This Bacon Quiche with Broccoli & Cheddar comes together quickly and easily, yet it feels like an elegant meal. It’s perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Ready for an easy dinner that will knock folks’ socks off? This easy Bacon Quiche with Broccoli & Cheddar fills the bill to a T. Not only is it simple to prepare and freezer-friendly, but also: Bacon.
Right? Bacon makes everything good. And adding to a quiche is always a good idea. I’ve done it before with this Bacon and Spinach Quiche but this time I’m swapping out the spinach and swiss for broccoli and cheddar.
Okay, bacon aside, it’s got everything going for it: a whole wheat pastry, eggs and milk, hearty cheddar, and broccoli. It’s like a one-dish dinner. You can add a salad on the side or start with a vegetable soup course, but you wouldn’t have to. The gang’s all here!
Yes, I really do make this with whole wheat pie crust. My family didn’t even notice. I use whole wheat pastry flour to make sure the texture isn’t too wheaty. Works like a charm.
This Bacon Quiche is perfect for a cozy fall supper, a laid back lunch with friends, or even a weekend brunch or breakfast. I love that I can make it ahead of time and freeze it!
How I make this good:
Whenever possible I like to cook with plain old ingredients. While the convenience of mixes and canned sauces is nice, I feel better about feeding my family just real food whenever possible. (Go here for some of my reasons on all that.)
For this particular dish, the only “processed” item is the bacon. Read labels and find the best quality bacon to fit your budget. All the other ingredients in this Bacon Quiche are just regular foods: broccoli, cheddar, eggs, flour, butter, half-and-half (aka cream and milk). In other words, if you were Ma Ingalls, you could grow, harvest, or make any of these ingredients yourself.
How I make this cheap:
Quiche is not something we would call a “cheap food”, at least not with bacon and cream and butter, items that at full price cost a pretty penny. There are some strategies, however, to make this Bacon Quiche recipe a verified good cheap eat.
- Do a price comparison. I know that Costco is the best place to buy ingredients like eggs and butter when there isn’t a great sale elsewhere. I keep track of prices so that I know who has the best deal where.
- Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. For instance, when I see a great price on eggs, I buy a lot. This often happens at Ralphs where I’ll find organic eggs marked down for less than $2. I recently found Applegate uncured bacon on manager’s special. I loaded up my freezer with all that was there.
- Use a lower priced alternative. Cream is generally more expensive than half and half. Using half and half instead reduces the price of the dish.
Tools I use to make this recipe easy:
This is a pretty straight-forward dish. You don’t need any fancy equipment. However, having some good basic kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs. Here are the tools that I like to use in this recipe.
- plastic cutting boards – I have blue boards for veggies and white boards for meat.
- Ergo Chef chef’s knife – I’ve had my set for several years and they work well.
- large skillet with lid – I have two of these since I love this model so much.
- Pyrex measure bowl – Great for measuring and mixing in one spot.
- whisk – Get one with a sealed barrel so you can’t throw it in the dishwasher.
- pie plate – I love this USA pan; the quiche practically jumps out of the pan onto your plate.
Bacon Quiche with Broccoli & Cheddar
Ingredients
- 1 batch single pie crust made with whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 head broccoli cut into florets and steamed (2 cups)
- 5 oz cheddar cheese (shredded) (1 1/4 cup)
- 1 tbsp unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 4 slices bacon cooked and chopped
- 4 egg
- 1 1/2 cup half-and-half
- salt
- black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place a pie or quiche pan on a small baking sheet to make it easier to handle and to catch the drips. Lay the prepared pie crust into the quiche pan and trim the edges.
- Layer the broccoli in the bottom of the prepared pan. Combine the cheese with the flour in a small dish and toss to coat. Sprinkle this over the broccoli. Sprinkle the bacon over the cheese.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and half and half. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour this mixture over the fillings in the pie shell. (This is the point at which you could freeze it, if making it in advance. Lay the pie plate on a rack in the freezer until firm. Wrap tightly with foil and place inside a labeled, ziptop freezer bag.)
- Bake the quiche for 30 minutes or until set and golden. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Jessica
What is the protocol for reheating a quiche that was baked the day before? I’d like to bring one to a friend, but can’t bring it warm. Covered in the oven? For how long?
Jessica Fisher
There will be a few variables with this, depending on how cold it is to begin with. I’d start by letting it come close to room temp, and then bake 15 minutes at 350, covered with foil.
Mary Mc
We made this for Thanksgiving morning. It was delicious and is a recipe to save!
Jessica Fisher
Great to hear!
Debbie Kennedy
This is now my husbands favorite breakfast!
Jessica Fisher
Yay! Love it when that happens!
Mary
I tried it with sausage and spinach, fantastic!!!
Jessica Fisher
Great! The possibilities are really endless.
Amy
Made this today! It was lovely! Switched the regular butter in the crust to unsalted, and added 1/2 tsp sugar as well to give it just a touch of sweet to balance the salty bacon. Super awesome! Didn’t pre-bake the crust and it turned out just perfect! Thanks for the tasty breakfast! THRee cheers!
Jessica Fisher
So glad you enjoyed it!
Sherry
I used a Trader Joe’s roll out crust, did not pre-bake the crust, and followed the recipe exactly, and it came out fantastic! HOWEVER, I did have to bake mine for 45 min. before it finally set, 30 min. didn’t do it. I wasn’t sure if it’d be heavy, too cheesy, or too eggy, but was light and delicious. I served it at a retirement brunch. And I’ll be adding it to my family Christmas brunch this year. Thank you for the great recipe!
Jessica Fisher
So glad you enjoyed it!
Pamela
What is the purpose of the flower in this recipe, Jessica? Thanks for the recipe. It looks delicious!
Jessica Fisher
The flour helps the cheese from melting together in a clump. You can omit it if you prefer.
Roberta
Oh yum! We love quiche around here (quiche and frittatas are good ways to use up eggs when our hens are really producing. :))
With the bacon and the cheddar, it might even convince my 12-year-old that broccoli isn’t so bad! We can hope at any rate.
Jessica Fisher
Bacon makes everything better. 🙂
Roberta
That’s what my son says, too. 🙂
Stephanie M.
Jessica, this looks delicious. We love quiche and I make two different kinds; one is a zucchini quiche and the other is a spinach and cheddar cheese quiche. So adding a new one to the mix is good for us. Except for the half and half, which I will buy tomorrow, I have everything I need to make it and I will be making it tomorrow night (Tuesday). Thanks for the anticipated wonderful recipe! 🙂
Jessica Fisher
Hope you like it!
VJones
If I were to make this with a pre made pie crust should I bake the crust first before adding the filling?
Jessica Fisher
I do not prebake my crusts. I have seen some recipes that do. My guess is it’s a personal preference.
Donna C.
I always “blind bake” my pie crust when making a quiche, but I like a really crispy crust. I also add some saute onion.