Broccoli Cheese Quiche

I love quiche! I'm very lucky that I come from a family where everyone else loves quiche too. Apparently, when I was a little kid, my mom and grandma went to the library and researched how to make a really good quiche! About a year ago, I hosted a brunch where I made quiche as the main course. Luckily, my mom shared her recipe with me and taught me her best tips and tricks. Now, I'm going to share it with you!

Ingredients:
Pie Crust
Broccoli
1 small Onion (optional)
1 cup cheddar cheese
3 extra large eggs (or 5 large eggs)
Half and Half
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
pinch of nutmeg


Every time I make quiche, I use a pre-made pie crust. To me, it's just not worth the extra time and energy (and mess! ack!) it would take to make my own. I buy the kind that are already pressed into the foil pan and in the freezer section at the grocery store, though you certainly could make your own!

The recipe calls for "enough broccoli to cover the bottom." I just cut the broccoli into small pieces and tossed them in until I was satisfied. There's plenty of room in this crust because I bought the "deep dish" kind. It was probably a little on the big side, but that was an insurance policy against winding up with egg mixture all over the place. (Another important insurance policy is the cookie sheet, which was under the pie pan while I was preparing and cooking the quiche.) I covered the broccoli with the 1 cup of shredded cheese.

I decided not to include onion this time. I couldn't buy just one small onion at the grocery store and I really didn't want a whole bag. Also, to me, the only part of this entire recipe that's difficult at all is the chopping of the onion. I buy fresh broccoli that's already cut up, so I just have to make it a little smaller. With pre-made pie crusts and shredded cheese, this whole thing comes together in a snap!

Next, I mixed up the eggs. The only piece of equipment you really need to make this quiche is a 2 cup measuring pitcher. You crack and beat the eggs right in the pitcher to make sure you get the right amount of liquid. I started with 3 eggs because that's what my mom's recipe calls for. I added the spices and whipped them up!

Oh wow - even though this photo makes it hard to see, you can probably tell that the total liquid isn't 1.5 cups, and that's what it has to be! So, the idea is that you add a combo of eggs and half and half to get it to that level. The rule is that you can add 2-3 tablespoons or a little more in cream. If you need more than that, you need another egg!

 To get to this level, I ultimately used 5 eggs and plenty of half and half. At one point, I attempted to measure the half and half, as is evidenced by the measuring spoon in the photo above, but I later realized this was futile. I added plenty of half-and-half (definitely more than 2-3 tablespoons) and made sure to beat it all together with the whisk.

 Then, all you do is pour it into the shell! Super easy! You can tell from the picture above that there's a little extra space in my shell, and the only bad part about that is how this makes the edge of the crust want to break off once its done.

The quiche bakes in a 375 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until a knife inserted an inch from the edge comes out clean. You should let the quiche stand for 10 minutes before serving. Yummy!