Ham and Cheese Quiche

My girls love quiche and enjoyed it for dinner on Friday just as much as they enjoy Friday night pizza. Like pizza, I love the flexibility and ease that quiche gives you to deliver an almost complete meal in one dish, depending on the ingredients you add. Pair it with fruit for a delicious breakfast or brunch. Nestle it beside a mixed greens salad for a simply delicious lunch or dinner. You could even take out the ham and add in a number of other ingredients of your choice. The key is to maintain the custard ingredients so that this delicious pie turns out great no matter how you decide to remix it.

You can choose how much prep time you want to put into this as the crust itself can be made from scratch or store-bought. I usually have a stash of butter in the freezer and flour and the pantry, so with an hour of chill time on my hand I can make a delicious homemade crust almost as quickly as jumping in my car and buying one from the store. I’ve included the recipe I used for the crust in case you want to make it yourself.

I hope you enjoy this dish! Give it a try and let me know what you think ☺️.

Ham and Cheese Quiche

Servings: 6-8 large slices

Crust Ingredients (makes 2 pie crusts – you’ll only use one for this recipe):

1 cup (2 sticks) frozen unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp sugar
1 teaspoon salt
8 tbsp ice water

Crust Recipe:

In a food processor (I used my Ninja), pulse together butter, flour, salt and sugar. Pulse until mixture resembles sand and only pea-size crumbles remain.
Begin to incorporate the ice water, a couple of tablespoons at a time, pulsing after each addition. Continue to add the water until the dough and water are well incorporated and the dough starts to pull away from the side of the food processor.
Remove the dough from the food processor and place onto a lightly floured surface. Separate dough into two round discs. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using.

Quiche Ingredients:

6 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp kosher salt
Sprinkle of white or ground black pepper (I used white but use whatever you have on hand)
Dash of garlic powder (optional, but adds some additional flavor!)
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 cup gruyère cheese, grated
1 cup sharp white cheddar cheese (yellow is ok too!), grated
1/2 pound sliced deli ham, diced
Prepared pie crust + egg wash (for egg wash: 1 egg + 1 tbsp water, whisked together until well combined)

Quiche Assembly and Baking Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
On a floured surface, prepare the pie crust by rolling out one disc of dough to about 12 inches in diameter (about 3 inches larger then a 9-inch round glass baking dish).
Place dough into a 9-inch round glass baking dish. Create a crimped edge on the crust by folding over the dough hanging off the edge of the dish and pinching it onto the dish in a circular motion. Using a pastry brush, brush the crimped edge with the egg wash and poke the bottom of the crust with a fork a few times. Set aside.
Whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, salt, pepper, garlic powder and nutmeg until well combined.
Stir the ham and cheese into the egg mixture.
Pour the custard mix into the prepared pie crust.
Bake the quiche for 45 minutes until the center remains relatively stable (not super jiggly) when the dish is nudged a bit. Bake for an additional 5 minutes or so if it seems too runny after 45 minutes.
Remove the quiche from the oven and let set for 5-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy! *Note: the leftovers (if there are any) are great reheated in the microwave the next day.