Want a low-carb breakfast option you can prepare in advance and eat over a handful of days? Look no further than quiche. You can bake it on Sunday, reheat a slice on Monday, and have a great meal without much hassle. I started doing this for my husband, who likes savory breakfast food, and it has been a hit.
Basic Formula
Eggs + Cheese + Filling (vegetables, meats, more cheese, etc.) + Oven = Quiche
9-inch pie pan with smooth sides, probably Pyrex/glass
Skillet (preferably nonstick)
Knife
Cutting Board
Wooden spoon
Large mixing bowl
Whisk
Cheese grater, unless using pre-shredded cheese
[Optional] Rubber spatula for transferring batter to pie pan
[Optional] Tongs for handling meat
Stove (1–2 available burners)
Oven
Basic Steps
These directions will help you create a meatless, crustless quiche. If you want your quiche to include bacon, ham, or sausage, see additional notes below.
1. Preheat the oven. Quiches don’t need a high temperature. I cook mine at 350ºF. If you try this temperature and aren’t satisfied, try 325ºF.
2. Locate a 9-inch pie pan and grease it. I use a glass pan with smooth (not fluted) sides and grease it with butter. (Note: you can also grease the pan right before you fill it, just don’t forget or your quiche will stick.)
3. Heat a skillet on medium heat, with a bit of butter or oil. You’re going to pre-cook your filling (vegetables) in this pan before adding it to the eggs. This step ensures that you will remove any excess moisture that could cause your quiche to become runny.
4. Prep vegetables. Use the time while your pan preheats to chop any peppers, onions, mushrooms, etc. By the time you finish, your pan should be hot enough.
5. Add vegetables to the pan with a pinch of salt. The salt will encourage the vegetables to release moisture. Stir occasionally so that nothing gets burnt.
6. Shred cheese and beat eggs. Most recipes call for 4–5 eggs mixed with 3 cups of cheese. You can use any cheese, but you probably want a stronger flavor such as cheddar, Swiss, Jarlsburg, Gruyère, etc. (Some recipes use one cup of cottage cheese and two cups of a different kind.) Once the cheese is shredded and the eggs are beaten, combine them with another pinch of salt. Grease your pie pan if you haven’t already.
7. Add vegetables to eggs, stir, then transfer to pie pan. Once the filling has released its water, the vegetables will look wilted. Turn off the stove and spoon the vegetables into the bowl with the eggs. Mix everything together, then pour it into the pie pan. Level it out and stick the pan in the oven, which should have finished preheating.
8. Cook until top of quiche is nicely browned. This process will probably take 30–40 minutes. You will know that the quiche is ready because the top will look toasted but not burnt. Remove from oven and let cool ten minutes before serving.
Additional Notes: If you want to add meat, you should still cook the meat before adding it to the eggs. This is how you ensure that your bacon will be crispy, your sausage will be browned and flavorful, and nothing will be raw. Pre-cook the meat in a separate pan from any vegetables and add the meat to its pan while the pan is still heating up. When it is cooked to your liking, you can take it out and set it on some paper towels to soak up extra grease.
