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With a flavorful filling packed with ham and two cheeses on top of a flaky crust, this ham and cheese quiche will be a hit at any springtime brunch.
We love a make-ahead breakfast around here. My family loves them because who wouldn’t want to wake up to a delicious breakfast. And I love them because I don’t have to think before I’ve had my coffee.
Whether it’s our favorite make-ahead breakfast casserole, overnight cinnamon rolls, or overnight french toast casserole, I just really appreciate being able to prep breakfast the night before and pop it in the oven in the morning.
You might not think of quiche as a make-ahead breakfast, but it really is. Make it the night before and serve it chilled the next day. It’s just as delicious and you spent exactly zero effort on it that morning.
This ham and cheese quiche is begging to be added to your next brunch menu, or even made on a Sunday night for you to eat all week long.
What makes this ham and cheese quiche special
Quiche always makes me think of springtime brunches. Obviously quiche isn’t necessarily just a spring food, but for some reason it makes me think about Easter and Mother’s Day and bridal and baby showers.
I always think of beautifully set buffet tables, probably with a beautiful fruit salad and some vanilla bean scones. And probably a mimosa bar.
But thankfully, you don’t need a special occasion to make this ham and cheese quiche. Because it’s so good, you’ll want to make it all of the time.
Like the name suggests, this recipe is packed full of diced ham and plenty of cheese. I’ve also added some sautéed white onion and sliced green onions. If you love a ham and cheese omelette, you’ll love this.
But the thing that really takes this quiche over the top is the custard.
We’ve got the standard eggs and cream, but I’ve also added a bit of hot sauce and dijon mustard to the mix.
Think about how much we love a little bit of mustard paired with ham in ham and cheese sliders. They’re two ingredients that just go perfectly together.
And don’t stress about the hot sauce if you don’t like spicy food. It’s just enough to add that special something to this quiche without making it spicy. (But you can always feel free to leave it out or cut it down to just 1 or 2 dashes!)
So forget bland, boring quiches and make this ham and cheese quiche instead!
How to make ham and cheese quiche
Don’t be fooled by how fancy quiche seems. This ham and cheese quiche is so easy to make, you’ll be looking for excuses to make it once a month.
Ingredients you’ll need
This is a traditional-style quiche, so it starts with a 9-inch unbaked pie crust. You can use your favorite store-bought crust or a homemade pie crust.
For the fillings, you will need:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Small, diced white onion
- 8 ounces cooked, diced ham
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
We will saute the white onion before adding it to the quiche, which adds a bit of sweetness that contrasts with the brighter flavor of the green onions.
This recipe is a great way to use up leftover holiday ham, but you can easily purchase already-diced ham from the grocery store. You can usually find it near the bacon and sausages.
I like using a combination of cheddar and parmesan cheese in this quiche, but feel free to use other cheeses you love instead. Gouda, swiss, or gruyere would be delicious.
For the custard, you will need:
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3-4 dashes hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
I like to splurge and use heavy cream for the richest custard. If you don’t want to use heavy cream, I would recommend using half-and-half instead.
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Before you start working on the fillings and custard for your ham and cheese quiche, prep and blind bake the pie crust.
Place the pie crust in a 9-inch pie plate and crimp the edges as desired. Next, fork holes with a fork along the bottom and sides of the crust.
For extra insurance against your crust shrinking while it bakes, line the crust with a piece of parchment paper and add dry beans or pie weights.
Bake the crust at 425°F for 12 minutes. Take out the parchment paper with the beans or pie weights, if you used them.
Tip!
If you use dry beans for blind baking your crust, don’t toss them out! While you can’t cook and eat them, you can reuse them as pie weights as many times as you like.
Set the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet and let the crust cool while you make the fillings. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F.
In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook the white onion the butter until the onion is soft, translucent, and has reduced in volume by about half. This usually takes me 5-6 minutes.
Spoon the cooked onions into the bottom of the crust. Top evenly with the ham, both cheeses, and the green onions.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, hot sauce, mustard, salt and pepper. Slowly pour this into the crust. Give the pie plate a little wiggle to help the custard settle into the fillings.
Bake the quiche on the rimmed baking sheet for 45-55 minutes. Using the baking sheet will help catch any overflow as the quiche cooks. It’s done when the center is puffed and set.
Let the ham and cheese quiche cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Make-ahead tips
Quiche is a perfect make-ahead dish because it can be served warm, at room temperature, or chilled. And it’s equally delicious no matter how it’s served, in my opinion!
If you’re serving this ham and cheese quiche for a special brunch, feel free to make it the night before. Let it cool, then refrigerate until ready to serve. It will totally streamline your prep for guests the next day!
If you do want to bake it the same day you’re serving it, try prepping all of the fillings; store them in an airtight container in the fridge. Whisk together the custard and store that in a container in the fridge as well.
That way, you can fill and bake the quiche the day of without having to do as much prep work.
Recipe FAQs
I like using heavy cream for the richest quiche filling. If you don’t want to use heavy cream, I would recommend using half-and-half (a combination of heavy cream and whole milk).
Yes! You can use any good melting cheese that you like in place of the cheddar. Swiss, gruyere, gouda, fontina, or havarti are all great options.
You can also swap out the parmesan cheese. I recommend replacing it with something that is also a bit sharp/salty, like asiago, feta, or even goat cheese. If you take the parmesan cheese out entirely, you will want to increase the salt a bit to make up for it.
No, the hot sauce does not make this ham and cheese quiche spicy. It just adds a little extra zip to the custard.
If you still aren’t sure, feel free to leave it out or reduce it down to 1-2 dashes.
Blind baking the crust helps prevent a “soggy bottom” on your quiche. If you are blind baking the crust and you still are having trouble, try baking the quiche on the very bottom rack in your oven.
Since ovens are heated from the bottom, I find that baking pies and tarts on the lowest rack can help the bottoms of the crust get extra golden and insure against a soggy crust.
Ham and Cheese Quiche
Ingredients
- 1 9-inch unbaked pie crust
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Small white onion small diced
- 8 ounces cooked, diced ham
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3-4 dashes hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Place the pie crust in a 9-inch pie plate and crimp the edges. Use a fork to poke holes on the bottom and sides of the pie crust. You can also line the pie crust with parchment paper and add dry beans or pie weights to doubly insure against the crust shrinking.
- Bake the crust for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven. If using, use the parchment paper to remove the beans or pie weights. Set the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet and let the crust cool while you continue the recipe.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F.
- In a medium nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and has reduced in volume by half, 5-6 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and spoon the onions into the bottom of the par-baked crust. Top evenly with the diced ham, cheeses, and green onions.
- In a bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, cream, hot sauce, mustard, salt, and pepper. Slowly pour this mixture evenly over the fillings. Wiggle the pie plate to help the custard settle into the fillings.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes or until the center is puffed and set.
- Allow the quiche to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
