Home > Breakfast > Quiche Lorraine Quiche Lorraine April 16, 2019 | 11 Comments SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Jump to Recipe This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. This simple Quiche Lorraine is packed with flavor! It’s made with onion, bacon, and cheese and with a frozen pie crust to save you time (and energy!) Quiche makes a great addition to your breakfast/brunch spread or can even stand in as an easy lunch or dinner meal. This quiche is versatile; it’s quick to make (20 minutes or less of prep time), can be prepped ahead of time, and can be eaten warm or at room temperature. For the ultimate brunch, pair Quiche Lorraine with other breakfast favorites such as these Homemade Pancakes, French Toast, or this Blueberry Coffee Cake. The restaurant where I worked throughout high school and college hosted the most epic Easter and Mother’s Day brunches. As employees, they were one of our favorite days. While they were extremely long days, we’d always get to fill up to-go boxes with leftovers from brunch. And there seemed to always be enough leftovers that we’d have breakfast and desserts for days. Among some of the favorites from the brunch were an amazing Bread Pudding, perfect deviled eggs, and legendary Asparagus Salads. One of the dishes we were “known for” were the quiches. Quiche Lorraine, to be exact, was raved about by all the guests. This quiche is the perfect addition to a brunch menu because it doesn’t require much time or effort to whip together and get on the table. In fact, you can have it prepped out in about 20 minutes or less. It also happens to be the perfect quiche for people that don’t love eggs because it doesn’t taste overly “eggy.” But, first things, first: Why is it called Quiche Lorraine? Quiche Lorraine is named after the Lorraine region of France. A traditional Quiche Lorraine is similar to other quiches — it’s a savory custard pie made with only bacon, eggs, and cream. Since we’ve added some onion, garlic, cheese, and a few seasonings, this recipe isn’t a truly authentic French quiche, but I think it’s even better! Quiche is one of those foods that carry a mystique. Many people feel it’s a complicated dish to fix, and whenever they see it on a menu (or at a home), they’re immediately wowed. Truth be told, quiche is actually super-simple to make–but let’s keep that our little secret, okay? Quiche Lorraine Ingredients Pre-made crust: While you certainly can make your own crust (I’d recommend this recipe), I’m keeping things simple and using a store-bought deep-dish pie crust. You can find them pre-made and fitted into a pie pan in the frozen section of your grocery store. Bacon: We prefer center-cut bacon for this recipe. Onion and garlic: Yellow onion and minced garlic cooked in bacon fat and butter– because it’s the right thing to do. Two types of cheeses: Swiss and Parmesan! Here’s where you can get a bit creative and change up the cheeses: Gruyere or Cheddar are also delicious. Eggs: Of course! They’re quintessential quiche ingredients. Heavy cream: Cream is vital to the thick and creamy custard feel of this quiche. Seasonings: Keeping it simple here with just the essentials: salt, pepper, and just a little bit of nutmeg! Nutmeg is the “secret” flavor enhancer to this quiche. How to make Quiche Lorraine Blind bake the crust. Don’t skip this step (more on it below). While the crust is baking, you have plenty of time to prepare the filling. Cook the bacon, onion, and garlic. Chop the bacon before cooking and cook up a few extra slices of bacon for a garnish on top. Layer the bacon, onion, and garlic right on top of the crust; the cheese goes on over that. The important thing here is to make sure you’ve freshly grated the cheese. Pre-grated cheese has a cellulose coating to keep it from sticking together and will affect the flavor or your quiche. Whisk together eggs, cream, and seasonings. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with a fork and then add in the cream and seasonings. Once this is all combined, it’s ready to pour over top of everything. Bake and garnish. Bake the quiche in a preheated oven for 35-45 minutes. Check for doneness at 35 minutes by gently jiggling the quiche. It should still have a little wiggle– which fully sets as the quiche cools. Pre-baking the crust for the quiche If you’ve ever had a quiche with a soggy crust, it’s probably because it wasn’t blind baked first. Blind baking is the process of pre-baking a pie crust (or pastry crust) first without the filling. It’s necessary to blind bake the crust when it’s going to be filled with an unbaked filling. A baked crust has a firmer texture that won’t soak up the liquid filling. We blind bake to make sure the crust gets baked all the way through AND to prevent the bottom of the crust from getting soggy. If you make a homemade crust, you’ll need to use pie weights, but when using a frozen pre-made pie crust, it’s fine to bake without the weights. Quiche Lorraine FAQs What is the difference between a quiche and a frittata? A quiche is an unsweetened custard pie with savory fillings, eggs, milk or cream cheese, and vegetables and/or meat. Quiches usually have crusts, but they don’t have to (in fact you can make this recipe without the crust if desired). A frittata is like a crust-less quiche or an unfolded omelet that has eggs, meats, cheeses, and/or vegetables. They generally have no crust and little to no milk or cream. Frittatas are first cooked on the stove and then finished in the oven (or under the broiler). Are quiches healthy? It greatly depends on the recipe and how you define healthy. I would not consider this Quiche Lorraine to be a healthy recipe, but in moderation, it’s a delicious addition to a meal. To keep quiche on the healthier side, you can nix the crust, make a homemade crust, or use lower-fat dairy products. Here are some more ideas for making quiche healthier. Can I make quiche ahead of time? Yes, I do this often! TO PREPARE quiche ahead of time: Prepare the bacon and onion mixture and store it in a container in the fridge. Pre-grate the cheeses and store those in a separate container. Lastly, whisk up the egg and cream mixture and again store in an airtight separate container. When ready to serve, simply assemble everything in the par-baked crust and bake. BAKING ahead of time: You can bake the quiche ahead of time and then chill it to reheat the next day. (TIP: slice it while it’s chilled to get easier/cleaner slices.) Transfer baked quiche to a wire rack to cool completely. Cover and store in the fridge until ready to eat. To reheat, cover quiche with foil and bake in a 325-degree F oven for about 10-15 minutes. While you can bake and store quiche ahead of time, we always prefer it made fresh so I would recommend preparing the components ahead of time and then assembling and baking right before enjoying. Storing leftovers Fridge: You can store a baked and wrapped quiche for up to three days. Freezer: You can store a pre-baked quiche (properly wrapped in an airtight container or bag) for 1 to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Freezing does make the quiche lose texture and become a bit watery. More easy egg recipes Ham and Cheese Quiche Spinach and Feta Egg Wraps Country Breakfast Egg Skillet Sausage and Veggie Hash Deviled Egg Recipe FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content. Quiche Lorraine 5 from 9 votes - Review this recipe This simple Quiche Lorraine is packed with flavor! It's made with onion, bacon, and cheese and with a frozen pie crust to save you time (and energy!) Quiche makes a great addition to your breakfast/brunch spread or can even stand in as an easy lunch or dinner meal. SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Quiche Lorraine 5 from 9 votes - Review this recipe SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe This simple Quiche Lorraine is packed with flavor! It's made with onion, bacon, and cheese and with a frozen pie crust to save you time (and energy!) Quiche makes a great addition to your breakfast/brunch spread or can even stand in as an easy lunch or dinner meal. Course Breakfast Cuisine American, French Keyword quiche lorraine Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 35 minutes Total Time 50 minutes Servings 8 servings Calories 281kcal Author Chelsea Ingredients▢ 1 (9-inch) frozen ready-to-bake pie crust (MUST be deep dish)▢ 9 slices center-cut bacon▢ 1 tablespoon butter▢ 1/2 cup medium yellow onion diced▢ 1 teaspoon minced garlic▢ 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated▢ 1 cup Swiss cheese freshly grated▢ 4 large eggs▢ 1 and 1/3 cup heavy cream▢ 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg▢ Fine sea salt and freshly cracked pepper▢ Optional garnish: chopped chivesUS - Metric USMetric InstructionsPreheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place unwrapped frozen pie crust on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool slightly. (Keep crust on the baking sheet.) Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.Meanwhile, cut bacon strips into small pieces and add to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until bacon is browned and then remove to a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon to reserve as a garnish for the top.Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat. Add 1 tablespoon butter and the diced onion; cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and stir for another 30 seconds to a minute. Add the cooked mixture to the plate of cooked bacon to drain and cool.Place the bacon and onion/garlic mixture right on top of the baked crust. Sprinkle Parmesan and Swiss cheese evenly on top.In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until lightly beaten. Then whisk in the cream, nutmeg, and salt and pepper (to taste; I add 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper). Whisk until smooth.Pour cream/egg mixture into the crust (still on the baking sheet) and bake on the middle or lower oven rack (not the top one) for 35 to 45 minutes, or until quiche is set and very slightly jiggly in the center. (It will finish firming up outside of the oven.) Avoid overbaking the quiche -- if there is a slight jiggle, it's done.Serve warm with reserved bacon and fresh chopped chives. Nutrition FactsCalories: 281kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 160mg | Sodium: 280mg | Potassium: 130mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 838IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 186mg | Iron: 1mg We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.
Made this recipe for my family Christmas. Everyone loved it. I used Gruyère and Parmesan cheese that I shredded along with plant based heavy cream. It was so creamy and delicious. This one is now added to our family favorites. I even added the nutmeg. I am not a nutmeg fan but it wasn’t overpowering. Thank you for this recipe. Reply
