: 2 g


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