Quiche Lorraine
Quiche Lorraine – the queen of all savory tarts made with a combination of flaky pie crust and an egg custard filling with bacon, cheese and a hint of heat from Creole seasoning. An amazingly easy and delicious breakfast or brunch that comes ready in no time. Serve it hot or cold!
I’m a huge morning person! And now that morning here in LA are a bit colder than it used to, I’d usually start my day with anything hearty and warm off the oven to pair with my morning cup of coffee. There I would sit at my favorite spot just by the window as I watch the faint sunlight slowly creep into my kitchen.
But it gets better than that now that we’re ONE day away before the big Christmas Eve. (Yaaay!) I’ve just been playing Christmas songs in the background like crazy and I couldn’t be any livelier. It’s my favorite season, to be honest.
I’ve got everything covered for Christmas Day from breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner. And oh boy, I’m just totally convinced how this Quiche Lorraine should be on your Christmas breakfast or brunch menu.
What is Quiche Lorraine?
French people always make every food sooo indulging even the simplest one). Why is that??? Well, aside from the fact that they all sound so classy, they are pretty much less complicated to make.
This easy Quiche Lorraine is the most popular variant of quiche – a French savory tart made of pastry crust and egg custard filled with cheese, meat, vegetables or seafood.
It is actually named after the Lorraine region in north-eastern France. In case you haven’t tried this, it’s a kind of an open pie prepared primarily with eggs, cream and lardons/larding (strip or cube of pork fat). And in our case, we are replacing it with bacon bits. You just know that it’s a good dish when you see bacon, right? 😉
Quiche Lorraine Ingredients
For this homemade quiche, I use my homemade pie crust (which I will be sharing here SOON on the blog). But if you’re short in time you can always use a store-bought frozen pie crust. Ours here is buttery, flaky, and crispy yet soft enough to be cut through with your fork. So to complete this wonderful breakfast meal, here’s what you’ll be needing:
- Unbaked Pie Crust
- Unsalted Butter
- Bacon (see my recipe for Oven Baked Bacon HERE)
- Onion
- Garlic
- Eggs
- Egg Whites
- Heavy Cream
- Milk
- Green Onions
- Gouda Cheese (Shredded)
- Creole Seasoning
- Salt and Pepper
Blind Baking the Crust
One of the reasons why this quiche recipe is a favorite here at home is because of the consistency of its crust. It is blind-baked before the egg custard gets poured into it. And NO, I don’t mean you have to bake it blindfolded (😂).
Blind baking means that your pie crust is rolled out into your pan, then fill with pie weights or beans, and partially baked or until slightly brown. This ensures that the crust won’t get soggy with all the liquid from the filling and it gets cooked through as it is baked.
What Else Can You Add in a Quiche
Here’s what you can add or swap for this easy quiche recipe. After all, it’s quite a versatile dish, to begin with.
- Swap bacon with cubed ham. A great way to make use of leftover holiday Baked Ham.
- Cubed leftover Turkey.
- Broccoli Florets.
- Diced Tomatoes.
- Leftover cornbread dressing from the holidays.
- Red Bell Pepper.
- Corned Beef.
- Mushrooms.
- Spinach (see my Spinach Quiche HERE).
Can You Make a Quiche Ahead of Time?
Absolutely! What I also love about quiches is that they make the perfect make-ahead breakfast or brunch and even dinner, too! Once baked, let it cool and refrigerate for 3-4 days. To reheat, keep the quiche aluminum foil cover and bake for about 325 F for 18-20 minutes or until heated through.
How to Reheat Frozen Quiche?
Now if you opt to freeze, you can do so. Just wrap twice the baked quiche with aluminum foil and slide it in a freezer bag, seal, label and freeze for up to a month. When ready to serve, just remove it from the freezer, DO NOT THAW. Then remove the wrap and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for about 25 minutes, or until heated through.
What to Serve with Quiche?
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Twice-Baked Potatoes
- Cucumber Tomato Salad
- Tomato Bisque
- Homemade Garlic Bread
More Breakfast Recipes You’ll Love
- Baked Plantain Frittata
- Croque Monsieur
- Easy Crepes
- Sausage Egg Casserole
- Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole
How To Make Quiche Lorraine
Prep and Bake
- Prep the dough: Preheat oven to 350 °F. If using a prepared dough, let it thaw from the freezer for 30 minutes and roll out onto the tart pan. (Photo 1)
- Start baking: Bake for 5 minutes, or until edges are slightly brown. Remove and set aside. (Photo 2)
Bacon and Onion
- Heat a large skillet with butter over medium heat. Move the bacon on the skillet and saute for at least 6-7 minutes, or until the bits have decreased in size and are completely brown. (Photo 3)
- Remove the bacon. Using a slotted spoon, remove and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Discard bacon fat – leave about 1-2 tablespoons.
- Add onion and garlic to the pan. Saute for about 2-3 minutes, remove – set aside with the bacon. (Photo 4)
Make the Mixture and Bake
- Make the mixture – In a large mixing bowl, mix together, saute onions and garlic, bacon, eggs, egg whites, heavy cream, milk, green onion, gouda, creole seasoning, salt, and pepper together until combined. Pour mixture into the prepared tart pan. (Photos 1-4)
- Start Baking – Bake for 40 minutes or until quiche is thoroughly brown. It can be tested with a fork or toothpick to make sure it comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Quiche Lorraine
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust
- 1-2 tbsp (14g-28g) unsalted butter
- 8 oz (224g) bacon , chopped and cooked
- ½ cup (57.5g) diced onion
- 1 tsp (5g) minced garlic
- 3 large eggs
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 cup (240g) heavy cream
- ½ cup (120ml) milk
- ¼ cup (28.75g) green onions , sliced
- 1 cup (113g) Gouda cheese , shredded
- ½-1 tsp (2g-4g) salt-free Creole seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F.
- If using a prepared dough, let it thaw from the freezer for 30 minutes and roll out onto the tart pan. Bake for 5 minutes, or until edges are slightly brown. Remove and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet with butter over medium heat. Move the bacon on the skillet and saute for at least 6-7 minutes, or until the bits have decreased in size and are completely brown. Remove using a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Discard bacon fat - leave about 1-2 tablespoons.
- Add onion and garlic to the pan, saute for about 2-3 minutes, remove - set aside with the bacon.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together sauteed onions and garlic, bacon, eggs, egg whites, heavy cream, milk, green onion, gouda cheese, creole seasoning, salt, and pepper together until combined. Pour mixture into the prepared tart pan.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until quiche is thoroughly brown. It can be tested with a fork or toothpick to make sure it comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Tips & Notes:
- You may use unbaked homemade pie crust or store-bought.
- Nutrition is based on per 1/8 slice of the quiche.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information:
Looks like good comfort food. I will try it this weekend.
I love quiche, but I always want it thicker than it is! This looks delicious.
Forty years ago the Hyatt in downtown Houston had a quiche buffet, and they served a cheese sauce if you liked one to top your quiche. It was oooh so smooth, and delicious!
Do you have a cheese sauce recipe, or recommend one?
Btw, your recipes look fantastic! I will definitely be trying them.
Hi Cindy,
Was it a white sauce? If so it might have been hollandaise sauce . I haven’t shared one yet – it’s on my to post list . It’s basically egg yolks , lemon juice , salt and pepper . sometimes I add creole seasoning to it or a pinch of cayenne pepper. check out this one here https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/hollandaise-sauce-recipe-1910043. Thanks for reaching out
I’m a great fan of your recipes. I definitely want to try this. But what is the size of your pie dish?
A 9 inch deep or 10 inch deep pie pan would work.
This looks delicous! I definitely plan on making this Christmas morning. Could I use Chedder cheese instead of gouda cheese and sausage instead of bacon?
Yes to all. Adjust to suit your needs .