So, did your flight get cancelled over Christmas?? We had tickets to Montana to spend the holidays with Eric’s family. It’s a two-day drive and we have four kids, so if you do the math, it comes out to about 5,000 snack requests, 1,200 emergency bathroom stops, and at least 400 are-we-there-yets. I’m actively trying not to murder my children most days, so that’s why we bought plane tickets. BUT THEN. On the morning of the flight, when we literally were packing into the car to leave for the airport, we get notified that the flight has been delayed so much that we would miss our connecting flight. Whaaat no!! The next flight would have us leaving our house at 2am, and since we are not insane, we just decided to jump in the car and start driving. And we made it… eventually! Whew. Two days there, two days back, and all my children survived, so I’m calling it a win. It got down to -25 degrees up there in the frozen north. I went out of the house approximately 3 times. Montana, man. Not for the faint of heart. What to put in it? Basically anything you want! Quiche is just a set of ingredients of your choosing, mixed with more cream than eggs, and cooked in a pie crust. Pretty simple! I wanted to create a MASTER quiche recipe, that you can literally add any ingredients to, and that’s what today’s recipe is. Go wild!! And that’s a wrap!! Happy 2022 everyone, I hope you see a dreamy creamy quiche in your near future!! You need 1 and 1/2 to 2 cups total filling (veggies + proteins), in addition to about 1 and 1/2 cups cheese.
Ham and cheese Leeks and tomatoes, like this Cherry Tomato and Leek Quiche Asparagus and onion, like this Asparagus Goat Cheese Quiche Mushroom and Swiss Cheese Crab or lobster Literally any cooked vegetable you can think of
Make sure you tuck those edges under and mold the crust like play-dough to make sure they don’t end up all crackly when you bake. Use your fingers to smooth it out before you start crimping. See my Flaky Pie Crust tutorial for a bazillion more photos. My non-blind baked crust turned out crispy and golden just as it should. You need to do a few things:
Freeze your pie crust for 30-60 minutes to help it keep its shape and not slump down when you bake the quiche Use a generous amount of filling to help keep the pie crust up (see notes for a scaled-down version of this recipe) Bake on the bottom of the oven to help get the bottom of the crust nice and toasty Use a pie shield so you don’t burn the edges of your crust.
Once your pie crust is in the freezer chilling out, it’s time to make the filling! We’re starting out with God’s greatest gift to the breakfast kingdom, bacon. And why chop when you can snip? Does anyone else use scissors for this or am I just a freak? Set your bacon aside onto some paper towels, and drain off most of the bacon grease. Leave a little in the pan so that we can saute our spinach in it. You’re going to need about 2 cups of packed fresh spinach, make sure you punch it down in there! You need 2 cups because it’s going to cook down a ton when you wilt it. Spinach is mostly water, and we need to cook some of it off before adding it to our quiche. Say yes to flavor and vitamins, say no to watery quiche. Once the spinach is wilted, set it aside and get to work on your cheese. For today’s quiche, I used shredded Gruyere, Cheddar, and Swiss. You can use literally any combination of cheese that you like. Sky is the limit here. Mozzarella, Colby, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Gouda, Goat cheese, Fontina…pretty much anything that melts well is going to be a winner for your quiche. Why am I making you separate 2 of the eggs? It’s because I love you. Adding extra egg yolks and leaving out those whites makes the quiche extra creamy and custard like. See? If custard isn’t love, I don’t know what is. The amount of eggs and dairy called for in this recipe is for a DEEP pie dish. I like having a thick and tall quiche. See notes for a scaled down recipe if you don’t have a deep pie pan (2 inches deep). You can see from the photos that I shot two different quiches. In the deep crust version, the egg filling goes right to the top of the edge of the pie crust, and that’s what most of the pictures show. Scroll down to the last quiche photo before the recipe, and you can see the scaled down version of this quiche, that has more crust exposed. Okay now it’s time to assemble! First up, a layer of cheese, I did Swiss first. Then pile on all your bacon. Top with a layer of cheddar and then all the spinach. Make sure you drain out any liquid that might have settled from the spinach. Say no to spinach juice. Once you’ve added all your desired fillings, top it off with your last bit of cheese (in this case Gruyere), and then the fun part, dump the cream and egg filling over the top. See how thick and creamy it is? YUM. And there she is all ready for the oven! About 15 minutes into the bake time, you’re going to want to cover the edges of the crust with foil. You can see in that first photo that the crust is lightly browned (and bubbling away, from all the butter). We still have a good 40 minutes to bake, and we don’t want our crust to burn. I’ve tried the fancy pie crust covers that you can buy, but I always go back to foil. It’s light enough that it won’t crush or push down on your crust, and it’s cheap and easy to make. Plus it makes your pie look like it’s going to outer space. I mean right??
Use a homemade pie crust Use a blend of cheeses, not just one kind Use the proper ratio of eggs to cream (or milk. But really you should use cream, because you’re worth it. The ratio of your quiche should be about 1/2 cup of dairy for every large egg.) Dry out your fillings (cook your veggies first) Bake on the bottom rack to help brown the crust Don’t over bake!!! We want dreamy, creamy quiche! Not dried out eggs!
Because of this, I like to serve it with lighter sides. A simple green salad with your favorite dressing is perfect. Try this Raspberry Avocado Salad or this Green Salad with Feta and Beets. If you’re looking for a different kind of salad, Cilantro Lime Cucumber Salad or even Strawberry Cucumber Salad with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette would be amazing! Pineapple Spinach Salad is a personal favorite that would be great as well. Doesn’t this just make you want to have Easter breakfast right this second? Yum. An assorted fruit tray or fruit salad would also make a nice, light side. For something a touch more fancy, you can never go wrong with Ambrosia Salad or Creamy Pear Jello! If you’re looking for something more hearty, you could make some quick and easy Tomato Soup, or try out some easy Roasted Red Potatoes. Check out all my Side Dishes for more veggie ideas!
Can you freeze quiche?
Absolutely! Wait until the quiche is completely cooled, then wrap well in a few layers of plastic wrap and then foil. Even better if you can fit the entire dish into a 2 gallon freezer bag, I love those things. One thing to keep in mind with freezing quiche is the add-ins you used. The more vegetables you have, the more moisture content in your quiche, and it is possible that when you reheat the quiche it may get a bit watery. If you know ahead of time you plan to freeze, I suggest you avoid lots of vegetables and stick to the more basic cream, egg, and bacon quiche. You can reheat quiche in the microwave, but be careful not to overcook the eggs and make them rubbery. We want to keep that smooth, creamy texture. The safest bet is to start with one minute at 50% power, then keep adding 30-60 seconds at 50% power until it is warmed through to the temperature you like it. Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram
