Sweet caramelized onions, sautéed ham, creamy eggs, and sharp cheddar cheese come together to make this delectable dish. As delicious as it is fancy, you’ll be craving this quiche for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
If you have never made a quiche before, then let me tell ya, today is your lucky day.
While it may sound daunting to make food with fancy French histories, a quiche is one of the easiest and most versatile recipes there is.
A good quiche recipe does require some science in mixing its elements, just to ensure that the texture comes out right. With the ideal ratio of eggs to cream, your quiche becomes a satiating vessel for all of the veggies, breakfast meats, and cheeses that your heart desires.
If you’re into one-pan/one-dish breakfast recipes, be sure to check out my Baked Pumpkin Pecan French Toast Skillet too!
Par-baking a pie crust for quiche
Every quiche should start with a good-quality pie crust.
An important step in making the perfect quiche is par-baking or “blind baking” your pie crust first. This means that you will pop your pastry shell into the oven for around 15 minutes at 375 degrees before adding your quiche filling.
Because a quiche is made with a very liquid egg and milk (or cream) based filling, par-baking the crust is necessary so that your quiche does not end up with a gummy, unbaked pastry bottom.
A par-baked crust will be durable enough to hold the filling, and will finish baking while the filling cooks.
How to Make the Best Quiche Filling
When I first started making homemade quiches, for some reason I expected to add way more eggs than I needed. Anyone else out there expect to put at least 8 or more eggs in a quiche? Bueller?
Okay, so as it turns out, you only need 4 or 5 eggs for the filling.
Whole milk, or a mixture of milk and heavy cream gets whisked together with the eggs.
Throw in fresh, sautéed, or roasted veggies and meats such as ham, turkey, sausage, etc.
Don’t forget to add flavor with salt, pepper, and whatever other spices you prefer. And then, debatably the most important part of the quiche filling: cheese.
If you want to keep things really French, opt for a smooth, melty variety such as gruyere. You can’t go wrong with a cheddar or swiss, either.
Layer all of these ingredients into the bottom of your par-baked crust, then pour the egg & milk mixture over top. Bake, cool, slice, then dig into the most unbelievable savory custard that melts in your mouth.
The best part? You can eat quiche for literally every meal. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, or in-between, there’s no wrong time of day to enjoy a slice of quiche.
Caramelized Onion, Ham, and Cheddar Quiche Recipe
For this specific quiche recipe, I wanted a combination of sweet and savory ingredients. Caramelized sweet onions, savory ham, and smooth cheese are the perfect compliments to the thick, custard-like taste and texture of the egg filling.
I sauteed the onions in a pan with a little olive oil over medium heat. When the onions started to become translucent, I lowered the heat to medium-low, and continued to cook the onions, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes.
Pro Tip: When making caramelized onions, always season with salt after you reduce the heat and continue cooking. The salt brings out the sweet juices in the onions, and the caramelization process begins. What results is a taste and texture that is almost candy-like.
About halfway through the 30 minutes of caramelizing time, I threw in some thick-cut diced ham to sautee with the onions. You’ll know the ham is done when a slightly-golden brown crust forms on the outside.
Next, I whisked together my eggs with milk, heavy cream, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.
Once the ham and onions had finished cooking, I layers them into the bottom of my par-baked pie crust, then sprinkled a generous amount of shredded sharp cheddar and swiss cheese.
Finally, I poured the egg mixture over the top of the ham, onions, and cheese, then baked in the oven until the quiche was finished and ready to eat.
What to Serve with Quiche
As I mentioned before, there is no right or wrong time of day to eat quiche.
I think that most people typically think of quiche as a breakfast food. And that’s awesome. But it doesn’t meant that you have to follow suit.
Whether you like your quiche served warm or room temperature, there are plenty of different ways to serve it.
If you’re going for the breakfast presentation, consider serving your quiche warmed along with sliced fruit and pastries.
Prefer a lunch or dinner option? Serve the quiche at room temperature with a side salad if you like.
Heck, if you’re anything like me, you’ll eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack time too.
Other Quiche Filling Ideas
When I make a quiche, my go-to filling almost always involves ham, cheddar, and onions. But there are tons of other ways to fill a quiche. Here are some delicious ideas that you might like to try:
- Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil
- Turkey and Swiss
- Tri-colored bell peppers, ham, and cheddar
- Broccoli and cheddar
- Spinach, bacon, and white cheddar
- Artichoke and gruyere (add spinach if desired)
- Roasted veggies (cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper, onion, mushroom, etc.)
Whatever you choose to throw into the crust, you’ll love making this creamy, custardy, crunchy-crusted egg concoction.
The world is your quiche, baby. Go out and dig in.
Caramelized Onion and Ham Quiche
Sweet caramelized onions, sautéed ham, creamy eggs, and two cheeses come together to make this delectable dish. As delicious as it is fancy, you’ll be craving this quiche for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
- 8 ounces fully cooked ham, cubed or chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- chopped chives or diced green onion for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the sliced onion and ham, and sauté until the ham starts to brown and the onions are softened.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue cooking for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions have become golden brown. Sprinkle with salt midway through, to bring out the sweet juices in the onions. When the ham & onions are done cooking, turn off the heat and set the pan aside.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
- Gently press a rolled, flattened single pie crust into the bottom and up the insides of an 8 or 9-inch pie plate. Crimp the edges of the crust or cut off any excess dough around the edge of the pie plate if desired. Use a fork to make prick marks all over the pie crust (this allows excess air to escape while baking).
- Par-bake the pie crust for 15 minutes, or until no longer raw, and the edges are just starting to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
- Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, milk, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until combined.
- Layer the cooked ham & onions and the cheddar cheese in the bottom of your par-baked pie crust, then pour the egg mixture over top.
- Place the unbaked quiche into the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until set.
- After baking, allow your quiche to cool for at least 5-10 minutes before topping with fresh chopped chives and serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 320Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 151mgSodium: 640mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 15g
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