This easy no pastry quiche has a rich and satisfying flavor and a silky smooth texture without the bother of a crust. Make with sausage, broccoli, and cheese, or customize the filling to your liking. You'll have a gluten-free dish that's hearty enough for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner!
1½cups(136 ½grams)broccoli, cut into small florets
½cup(80grams)red onion, small dice
⅓cup(49 ⅔grams)bell pepper, small dice
1½cups(192grams)breakfast sausage, fully cooked, cut into ¼-inch half moons, see Recipe Notes
For the custard
4(200grams)large eggs
1¼cups(300grams)milk
½cup(115grams)heavy cream
½teaspoon(½teaspoon)kosher salt, divided
⅛teaspoon(⅛teaspoon)black pepper, freshly ground
For the topping
1cup(113grams)cheese, shredded
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Spray an 8-inch round cake pan (with sides that reach at least 2-inches high) with baking spray. You don't want the custard to overflow the pan.
Cook the filling: Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli, red onions, and bell peppers to the pan and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook until the vegetables are softened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sausage and cook until heated through, another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Make the custard: Using a handheld mixer, blend the eggs, milk, heavy cream, remaining salt, and black pepper until frothy. This helps keep the garnishes suspended as you layer them into the pan.
Assemble the quiche: Layer ½ of the sausage mixture into the pan. Pour ½ of the frothy custard over the mixture, then sprinkle with ½ the cheese. Repeat the layering, remixing the batter to keep the bubbles.
Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F and bake the quiche for 40 to 45 minutes or until the center is just set and a knife insert into the center comes out clean.
Remove the quiche from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve warm.
Storage and make-ahead instructions: Allow the quiche to cool completely and refrigerate for up to 3 days. It can also be frozen, well wrapped in plastic wrap in an airtight freezer-safe container, for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.The quiche can be served cold, at room temperature, or warmed at 300˚F for about 5 to 10 minutes.
Recipe Notes
You can use a combination of milk and heavy cream to suit your taste, as long as the total liquid measures about 1¾ cups. Of course, the more heavy cream you use, the richer the custard will be. You can also substitute dairy free milk and cheese as you prefer.The type of cheese, meat or meat-substitute and vegetable combinations you use is entirely up to you - use what you have on hand. If you decide to use an uncooked meat, brown it until no pink remains before adding the vegetables, then cook everything through before pouring over the custard.For another take, try making mini crustless quiche muffins. Just bake them at 350˚F for 20 to 25 minutes (or until set) in a well greased standard muffin pan. These can be refrigerated or frozen like their full-sized cousin. Easy portion control!