Quiche is a pretty versatile dish. It’s popular for brunch but is perfectly fine for any meal of the day. It’s also easy and inexpensive. And with decent frozen pie crusts available in stores, there’s no need to worry about making your own pastry.
Of course you can make your own pastry if you like. Perfect Pie Pastry is made in the food processor so it’s very easy. But, if you aren’t up to making your own there’s no need to feel guilty. There is some nutritional value in quiche, in spite of the bacon. There are lots of vegetables in the pie. And don’t forget about all that calcium from the milk and protein from the eggs!
This Spinach Leek and Bacon Quiche can be made quickly if the bacon, leeks and spinach are cooked ahead of time. You just have to crack a few eggs and throw it together. It’ll be ready to bake before your oven is preheated! The ingredient amounts are for an 8 inch pie shell. If you’re using a larger one just increase the milk, add an extra egg and one more piece of bacon.
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How to make Spinach Leek and Bacon Quiche
Slice the bacon into small strips and cook until it’s browning and getting crispy. Remove as much fat as possible with a spoon. Add the leeks and spinach and sauté a few minutes. Cooking the leeks makes them less pungent and gives them a softer texture. And the quick cook of the spinach will prevent them from releasing liquid into the egg mixture.
Scrape everything onto a paper towel lined plate and press to drain. You want to get as much fat and any liquid from the spinach out of the mixture. Add the filling to the pie crust and spread evenly. If you’re wondering why you don’t add it to the egg mixture, this is the best way to make sure there’s an even amount of all the ingredients in every slice.
Shred the cheeses. I like to use a combination of Swiss and sharp cheddar. Feel free to use any cheese you like but use at least one sharper variety because it pairs well with the ingredients. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over top.
Mix up the egg and milk mixture and pour over top. If you’re using a store bought pastry you may not be able to get all the liquid into the shell. They really cheap out on these pie crusts! Hint: Store bought pie shells come in a flimsy pan. Put it on a cookie sheet before you pour in the egg so it doesn’t tip and spill.
Bake Spinach Leek and Bacon Quiche at 325. No higher than that. Eggs brown easily and should be cooked at lower temperatures. And always preheat the oven. The quiche will puff up a little when it’s done. It’s ok if it’s very slightly jiggly in the centre because it will continue to cook a few more minutes after it comes out of the oven. For an 8 inch pie shell it will take about 35 minutes. Quiche should be baked on the bottom rack to ensure the crust cooks before the eggs get brown. A larger quiche will take another 5 minutes or so.
Let your quiche rest for at least 5 minutes to set. It will deflate slightly which is ok, and after resting it’s easier to cut.
Spinach Leek and Bacon Quiche can be served at room temperature so if you’re making this for Christmas morning you can go back to ripping open your large pile of expensive gifts and eat it later. If your loving family doesn’t gobble it all up it can be reheated the next day at 300 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
Here’s the recipe:
Spinach Leek and Bacon Quiche
Ingredients
- 1 8 inch store bought pie crust or homemade
- 4 slices bacon
- 1 medium leek
- 2 C spinach
- ½ C swiss cheese, shredded
- ½ C shredded cheddar cheese
- 4 eggs
- 1 C milk
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° and ensure rack is set to bottom setting.
- Slice bacon into thin strips and fry until browning and just crispy. Remove as much fat as possible from pan, leaving bacon in pan.
- Rinse leek well and slice lengthwise in half. Place flat side down and slice into half circles.
- Roughly chop spinach. Add to pan along with leek and saute until slightly softened. Remove mixture to paper lined plate and drain well, squeezing out any extra moisture from spinach and any remaining fat from bacon.
- Arrange in bottom of pie crust. Shred cheeses and spread evenly over top.
- Whisk together eggs, milk, Dijon, salt and pepper. Place pie shell onto a baking sheet and carefully pour custard into pie shell.
- Bake on lower rack of the oven for 35 minutes or until just set in the middle. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Thanks! This is will go great with my leftover sweet and sour pork! 🙂