Ham and Broccoli Quiche | foodiecrush.com

A combination of half-and-half and whisked eggs makes the best quiche with ham, broccoli, and cheddar cheese nestled in a perfectly baked crust.

The piece de resistance of a great quiche is a killer crust cradling a luxe and creamy egg custard. To get that creamy custardy texture, this quiche lover’s secret is the right ratio of eggs to dairy, with just enough ingredient fillings so the egg has space to set and become custardy. That’s why when it comes to the ingredient fillings—in this case, broccoli, ham, onion, and cheese—more isn’t necessarily better. How you layer the ingredients, and how much you add to this basic egg and dairy formula, is what will make your quiche the best quiche you’ll ever eat.

What’s In Ham and Broccoli Quiche

The French were on the right track when they invented the omelet and quiche. Both are fantastic all-in-one ways to serve eggs and both can be made by following a basic, master method then switching up the fillings to make them unique. In this recipe, I stuck to the basic script of my recipe for Quiche Lorraine with just a couple of ingredient substitutions.

Here’s what’s in this ham and broccoli quiche:

• Blind-baked all-butter pie crust, or a great quality store-bought crust
• Eggs
• Half-and-half or whole milk
• Kosher salt
• Ground white pepper
• Ham
• Broccoli
• Onion
• Cheddar cheese

How to Blind Bake (Prebake) the Quiche Crust

Blind baking is simply pre-baking a single layer pie crust before filling it to ensure it’s flakey and cooked instead of soggy or underdone.

For a quiche (or pie that you will cook further), place an oven bag filled with beans in an uncooked pie crust that’s been frozen for at least 30 minutes, then bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes until lightly browned. Remove the bag of beans and add the fillings and egg mixture, then bake.

Visit my no-fail all butter pie crust recipe for the recipe and all the cooking tips like how to par-bake the crust with a bag o’ beans.

PRO TIP: I save the bag of beans in a container with a lid to use over and over again.

How to Make Ham and Broccoli Quiche

Blind bake the crust at 350°F for 40 minutes. For best results, freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes before baking so it doesn’t slump or shrink when it hits the hot heat. Place an oven bag filled with beans in the frozen crust so it completely covers the sides to hold the crust firm.

Sauté the onion and ham while blanching the broccoli. Sure, you could add raw ingredients to the filling, but giving these ingredients a warm-up removes their raw flavor and creates a more developed, caramelized bite.

In the still-warm crust, layer the shredded cheese, cooked ham, onion, and blanched broccoli. Placing the cheese on the bottom creates a shield so the crust doesn’t become soggy.

Make It Eggcellent

This quiche calls for half-and-half and whole eggs to make a tender egg filling. Half-and-half creates a just-right custard with just enough butterfat to create that velvety bite. If preferred, whole milk works well too. I add a few dashes of white pepper for heat. A spoonful of Dijon mustard would be tasty too.

Whisk the egg and half-and-half then slowly pour over the layered ingredients, but do not stir or fold to mix. Also, don’t think adding more cheese to the top of the quiche makes it better. This is quiche, not lasagna.

How Long to Bake Quiche

Plan on allowing 40 minutes for pre-baking or blind-baking the crust, add fillings, then bake the quiche for an additional 30-35 minutes.

While watching the time is important, also take visual cues lie the browning of the egg filling and crust to know when it is done. The quiche will still be somewhat soft in the center, but not runny, when pulled from the oven and will continue to set as it cools. The quiche will puff as it bakes and will fall and settle once it cools.

Rest the quiche on a cooling rack before cutting and serving. This gives the egg time to set so it doesn’t fall apart when cut. Serve warm or at room temperature.

What to Serve with Quiche

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.

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Ham and Broccoli Quiche

A combination of half-and-half and whisked eggs makes the best quiche with ham, broccoli, and cheddar cheese nestled in a perfectly baked crust.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine French

Keyword quiche

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Pre-bake Crust 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Calories 308kcal

Ingredients

• 1 all-butter 9-inch single crust pie shell
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 1/2 cups diced ham
• 1/3 cup diced yellow onion
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups half-and-half , or whole milk
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Par-bake a frozen pie shell lined with a bag of beans (or line with tin foil and use beans or pie weights) for 40 minutes as directed in my all-butter pie crust recipe.

• Once the pie shell has pre-baked, remove it from the oven, set the beans or aluminum foil aside, and raise the oven temperature to 375°F.

• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, add the ham and onion and cook until the onion is softened. While the onions cook, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the broccoli and blanch for 1 minute then drain the broccoli, roughly chop it, and set aside.

• Scatter the cheese on the pre-baked pie shell then layer the ham and onion, and then the broccoli.

• Whisk the half-and-half with the eggs and white pepper in a bowl or a 4-cup measuring cup. Pour the custard over the layered ingredients, filling the pie shell to the brim but not overflowing. Depending on how deep your pie tin is, you may have extra custard you can discard.

• Bake the quiche for 30-35 minutes or until the top puffs and begins to brown and a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean while the center may still be somewhat jiggly.

• Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack where the egg will continue to set. Cut into slices and serve warm or at room temperature. If making ahead, bring to room temperature for 15-30 minutes before serving.

Notes

Serve quiche warm or at room temperature. 
To reheat quiche in the oven, tent the quiche with aluminum foil and place the quiche in a 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes. Test for temperature and warm longer if desired.
To reheat quiche in the microwave, set the power at 50% and microwave for 2 minutes, then in 30-second increments until you reach your desired temp.

Nutrition

Calories: 308kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 132mg | Sodium: 832mg | Potassium: 188mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 589IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 189mg | Iron: 1mg

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