This Easy Ham and Cheese Quiche is made up of a handful of simple ingredients and is an easy go-to dish for your next brunch, make-ahead lunch or dinner. This quiche is also a great way to use that leftover ham from those Sunday dinners. It can be made in either a store-bought or homemade pastry and freezes well.
Easy Ham and Cheese Quiche
Don’t be fooled by this simple sounding name because this Ham and Cheese Pie is big on flavor, thanks to a simple trick I accidentally discovered. This pie is made up of uncomplicated ingredients and will be a big hit to serve at your next weekend brunch or holiday breakfast. And, this pie can be made ahead of time, or even frozen for a future meal.
How to Make this Pie Taste Really Delicious
Back when I was baking and selling pies, I used to cater this lunch for 60+ people by myself every month. It required quite a bit of logistics; considering I only had one oven, one set of hands and of course minimal time to get fresh, hot, homemade pies out the door. Early prep is always a life saver! When I had this Ham and Cheese Pie on the menu, I would dice up the scallions, ham, and cheese and portion them out the night before in containers. In the morning, all I had to do was whisk together a few additives into my already portioned ingredients. Having did this, I learned that the scallion essence not only become quite soft, but it also infused into the ham and and cheese and gave this pie a considerable flavor boost. Cue the WOW factor!
So, if you are planning on making this for a brunch, I recommend prepping up the scallions, ham and cheese together the night before and placing in a sealed container in the refrigerator. As stated above, it will cut down on prep time and will truly make a difference with how the ingredients mix and mingle.
Ingredients
- Ham
- Shredded Sharp Cheddar
- Eggs
- Scallions
- Dijon Mustard
- Half and Half
- Salt and Pepper
Tips for Making Quiche
Recipes for quiche can vary wildly; some having a lot of heavy cream or milk and loads of cheese making them taste very rich; while others are heavier on the eggs making them a bit lighter. This recipe for Ham and Cheese Quiche is of the latter. While this pie definitely has cream–in the form of half-and-half and cheese–the primary ingredient is eggs! Instead of relying on the richness of a heavy dose of cream, this pie puts its trust on a good flavor combination and proper seasoning.
Additionally, I prefer to bake my quiches at a low oven temperature of 350ºF (compared to other pies that rise well above that mark). This makes the pie feel a bit more creamy because the eggs don’t puff up as quickly, and it gives the top a smooth finish. But, that does mean that the pie crust needs to be par-baked since pie crust won’t brown at that temperature. So make sure to par-bake the pie crust whether it is homemade or store-bought.
Options for Pie Crust
This pie works best with a buttery pie crust. This basic butter crust will work well here, or this cream cheese and butter pie crust for an enriched flavor. Additionally, you can bake this in a basic butter Gluten Free Pie Crust.
This quiche will work well in a store-bought crust as well. If you choose this option, make sure to par-bake it as you would a homemade pastry, but be careful not to burn the crust edges.
Want to make a crustless quiche?
Go for it! Bake this in a well greased pie pan for roughly 35-40 minutes without any pastry at all.
Storage and Freezing Information
Nothing beats a fresh quiche! When made properly, it’s creamy, and light and abundant with flavor. However, the good thing about quiche is that it also keeps really well; you can easily make this pie ahead of time by a day or two, and then reheat before serving. Really in a pinch for time? Eat it cold! Easy and still so delicious.
This Ham and Cheese Quiche also freezes well! Cool completely before wrapping tightly in plastic wrap twice, then storing in the freezer for up to 2 months. When you’re ready for an easy go-to meal, defrost completely in the refrigerator for 24 hours and then reheat at 350º until heated through.
If you like this savory pie, check out these others:
- Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion and Feta Pie
- Corn, Hot Pepper and Feta Pie
- Ricotta and Pepperoni Pie
- Beef Taco Pie with Masa Crust
MAKE SURE TO COMMENT BELOW AND TAG @EVERYDAYPIE ON INSTAGRAM IF YOU MADE THIS HAM AND CHEESE QUICHE OR IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS! HAPPY BAKING!
Print
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:
Cuisine:
Print
PinDescription
This Easy Ham and Cheese Quiche is made up of a handful of simple ingredients and is easy to put together for your next brunch, make-ahead lunch or dinner. You can use either deli ham or leftover ham for this, and it can be made in a homemade pie pastry or store-bought crust. The crust will need to be par-baked because the pie is cooked at a lower temperature to keep the filling creamy. If you want to boost the flavor of this pie, prepare the ham, cheese and scallions the night before and store in the refrigerator. The scallion flavor mellows and infuses the ham and cheese with a light onion flavor that really brightens the flavor of the pie (see the body of the post for more details on this).
Ingredients
For Pastry:
- 1–9″ single pie crust, prepared or store-bought
For Filling:
- 8 large eggs
- 2 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 cup (225 ml) half-and-half or whole milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 ounces (113g) ham, diced (about 1–1/2 cups)
- 1 cup (100g) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 scallions, sliced
Instructions
Prepare Pastry:
- Preheat oven to 425ºF.
- Roll out the pie dough to an 11″ circle and line a 9” pie plate, crimp the edges as desired. Prick the bottom of the dough all over with a fork. Place the pie in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Once chilled, line the pie dough with a parchment round piece of paper and then add pie weights (or dry rice or beans or lentils), making sure to push pie weights to the edges.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from oven and carefully remove the parchment and pie weights. Return to oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Set aside until ready to use.
Make and Bake Filling:
- Lower the heat to 375º.
- In a large bowl whisk together eggs, half-and-half, dijon and salt and pepper. Fold in the ham, cheese and scallions. Pour the filling into the parbaked crust and bake at 375ºF for 40-45 minutes, until the filling is nearly cooked all the way through. If necessary, cover the edge of the crust with foil to prevent from burning.
- Let cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
Keywords: Easy Ham and Cheese Quiche
Leave a Reply