Homemade Quiche
Perfect make-ahead meal!
Quiche is a perfect make-ahead meal that doesn’t take a lot of time to prepare and can be served for any meal of the day. Sometimes, I’ll make a quiche for the next day’s breakfast, and end up having a piece for dinner, as well. Since our baby was born in December, I’ve made over a dozen quiches, and I’ve used this recipe with both store-bought and homemade pie shells. I started making our quiche with the store-bought pie shells, as I had some in my freezer that needed to be used up, and then I worked my way up to making my own crust.
Below is my recipe for a Ham & Cheese. When I have broccoli in the fridge I’ll add about half a cup of broccoli florets to this recipe, too. Also, you can use leftover meat, like chicken or turkey in place of the ham, or add mushrooms or vegetables, like peppers or asparagus. If you’re adding items with a high water content (mushrooms), then you may want to cook (or partially cook) those items in a pan before adding it to your quiche pie. I recommend reading the tips below before beginning your recipe to hopefully save you some time and hassle.
If you’re working with store-bought pie shells, then this quiche recipe couldn’t be simpler to make. Below, I’ve also included my pie crust recipe (what can I say except you’re welcome), which makes enough pastry for two pie shells. And, if you try it, then you’re likely to never go back to store-bought pie shells ever again.
Ham & Cheese Quiche
{ 4-6 servings | 15 min prep | 60 min bake | 1 hr 15 min total }
QUICHE FILLING:
5 Large Eggs (may need 7-8 Large Eggs if baking dish is larger than 9")
1/2 cup Oat Milk
1 Tbsp Garlic Plus Seasoning Mix (sub: 1/2 Tbsp Garlic Powder)
1/2 Medium Yellow Onion, diced
1/2 cup Ham, diced
1/2 cup Orange Cheddar, shredded
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
1/4 cup Green Onion, chopped
ADDITIONAL:
1 Refrigerated Pie Shell (like this one from Tenderflake)
Parchment Paper
Pastry Weights (sub: Dry Beans or Rice)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Pre-heat oven to 375ºF
Gather and prepare ingredients.
Start with a refrigerated pie shell. Poke holes in the bottom and sides of the pastry using a fork.
Cut the parchment into a circle big enough to cover the pastry.
Add enough weights (I use dry rice) to fill the bottom and about halfway up the sides of the pie shell, and place in the oven for 15 minutes to blind bake the pastry.
In the meantime sauté the onions in a frying pan until cooked through.
In a medium bowl mix together eggs, milk, and garlic seasoning. Set aside.
Once the pastry is ready to come out of the oven, then remove the pastry weights and parchment paper.
Place the pie shell back in the oven for an additional 5 minutes (or until the pastry is no longer raw).
Add all ingredients (except egg mixture) to the pie shell: onion, ham, cheddar, parmigiano, and green onion.
Make sure that the ingredients are spread out evenly around the base of the pie shell.
Add in egg mixture. Do not overfill.
Bake for 40 minutes or until the centre of the pie is cooked through.
Let cool slightly before serving or let cool completely before storing in the refrigerator.
PASTRY RECIPE
{ 2 x 9.5” Pastry Shells | 40 min prep | 20 min bake | 1 hr total }
PASTRY:
2 2/3 cups All Purpose Flour
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Salt
1 cup Butter, chilled and cut into cubes
1/4 - 1/2 cup ice-cold water
INSTRUCTIONS:
If baking right away, then preheat oven to 375ºF.
Gather and prepare ingredients.
Sift flour, sugar, and salt into a medium mixing bowl.
Pour mixture into a food processor and add the butter. Pulse for 20 seconds.
Slowly add ice cold water to the mix a little bit at a time until the dough starts to form. Make sure not to add too much water or the dough will be tough.
Form dough into two disks, and wrap each disk in saran. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Roll out dough on a floured surface using a rolling pin so the pastry is slightly larger than the pie dish.
Press the pastry dough into the pie dish and cut away any additional pastry.
Blind bake the crust:
Poke holes in the bottom and sides of the pastry using a fork.
Cut the parchment into a circle big enough to cover the pastry.
Add enough weights to fill the bottom and about halfway up the sides of the pie shell.
Place in the oven for 15 minutes.
Remove parchment and pastry weights, and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
TIPS:
Gather and prepare (chop, shred, dice, measure) your ingredients before you start cooking. I highly recommend practicing mise en place in the kitchen!
You can use dry beans or rice in place of pastry weights. I use dry rice. When I’m done using the rice to weigh down my pastry I let it cool in a jar marked “baking rice,” and I use that same rice anytime I need it for baking.
If you’re using my pastry recipe for the pie crust, and you’re planning to freeze part of the dough, then I recommend rolling the dough out onto a pie dish before freezing (saves a step down the road). If you leave the dough in a disk, then you’ll need to thaw in the refrigerator before using.
I like my pastry dough 1/4” thick. Thicker pastry will take longer to bake, therefore bake time will need to be adjusted.
You may find that the egg mixture is a bit too much - depending on how many additional items you add. If you have too much egg mixture, and it pours over the sides of the shell, then that egg will bake to the outside of the pastry. Is that the end of the world? No. However, the egg that bakes to the bottom of the pastry gets a little rubbery and tasteless. Adjust accordingly.
If you find that the egg mixture is not quite enough to fill your pastry, then I suggest leaving it a little less rather than adding too much and adjust for next time.