Ham, Broccoli, and Cheddar Quiche

I love quiche. It’s definitely on my comfort food list. I have to admit it’s not super simple to make, but a little bit of advance planning makes it come together with much less stress. If you mix up the crust ahead of time, you could even call it easy as pie.

My idea of the perfect, basic quiche is a ham, broccoli, and cheddar quiche. The flavors go so well together, and let’s be honest—how else could you convince someone to eat broccoli for breakfast?

It’s perfect for a big brunch spread, but you could easily serve it as a light dinner as well. You could also make it ahead and serve it cold as a picnic entree.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to throw together this mouth-watering brunch treat.

• Unbaked pie crust (single crust). You can use an all-butter crust, a part-shortening-part-butter crust, or a coconut oil crust. I find you get the flakiest results with the shortening crust, but I don’t like to use it if I can help it, for the health factor.
• Eggs. It wouldn’t be quiche without eggs. I use eggs from our backyard flock, but any eggs will work.
• Whole milk. Adds to the richness of the quiche. You could substitute skim or part-skim milk, but you’ll lose out on flavor.
• Heavy cream. Again, adds to the richness of the quiche. I skim the layer of cream from my raw milk instead of buying cream.
• Kosher salt or sea salt. I like to use salt with coarser grains. Alternatively, I sometimes like to use pink salt for the extra minerals.
• Freshly ground black pepper. Freshly ground pepper gives the best flavor.
• Shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese. Cheddar is such a perfect pair with broccoli and ham. You could use a milder cheese, such as mozzarella or Gouda, if you don’t like the sharpness of cheddar. Or try Swiss cheese for an even sharper taste profile.
• Pre-steamed or roasted broccoli. It’s best to pre-cook the broccoli to soften it up before putting it in the quiche. Steaming it will give it a more neutral flavor. I like to roast it for that crispy, smoky roasted flavor. Since you already have the oven on to blind-bake the crust, it’s easy enough to pop the broccoli on a tray in the oven for ten minutes.
• Diced ham. Cut the ham into half-inch (1 cm) cubes to get the best distribution of pieces throughout the quiche.

How to Make the Quiche

Step 1 – Mix up the pie crust. Make the dough well ahead of time. Chill it for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator before rolling out and blind baking.

Step 2 – Roll out the pie crust. Take one disk of chilled pie dough and roll it out on a well-floured surface. Turn the dough after every few rolls to prevent sticking and for more even thickness. Keep rolling until you have a 12-inch circle. Carefully place it in a 9-inch pie dish. Tuck the crust down in the corners of the pie dish, ensuring there are no holes or weak spots. Don’t trim off the extra on the edge; instead, fold any extra dough under itself against the rim of the pie dish. Use your fingers or a fork to crimp the edges into a tidy design. Cover the rolled-out pie crust with plastic wrap and return to the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 more minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Step 3 – Blind bake pie crust. Line the unbaked pie crust with parchment paper. Fill with ceramic pie weights or dry beans, and evenly distribute them to all the edges. Bake for 15-16 minutes, until the edges of the crust are just beginning to brown. Take the pie out of the oven and carefully remove the pie weights and the parchment paper. Use a fork to prick holes all around the bottom of the pie crust. Return to the oven for another 6-8 minutes until the bottom of the crust is beginning to brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before filling (it can still be slightly warm).

Step 4 – Roast broccoli. While you have the pie crust blind baking in the oven (at 375°F), this is a good time to roast your broccoli. Spread cut broccoli pieces on a parchment-lined tray. Drizzle with about 1 Tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast for 10 minutes, until the edges begin to look slightly crispy.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

Step 5 – Prepare your filling. Use a handheld or stand mixer with the whisk attachment to mix eggs, milk, cream, salt, and pepper until well combined (about 1 minute). Arrange the 1 cup shredded cheddar, roasted broccoli pieces, and 1 cup cubed ham in the pre-baked pie crust, then pour the egg mixture over, being careful not to overfill.

(Note: You may notice the egg white not fully mixed in in the picture. This was because 4 eggs didn’t quite fill up the crust, so I needed to quickly whisk up 1 more egg to add in. Still tasted great!)

Step 6 – Bake. Set the pie dish on a tray (to catch any drips or spills) and bake until the center is just set, about 45-55 minutes. If the crust is browning too much before the center is set, use a pie crust shield or aluminum foil to prevent the edges from over-browning. Remove from oven and allow to cool and set for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Serve leftovers cold or reheat in the microwave.