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Broccoli, ham and cheddar enveloped in a silky custard are irresistible in this crustless quiche. But wait! There’s more. This quiche is low-carb, gluten-free, filling, luscious, and take only minutes to prepare!
Sorry, crust. You used to be my favorite part of quiche, but the rich and cheesy filling in this pie is the star event, and I didn’t even notice you were missing.
EASY CRUSTLESS QUICHE RECIPE
Yes, you will forget all about the crust when you bite into the soft and ultra-creamy custard made with heavy cream and whole eggs and egg yolks. Grated cheddar, ham, and broccoli folded into the delicate custard add substance that is both pleasing and filling.
THE TRICK FOR EXTRA-CREAMY QUICHE
The trick to creating a tender and creamy filling is heavy cream (also called “heavy whipping cream” or just “whipping cream”) and a high proportion of egg yolks. That’s all there is to it.
I was tempted to load this with more vegetables, but decided to limit the filling ingredients in order to let the custard take center stage, where it belongs. Welcome to my Saturday brunch special!
MAKE IT AHEAD
Quiche is very forgiving, and this crustless version is no exception. You can make it ahead, refrigerate it for up to three days, or freeze it for up to one month.
To refrigerate and reheat the quiche:
- Let the baked quiche cool to room temperature, cover it with foil and refrigerate.
- To reheat it, take it from the fridge to the oven. Loosen the foil so it loosely covers the quiche. Bake at 350ºF oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it is hot all the way through.
To freeze and reheat the quiche:
- Let the baked quiche cool to room temperature and cover it with plastic wrap. Wrap it in double thickness of foil, label, and freeze for up to one month.
- To reheat it, remove the wrapping from the frozen quiche and loosely cover the top with foil. Bake at 350ºF oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until it is hot all the way through.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CRUSTLESS QUICHE AND FRITTATAS
A frittata is like an omelet, with eggs and filling scrambled together and then baked or cooked on top of the stove in a skillet.
While a frittata consists of eggs and filling, a crustless quiche is made with eggs and milk or cream to make a custard. Cheese, various vegetables, and ham or bacon are added, and the filling is then baked in a casserole dish.
We’re eliminating the crust here, of course, but if you really wanted to, you could bake this filling in a fully baked pie crust of your choosing. The baking time is the same.
CHECK OUT THESE OTHER QUICHE RECIPES!
Cheesy Crustless Quiche with Broccoli and Ham Recipe
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil spray (for the pan)
- 1 medium stalk broccoli, stem and crown
- 5 ounces ham steak, cubed
- 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar (about 7 ounces)
- 2 large eggs
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Special equipment:
- 9-inch round baking dish or pie pan
Method
1 Prepare the oven and baking dish: Place a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 9-inch round ceramic baking dish or pie pan with vegetable oil. Have a baking sheet on hand.
2 Prepare the broccoli: Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Cut a sliver off the bottom of the broccoli stem and peel the stem with a vegetable peeler. Slice the stem into 1/2 inch-thick, bite-size pieces. Cut the broccoli crown into small florets.
Cook the broccoli in the boiling water for 4 to 5 minutes, or until tender. Strain the broccoli to remove the water, and spread the broccoli over the bottom of the baking dish.
3 Add the ham and cheese to the baking dish: Distribute the ham cubes over the broccoli. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cheese to sprinkle on top of the filled quiche. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the broccoli.
4 Make the custard: In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolks together. Whisk in the cream, salt, and pepper. Pour the cream mixture over the filling in the pan and sprinkle the top with the reserved cheese.
5 Bake the quiche: Set the baking dish on the baking sheet and place it in the oven. Decrease the oven temperature to 350ºF.
Bake the quiche for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden and the center puffs, but is still slightly wobbly in the center.
6 Cool the quiche: Set the baking dish on a wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting into wedges. Quiche can be served warm or at room temperature.
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Sally Pasley Vargas is a freelance writer and the author of three cookbooks (Food for Friends, The Tao of Cooking, Ten Speed Press, and The Cranberry Cookbook). She currently writes the column The Confident Cook for The Boston Globe along with seasonal recipes for the Wednesday Food Section.
Cheesy Crustless Quiche with Broccoli and Ham
Made this for dinner tonight but I added red bell peppers and mushrooms. I also used Swiss, Monteray Jack and a bit of parmesan cheese. A small amount of dried minced garlic and onion and a touch of dried parsley.
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Made this recipe this morning for my guests. Everyone gave it rave reviews! I did make a tiny change. I used frozen broccoli florets cooked in the microwave according to package directions instead of fresh broccoli.
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I have a question. Can any quiche recipe be made crustless successfully by just leaving out the crust? I ask because I am a low carber and would prefer not to have the crust as I always end up eating it if it is there. Thx.
I’d love to hear what the pros say. I too am a low-carber. I’ve had good results just leaving out the crust on other quiche recipes. Just remember to spray the dish.
This dish is setting on the counter now waiting for my guests to wake up.
Making frittatas skips the whole carbohydrate question altogether. Here’s a bunch of ours! https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/ingredient/frittata/
I’m no pro, we love quiche but I can’t eat wheat! I cook them all the time with no pastry base. Just make sure to grease a ceramic pie dish very well before baking. Ensure the egg and cream ratio is correct and allow the quiche
to cool a little before attempting to serve it. It should pull away from the sides of the dish as it cools. Sometimes I cook and refrigerate overnight then reheat gently in the oven.
Any advice on making these in large muffin individual form? Any changes youd make to the recipe or recommendations on cook time, as well as re heating time for frozen?
You could certainly try it, although we haven’t, Danielle. If you make these in a standard muffin tin that yields 12, I would suggest raising the temperature to 375°F and baking for about 12-14 minutes. If you want to make these, freeze them, and then reheat them, I’d use the same temperature and add a few minutes to the baking time, and keeping an eye on them. Thanks for your question. Let us know how it goes!
I agree, a quiche is all about the custard however this quiche still has too much filling and not enough custard. I think it would be perfect if the filling ingredients were cut almost in half and the custard ingredients were doubled. It was the hardest thing to in still in the minds of my line and prep cooks. Here’s where less is more. A touch of fresh nutmeg is great also.