Caramelized Onion Quiche Recipe

Name: Caramelized Onion Quiche
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 145 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 1 recipe pie dough (see Pâte Brisée recipe ); 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 2-3 large red onions (about one pound total), French-cut (see below); Salt and freshly ground pepper; 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar; 3/4 cup milk; 1/4 cup heavy cream; 3 large eggs; Pinch nutmeg; 6 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups)

In This Recipe

What Is Quiche?
Baking Pan Options
Readers' Quiche Tips
Storing and Reheating
Slicing Onions
Pre-Baking a Crust
Caramelizing the Onions

Ever wake up in the morning with a craving for a specific food?

This morning it was quiche, specifically an onion quiche. To my dear father who turned up his nose at this masterpiece, mumbling something about real men, I say, "phooey."

Kudos to my brother Ed, who almost made up for dad's transgression by saying just "damn good" after inhaling a piece at dinner.

caramelized red onion quiche with Gruyère — Elise Bauer

What Is Quiche?

At its simplest, quiche is a French tart with an egg, milk/cream, and cheese custard baked in a pastry shell. It's often made with meat or vegetable additions to create versions such as the classic Quiche Lorraine with bacon or a Zucchini Tomato Quiche.

Baking Pans for Quiche

A tart pan is tradition for quiche, but you can use a variety of baking pans for this savory delight:

9 x 1 1/2-inch round tart pan
9-inch pie dish
Ceramic baking dish—great for crustless quiche
Muffin tins—for mini quiche
8- or 9-inch round cake pan
Springform pan—also good for crustless quiche
A foil pie pan, you can add your own crust or buy a foil pan with a crust (you'll need to bake the crust)

Note: Baking time will be different for larger, shallower pans since they tend to bake faster or longer for smaller, deeper pans

Quiche Tips From Readers

Our readers always have something to teach us. Here are some of their tips for making quiche a little simpler.

Roberta: “Bake your quiche on the bottom or lower rack of your oven. It sets the egg and cream better than the center.”
Hannah: “Try putting the baking sheet in oven while it's preheating, then transfer the quiche to the baking sheet to cook. This always works for me!” (Our addendum: A baking stone works well for this, too.)
Carol: "Add a splash or two of white wine to the onions, and it really makes the flavor special."

How to Store and Reheat Quiche

Refrigerate cooled quiche tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to four days. Reheat slices in the microwave or in the oven covered in foil at 350°F until heated through.

Freeze a whole, cooled, fully cooked quiche by placing it in its pan in the freezer. Remove it from the freezer when it's frozen, pop it out of its pan (or if you've used a foil pan, keep it in there), and wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of foil for up to three months.

Freeze slices of cooked quiche on a baking sheet. Remove when the slices are frozen and wrap each slice in a double layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of foil for up to three months.

Thaw frozen quiche in the refrigerator overnight, unwrap to remove the plastic wrap, and reheat covered in foil at 350°F until warmed through.

What to Serve With Quiche

More Quiche Recipes to Try

Caramelized Onion Quiche

Prep Time 25 mins

Cook Time 2 hrs

Total Time 2 hrs 25 mins

Servings 6 to 8 servings

Note that although this recipe calls for making a pie crust from scratch, you can easily use an already prepared frozen pie crust. Just prebake it using the directions that follow.

1 recipe pie dough (see Pâte Brisée recipe)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 to 3 large red onions (about 1 pound total)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 large eggs
Pinch nutmeg
6 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups)

Slicing the Onions Stem to Root

To caramelize onions, you'll want to slice them lengthwise or from stem end to root end. That way the onions will hold their shape better during the long cooking involved in caramelizing.

Be an Expert Onion Slicer With These Step by Step Instructions
READ MORE:

Elise Bauer

Prebake the Crust

Make a frozen tart crust:

If you are making your own crust (instead of using an already prepared frozen crust), roll out your dough on a lightly floured surface, into a 12-inch circle. Fit into a 9 x 1 1/2-inch round tart pan (or 9-inch pie dish), pressing dough into corners, extending the edges extra high to allow for shrinkage. Transfer to freezer to chill for 30 minutes.
Line the frozen crust with foil and pie weights:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line pastry with aluminum foil, pressing into the corners and edges, allowing extra foil on the sides (they'll be your handles when you remove the foil).

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer

Fill at least 2/3 of the crust with baking weights—dried beans, rice, copper pennies, or ceramic or metal pie weights.
Bake with weights:

Bake first for 15 minutes, remove from oven and let cool a few minutes. Carefully remove aluminum foil and weights.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer
Remove the weights and bake again:

Poke the bottom of the pie pan with the tines of a fork and return to oven, and bake an additional 10 minutes or until lightly golden. (Fork holes allow any air to escape.) Transfer to a wire rack to cool while making the filling.

Caramelizing the Onions and Preparing the Quiche

The onions will take about an hour to cook on the stovetop before they are ready to go into the quiche. So timing-wise, if you are making the entire quiche from scratch, it makes sense to get started on the onions once you've put the crust into the freezer to chill before prebaking.

Caramelize the onions:

Heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saute pan on medium heat. Add the onions and sprinkle a little salt over them. Cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes, until the onions have softened and are translucent. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for an additional 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are well browned.

Add 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar and cook for 10 minutes more, until onions are completely caramelized. Remove from heat.

How to Caramelize Onions Recipe
READ MORE:
Assemble the quiche:

Place tart pan on a baking sheet to catch any runoff there might be. Sprinkle half the cheese evenly over the bottom of the crust. Spread onions over the cheese and then top with remaining cheese.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer

In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, cream, and eggs. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Pour over the tart.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer
Bake the quiche:

Transfer to the 350°F oven, and bake until just set in the center, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for about 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
433	Calories
28g	Fat
33g	Carbs
13g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories	433
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 28g	36%
Saturated Fat 12g	58%
Cholesterol 103mg	34%
Sodium 437mg	19%
Total Carbohydrate 33g	12%
Dietary Fiber 2g	7%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 13g
Vitamin C 3mg	15%
Calcium 278mg	21%
Iron 1mg	8%
Potassium 221mg	5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.