If you’re going to master one dish this season, let it be quiche. It’s an easy idea for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You can make it ahead, serve it to guests, or just enjoy as a (cheap) weeknight dinner on your own — it reheats easily, and one pie equals meals for days. If you’d like, you can even freeze slices in resealable plastic bags for up to one month. Yep, it's kind of perfect if you’re worried about time, money, and something to whip up once the holidays hit.
To make our three simple quiche recipes as straightforward as possible, we started with store-bought pie dough. We prefer frozen, unbaked crusts — the pie shells come already crimped in an aluminum pie plate — since they’re ready to throw in the oven straight out of the packaging.
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Photo: Courtesy of Erin Phraner.
Pimentos-Monterey Jack Quiche
Canned pimento (or pimiento) peppers are the key ingredient in Southern pimento cheese — which we obviously love! Here, we mixed ‘em with egg, Monterey Jack cheese, and scallions for a quick, piquant main dish. Can’t find pimentos? Try roasted red peppers instead or cherry peppers for a spicy twist.
Ingredients
Serves: 8
1 frozen pie shell or 1 roll refrigerator pie dough
4 large eggs
1¼ cups whole milk
1½ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
½ cup chopped pimentos
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1. Bake the pie shell as the label directs. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool slightly.
2. Whisk the eggs and milk in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in the Monterey Jack cheese, pimentos, scallions, one-half teaspoon salt, and one-fourth teaspoon pepper.
3. Pour filling into the prepared crust; transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit until the filling sets, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and cool slightly before serving.
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Photo: Courtesy of Erin Phraner.
Cheesy Bacon-Leek Quiche
This super-savory quiche is loaded with French-y flavors, like Gruyère cheese, bacon “lardons,” and sautéed leeks. Make sure you give the leeks a good scrub before using them in step three. The best way: Trim off dark-green parts, slice each leek in half lengthwise, then transfer to a large bowl of cold water (rinse off your cutting board; it’s probably sandy now). Swish leeks around to remove any grit or dirt, then lift out and pat dry before slicing.
Ingredients
Serves: 8
1 frozen pie shell or 1 roll refrigerator pie dough
4 strips bacon
4 small leeks, white and light-green parts only, thinly sliced
Kosher salt
4 large eggs
1¼ cups whole milk
1½ cups shredded Gruyère or Swiss cheese
Freshly ground pepper
1. Bake the pie shell as the label directs. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet on medium-high heat until crisp, about five minutes, flipping once. Transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate and let cool; reserve drippings in skillet. Cut or crumble bacon into pieces.
3. Add leeks and one-fourth teaspoon salt to the skillet and cook, stirring and scraping up any brown bits in the pan, until leeks are soft, about five minutes. Remove from the heat; let cool slightly.
4. Whisk the eggs and milk in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in the Gruyère cheese, leek mixture, bacon, and one-fourth teaspoon each salt and pepper.
5. Pour filling into the prepared crust; transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit until the filling sets, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and cool slightly before serving.
Photo: Courtesy of Erin Phraner.
Broccoli-Cheddar Quiche
Who doesn’t love a good broccoli-cheddar recipe anything, right? To keep things simple, we zapped broccoli florets in the microwave instead of steaming them on the stove top. In a pinch, you could also use frozen, cooked broccoli florets or one of those microwave-in-bag broccoli packages. Good-quality cheddar will go a long way in this recipe.
Ingredients
Serves: 8
1 frozen pie shell or 1 roll refrigerator pie dough
3 heads broccoli, cut into small florets
4 large eggs
1¼ cups whole milk
1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1. Bake the pie shell as the label directs. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool slightly.
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2. Meanwhile, put the broccoli and two tablespoons water in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with vented plastic wrap and microwave on high until bright green and tender, two to three minutes; drain, and let cool slightly.
3. Whisk the eggs and milk in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in the cheddar cheese, broccoli, one-half teaspoon salt, and one-fourth teaspoon pepper.
4. Pour filling into the prepared crust; transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit until the filling sets, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and cool slightly before serving.
Note: To save leftovers, tightly wrap pie plate with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to five days, or store individual slices in resealable plastic bags in the freezer for up to one month.
