Crustless Quiche

At a glance

What stands out: This hearty crustless quiche has plenty of flavor with ham, broccoli, and cheddar cheese. You don’t have to hassle with a crust (and it’s gluten-free!). The quiche is straightforward to customize with different fillings.

How long it takes: 15 minutes to prep, 45 minutes to bake
Equipment you’ll need: deep dish pie dish, mixing bowl
Servings: 6

Easiest Brunch!

We love brunch. There’s something so relaxed about it, enjoying good food and having conversation with people you love. Honestly, what could be better? This crustless quiche recipe is reliable for brunch because it’s so straightforward to mix! We also love this recipe for meal prep.

While the quiche cooks, pop open a bottle of prosecco to make mimosas and throw together a speedy fruit salad with fruit you have on hand. And don’t forget to put a pot of coffee on!

What makes ours special:

• Straightforward to mix. This quiche is easier than traditional quiche recipes because there’s no crust to hassle with. You can have a crustless quiche in the oven in no time at all. (If you’re looking for an even faster option, try our asparagus frittata!)
• Works well with dietary restrictions. A crustless quiche is reliable for families with different dietary requirements because it’s gluten-free, and low in carbs, calories and fat. You can easily make it vegetarian by using your choice of fillings.
• Rich! This crustless quiche certainly isn’t lacking in flavor! You may find that you like it better than traditional quiches with crust.

What goes in

• Broccoli: Lightly steam broccoli florets. Don’t overcook the broccoli because it will be cooked more when the quiche is baked. You can use fresh broccoli or frozen broccoli for convenience (we like the steam-in-the-bag broccoli!).
• Ham: Buy diced ham or Canadian bacon, or use leftover ham. Pancetta is a good choice but it should be sautéed before adding it.
• Cheddar cheese: We find that shredding your own cheese pays off in two ways: it melts better and it’s a little less expensive. Pre-shredded cheese has an anti-clumping agent added which prevents it from melting as smoothly. However, we have used pre-shredded cheese to make this quiche and it turns out fine.
• Eggs: Traditional quiches are usually made with 4 eggs but this quiche boasts 8 eggs! Eggs are a good source of protein, vitamins, and nutrients. Healthline claims that they are the “healthiest food on the planet.”
• Whole Milk: For a standby results, we like to use whole milk rather than 2% or nonfat milk which tend to make quiche watery. Quiche is traditionally made with heavy cream and you can certainly substitute that or use half & half if you happen to have it in the refrigerator.
• Seasoning: Along with salt and pepper, season the quiche with a bit of Dijon mustard and a pinch of nutmeg. These are optional, however, and if you’re a purist, feel free to omit them.

Deep Dish Pie Dish

A deep dish pie dish has higher sides than an ordinary pie pan. For this quiche, you’ll need a pie dish that is 2 to 2½ inches deep and 9 inches in diameter.

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How it comes together

Prep the pie dish. Because this quiche does not have a crust, you’ll need to spray the pie dish generously with nonstick spray. Cooked eggs have a tendency to stick to the pan, so don’t forget this step!

Add fillings to pie dish. Arrange the broccoli in the bottom of the dish. Add an even layer of diced ham, then sprinkle the shredded cheese over the ham and broccoli.

Whisk together custard. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and milk. The mixture should be completely blended together with no discernible whites or yolks. Add the seasoning you’re using (salt, pepper, nutmeg, and mustard) and whisk again.

Combine. Pour the egg mixture over the fillings you’ve arranged in the baking dish.

Bake the quiche. If you want, place the filled pie dish on a rimmed baking sheet to contain spills that may occur while you are transferring the dish to the oven. If you’re feeling steady, you can skip the extra pan!

Cool. The quiche will take about 45 minutes to bake. Once you remove it from the oven, allow it to cool for ten minutes before slicing it into six to eight slices.

How To Tell When a Quiche is Done

It’s important to know when a quiche is fully baked. If it’s underbaked, the eggs will still be runny and you won’t be able to slice the quiche. If it’s overbaked, the eggs may separate and your quiche will be watery.

Here’s how you can tell: Take a look at the quiche. The center should be set, not jiggly. Test it by poking a knife into the center. The knife blade should come out clean, not covered with egg.

Tips for Success

Preheat your oven. It won’t take you long to put together this quiche and it’s important that the oven is fully heated before you put the quiche in.

Spray the deep dish pie dish generously with nonstick cooking spray because eggs tend to stick.

Avoid a watery quiche. Sometimes, a quiche can ooze watery liquid after it’s baked. There can be a few reasons why this happens. Often, it’s because the ratio of eggs to milk is off (not enough eggs). Another culprit can be the fillings. It’s always best to cook vegetables before adding them to the quiche. Vegetables contain a lot of water naturally and when they are cooked, some of the liquid is released. Over-baking the quiche can also cause eggs to separate and turn watery.

What To Serve With Crustless Quiche

If you’re looking for something a little lighter, serve the quiche with a crisp green salad, like this arugula salad with lemon basil vinaigrette. A citrus fruit salad goes well, too.

Remember, a quiche isn’t just for breakfast or brunch! It makes a lovely lunch or light dinner, too. Small slices of quiche make popular appetizers, too.

Ways to change it

There are so many ways you can change up this crustless quiche. Take a look in your refrigerator and be creative. Here are a few suggestions:

• Mediterranean: Spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, caramelized onions, mozzarella and feta cheese.
• Spring vegetable: Asparagus, snipped chives, and Gruyère cheese.
• Meat lovers: Bacon, sausage, ham, and shredded cheddar.
• Vegetable lovers: Asparagus, mushroom, red bell pepper, red onion, and goat cheese. This one is wonderful with a spoonful of pesto or balsamic reduction drizzled on top.

Pro Tip

Limit your add-in ingredients. Your add-ins should not exceed about 1½ cups, plus another 1½ cups of cheese. You can use less but if you add more than that, the quiche likely won’t be able to hold everything together.

Make Ahead Ideas

Make a double recipe. Make two quiches: one for today, and one for a future meal. Baked quiche can be refrigerated or frozen, and reheats quite well.

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate: Leftover quiche will keep in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to 3 days.

Freeze: Crustless quiche will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months, wrapped securely. We like to slice the quiche first, wrap each slice individually, first in plastic wrap, then foil. You don’t need to thaw the quiche before reheating it for a speedy breakfast or lunch.

Reheat: Reheat individual slices in the microwave at 50% power at 30-second intervals until heated. Quiche reheats rather quickly so try not to overheat it. Frozen slices will take a bit longer, about 2 to 3 minutes. Larger amounts can be reheated in the oven at 350ºF until heated.

Free Meal Plans

Interested in weekly meal plans that include this recipe? Take a look at our Meal Plan #35, Meal Plan #63, or Meal Plan #75. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let us do the planning for you this week!

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• Yield: 8
• Prep: 15 minutes
• Cook: 45 minutes
• Total: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped lightly steamed broccoli
• 1 cup diced fully cooked ham
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 8 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF and spray a deep dish pie dish generously with nonstick cooking spray. The dish should be at least 9 inches in diameter, and 2 to 2½ inches deep.
2. Roughly chop broccoli; arrange in bottom of prepared dish. Sprinkle with diced ham, then shredded cheese.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and milk until completely combined. Whisk in mustard, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. (If desired, you may omit Dijon mustard and/or nutmeg, but we like the flavor they add.)
4. Pour the egg mixture into the pie dish over the broccoli, ham, and cheddar.
5. Carefully place the pie dish in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes or until set in the middle (no longer jiggly) and golden brown around the edges. A knife inserted near the center should come out clean without uncooked egg clinging to it.
6. Cool quiche for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

Variations: You can use a variety of mix-ins, but try to keep it to roughly 1½ cups, plus 1 to 1½ cups of cheese. Most vegetables should be cooked before adding to the quiche to ensure tenderness but also to reduce water content in the quiche. Meat should be fully cooked before adding to the quiche.

Flavor options : Mediterranean: spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, caramelized onions, mozzarella and feta cheese

Spring vegetable: asparagus, chives, Gruyère cheese

Meat lovers: bacon, sausage, ham, cheddar

Vegetable lovers: asparagus, mushroom, red bell pepper, red onion, goat cheese.

Storage, freezing, reheating: Refrigerate leftover quiche in a covered container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. We slice the quiche first, and wrap each slice individually, first in plastic wrap, then foil. To reheat, microwave individual slices at 50% power at 30-second intervals until heated. Quiche reheats rather quickly so try not to overheat it. Frozen slices will take longer, about 2 to 3 minutes. Larger amounts can be reheated in the oven at 350ºF until heated.