Description
This Cheese Spinach Bacon Quiche is a savory and satisfying dish featuring a flaky homemade crust filled with a rich custard of eggs, milk, cream, fresh spinach, sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, and crispy bacon. Perfect for brunch or a light dinner, the quiche combines creamy textures with flavorful ingredients, baked to golden perfection.
Ingredients
Scale
Crust
- 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled (195 grams)
- 3/4 tsp salt (1/2 tsp + 1/4 tsp)
- 9 tbsp cold salted butter, cubed (127 grams)
- 4–5 tbsp ice cold water
Filling
- 5 large eggs
- 1/2 cup milk (2%)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (or milk or half and half)
- 1/4 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Pinch of black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups fresh spinach, torn into smaller pieces
- 1 1/3 cups shredded cheese (sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack mix)
- 6–8 slices cooked bacon, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Prepare the crust dough: Combine flour and salt, cut in cold cubed salted butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually add ice cold water, mixing gently until dough just comes together. Form dough into a thick disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or ideally overnight to rest and hydrate.
- Roll and shape the dough: On a floured surface, gently roll chilled dough to about 1/8 inch thickness, ensuring it is large enough to cover a 9-inch deep pie plate with 2 inches extra. Transfer to pie dish, press into pan removing air gaps, trim excess leaving 1/2 inch edge for crimping. Crimp edges decoratively. Freeze crust for 10 minutes and preheat oven to 425℉ (220℃).
- Blind bake the crust: Prick holes in frozen crust bottom to prevent puffing. Line crust with crumbled parchment paper and fill with pie weights up to edges. Place on baking sheet and bake 15-19 minutes until edges are lightly browned. Carefully remove parchment and weights. Brush edges with egg wash and bake 2-4 more minutes until bottom and sides are set and matte. Reduce oven temperature to 400℉ (204℃).
- Prepare the filling mixture: In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, heavy cream, minced garlic, salt, and black pepper. Gently fold in torn spinach, shredded cheese, and chopped cooked bacon until evenly combined.
- Bake the quiche: Pour filling evenly into the partially baked crust. If edges are browning too quickly, cover with foil strips. Bake at 400℉ for 40-44 minutes until filling is set and top is lightly browned. Check crust at 25-30 minutes and shield edges with foil if needed to prevent over-browning.
- Cool and serve: Allow quiche to cool 15-30 minutes before slicing to ensure clean cuts. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Serve warm or cold as desired.
Notes
- Chilling the dough overnight improves texture and flavor.
- Use pie weights or dried beans to prevent crust bubbling during blind baking.
- Adjust cheese blend to your preference for sharper or milder flavor.
- Spinach can be lightly sautéed to reduce moisture if desired but fresh works well as in this recipe.
- Check crust edges during baking and cover with foil if browning too quickly to avoid burning.
- Quiche tastes great warm or cold and makes excellent leftovers for quick meals.
Keywords: quiche, spinach quiche, bacon quiche, cheese quiche, brunch recipe, savory pie, homemade pie crust, easy quiche, baked quiche