Easy Cheese and Bacon Quiche

by donuts2crumpets | Apr 4, 2024 | Breakfast, Pies

Is there anything better for brunch or dinner, (or even breakfast in my opinion), than a good slice of quiche? I love pretty much any flavor quiche, but if I had to pick one favorite, it would be Cheese and Bacon Quiche with Caramelized Onion. The combination of these flavors is so, so good. The combination of cheese and bacon in a quiche is also sometimes called Quiche Lorraine, but there is so much drama around the origination and “authenticity” of Quiche Lorraine that I decided to just stick with Cheese and Bacon! 😉

The texture of quiche can be a bit tricky. I have tried quiche with different amounts of heavy cream, half and half, and milk, and found the best texture to come from equal parts cream and half and half. All cream was too thick and rich, half and half was just not quite rich enough for me, but the combination of cream and half and half was just *chef’s kiss!*

What do you serve with quiche? Honestly, it’s a whole meal in and of itself, but you can serve a nice side salad heavy on the greens with a citrusy dressing to cut through some of the fat, some fruit, or even a bowl of soup.

A few tips for this recipe:

You can absolutely use your favorite pie pastry recipe if you want to put in the extra effort. I love how quick and easy a refrigerated pie crust makes this recipe!
I love baking my bacon on parchment paper in the oven. It’s so easy and comes out perfectly every time! Check out this tutorial on how to oven bake bacon!
You can substitute different cheeses – I LOVE this with gruyere too, (and that is the cheese the French would generally use.)
If you don’t like caramelized onion, or chopped onion of any kind, you can substitute 1 Tbsp of onion powder, but the caramelized onions really make this special.

Ingredients:

1 pie crust
1 lb bacon, cooked and chopped into bite size pieces
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup kraft creamy melt mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup shredded white sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
4 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup half and half
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg

Instructions:

Let your refrigerated pie crust sit on the counter for 15 minutes to come to room temperature.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Add the butter and olive oil to a frying pan over medium high heat. Once the butter is melted, add your finely chopped onion and cook until golden brown and translucent, about 105 minutes. Set aside.
Gently unroll the pie crust, roll out with a rolling pin just a little to seal any cracks, and transfer to a 9″ round pie dish. Press the crust in to the pan on the bottom and sides then tuck any additional crust under the edges and crimp around the edge as desired.
In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until a lighter yellow color. Wisk in the heavy cream, half and half, Dijon mustard, dried parsley, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Set aside.
Spread the cooked chopped bacon evenly over the crust, sprinkle 1/2 cup of each of the cheeses over the bacon, pour egg mixture all over the bacon and cheese, then sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup of both cheeses over the top..
Place your quiche in the oven on the middle shelf, bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown. (Note, it will puff a bit in the oven, but then deflate again once you take it out and let it cool, so don’t stress.)
Remove from oven and let cool on a cooling rack for at least 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving. (Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator and served cold or reheated in a 325 degree oven for about ten minutes.)