This is my dad’s recipe for a ham and spinach quiche, but you could use other ingredients for the filling (cooked bacon, broccoli, asparagus, red bell pepper, different cheeses)… use your imagination! It also doubles easily. If you need 2 great, if not just “par bake” the second one for about 30 minutes until filling is just barely set, cool completely, cover tightly and freeze for up to a month. I always make 2 because I love to have an extra to pull out and bake later.
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 60-70 minutes
Total: 1 hour 30 minutes
Serves: 3 to 4
Ingredients:
3/4 cup diced ham, 1/4″ dice
1/4 cup chopped onion, small dice (about 1/2 medium onion)
1/2 cup diced Roma tomato, seeds and juice removed (about 1 large or 2 small)
3/4 cup chopped mushroom (4 ounces)
6 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed completely and drained
1 cup swiss cheese, grated (about 3 ounces)
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated (about 3 ounces)
1 heaping tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
3 extra large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 deep dish pie shell (Pillsbury frozen is good, thawed)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees with rack in center position.
In a large bowl, place ham, onion, tomatoes and mushrooms. Next squeeze ALL the excess moisture out of the spinach (this is important because excess water will cause quiche not to set when baking). Add spinach and stir to combine.
In a separate bowl, add the swiss and cheddar cheese. Sprinkle with the flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper (if using). Toss to combine so that all the cheese is coated with the flour. This will help the quiche filling to thicken and puff when baked. Sprinkle a thin layer of cheese on the bottom of the pie shell. Then, add remaining cheese to ham mixture and stir to combine. Put mixture into pie shell.
In a medium size bowl, add eggs and beat. (Note: I pull out about of teaspoon of egg at this point and mix it with a tiny splash of water to brush on the pie dough before baking. This “egg wash” is not necessary, but it makes the crust a little prettier when it bakes.) Add milk to eggs, and beat until smooth. Pour egg/milk mixture evenly over the ham mixture.
If you’re using the egg wash, brush evenly over the edge of the pie shell using a pastry brush. I like to loosely cover edges of pie crust with strips of foil so it doesn’t get too brown (removing after 30 minutes… I’ve learned that it’s a lot quicker and easier to remove from a hot pie, than to put on a hot pie;)
Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil (in case it spills over), and place quiche in center. Bake in 375 degree oven for 60-70 minutes, until quiche is golden brown and puffy, removing foil from edge of pie crust after 30 minutes. Let quiche sit for about 5 minutes before cutting.
Quiche is great by itself, or serve with a simple salad.