Quiche: An Easy Dinner with Infinite Possibilities
For quite a while my husband claimed to not like quiche. Personally, I thought of it as a Sunday brunch dish that would take all sorts of time to make. But last week, we decided to give it a go for dinner using a pre-made pie crust and some leftover frozen asparagus. All of our preconceptions were dashed.
Turns out Quiche is easy, delicious, and a crowdpleaser that also provides leftovers for the next day’s lunch. It’s also infinitely variable and uses a fairly inexpensive protein option that can be obtained locally (eggs). What’s not to love?
I consulted a number of different recipes and chose my favorite combination, based mostly on what I had available in the fridge, and it turned out perfectly.
The pie crust we used was from Immaculate Baking Company, but you can use any high quality ready-made crust. The double bonus with the one we used is that a package comes with two separately-wrapped crusts but a quiche only uses one. I put the other back in the freezer and used it for quiche the following week!
This recipe uses asparagus and crumbled cheddar as it’s star ingredients, but when it comes to adding your “flavor” the possibilities are endess:
Ham and cheese for a classic combo;
Goat Cheese, herbs, and sundried tomatoes for an upscaled version;
Gruyere and caramelized onions for a savory delight…
Whatever your combination, I would argue that cheese is almost a necessity, but to each his own.
Recipe: Quiche with Asparagus and Cheddar Cheese
Ingredients
1 9-inch pie crust (if is frozen, move to the refrigerator that morning so it will be softened)
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves or 1 Tablespoon of roasted garlic
4 large eggs
3/4 cup milk (1 or 2% is great, or you can even use half-and-half for extra creaminess, skim not recommended)
4-6 stalks chopped asparagus
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 T chopped scallions (set 1 T aside for sprinkling over the top)
2 T chopped fresh parsley
Directions
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place your crust into a 9 inch pie plate.
Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized frying pan to medium heat; add the onions and saute for about 5-7 minutes until they are soft and starting to brown. Add the garlic and saute for one more minute. Add the chopped asparagus and cook, stirring occasionally, until the asparagus is slightly soft but still al dente (do not overcook or it will get mushy). Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
Whisk the eggs together with the milk or half-and-half. Stir in the onion/asparagus mixture, cheddar cheese, half of the scallions, and half of the parsley.
Pour the mixture into your crust and bake at 375 for 35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with remaining scallions and parsley
