sophisticated.kitchencomfort food recipes

Brunch pieBroccoli · bacon · three cheeses

8 slices · 350°F oven

Broccoli Cheese Quiche

Broccoli cheese quiche with crisp bacon, scallions, garlic, Parmesan, cheddar, and mozzarella in a flaky homemade crust.

Bake the quiche
A whole broccoli and cheese quiche in a flaky pastry crust on a wooden table.
Karen and Brad Emerson’s broccoli-and-cheese quiche is an open-license visual analogue for the bacon, broccoli, and three-cheese source recipe.Photo by Karen and Brad Emerson / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
Prep
20 min
Bake
53–68 min
Makes
8 slices
Center
160°F

This quiche refuses to hide the broccoli. A whole chopped crown sits among crisp bacon, green onion, and garlic, with cheddar and mozzarella above a warm pastry floor and Parmesan whisked directly into the custard. Every slice is green, golden, smoky, and emphatically savory.

Lauren Allen’s 2016 recipe is especially clear about order: crisp the bacon, give the vegetables a short sauté, pre-bake the crust for eight minutes, then build the filling from cheese upward. That sequence keeps a wet vegetable and a milk custard from asking the pastry to do all the moisture work alone.

“Easy Broccoli Cheese Quiche made in my favorite homemade pie crust. Family and friends alike love this easy brunch recipe!”

Dry the green

A quick skillet pass tenderizes the broccoli and sends away water before it can loosen the custard.

Cheese meets crust first

Cheddar and mozzarella form the first layer, buffering the pastry from the broccoli and egg mixture.

Let the center decide

The source gives a broad bake window; a set 160°F center is more dependable than oven minutes alone.

Inside the pieGreen smoke salt melt

A full broccoli crown, held by a small custard

The four-egg source formula carries a generous vegetable filling because moisture is managed before assembly and cheese is layered with intent.

01

Fresh broccoli

About three cups make this unmistakably a broccoli quiche rather than an egg pie with scattered green flecks.

Chop the crown evenly and sauté only until slightly tender. If using frozen, thaw and squeeze it dry before it reaches the pan.
02

Bacon and scallions

Four crisp slices bring smoke and salt while three green onions soften into a fresher, lighter onion note.

Drain the bacon well and pour off most of its fat; the tablespoon of olive oil is the source’s measured cooking fat for the vegetables.
03

Three cheeses

Parmesan seasons the milk-and-egg custard; cheddar and mozzarella melt below and above the vegetable filling.

Reserve about one-quarter cup of the combined shredded cheeses for the top and keep the rest against the warm crust.
04

Four eggs + whole milk

The queued 2016 formula uses four eggs and one cup of whole milk, a leaner custard than the author’s later revision.

Whisk until uniform rather than foamy, pour slowly, and stop at the rim if a shallow shell cannot accept every drop.

The source sequenceSkillet crust bowl oven rack

Dry first, layer second, set last

The recipe moves through two pans and one mixing bowl, but every stage solves a different texture problem.

  1. PAN

    Crisp the bacon

    Cook four slices until golden, drain them, and leave only a light film of rendered fat behind.

  2. FEW MIN

    Sauté the vegetables

    Olive oil, broccoli, green onion, and garlic cook until slightly tender and visibly dry.

  3. 8 MIN

    Give the crust a head start

    Pre-bake the fitted homemade shell at 350°F exactly as the 2016 source directs.

  4. LAYER

    Cheese, vegetables, custard

    Build from dry to wet, then finish with the reserved quarter cup of shredded cheese.

  5. 45–60

    Bake to a set center

    Begin checking early; shield the pastry edge if it colors before the egg custard is ready.

  6. 5–10

    Rest before slicing

    A short rack rest lets the center settle while the crust remains warm and crisp.

Green inside goldA slice that keeps its shape

The best cut shows broccoli, custard, and crust at once

A thick slice of broccoli quiche beside cherry tomatoes and parsley.
A rested slice shows the target structure: a set custard that cuts cleanly while the broccoli stays distinct. The photograph is illustrative.Photo by Michele Frazier / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
The quiet ten minutes

The custard is hottest and most fragile when it leaves the oven. Resting is the final cooking step: the center settles, steam redistributes, and the knife gets a clean path.

Fresh broccoli crowns and florets arranged over ice.
Fresh broccoli is the source preference. Chop the crown into small, even pieces so a brief sauté can drive off surface moisture before baking.Photo by Jeffery Martin / Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0

Read the bakeTender dry warm level set

Five cues are steadier than one timer

The original 45-to-60-minute range respects real oven variation. These visual and temperature checks say when this particular pie is ready.

01

Broccoli bright and slightly tender

The florets should bend at the stem but retain their shape. A puddle in the skillet means they need another minute.

02

Crust warm and lightly started

The source’s eight-minute pre-bake is a head start, not a fully browned shell; it will continue baking under the filling.

03

Custard evenly dispersed

Pour slowly so the egg mixture travels between the broccoli pieces instead of leaving dry pockets or overflowing the rim.

04

Center set to 160°F

The middle should no longer slosh when the pan moves. Temperature resolves the source’s wide 45-to-60-minute oven range.

05

Slice holds after the rest

Five to ten minutes lets the hot custard finish settling; cutting immediately can turn a properly baked center ragged.

After the rackCover chill freeze rewarm

Quiche earns its place on the make-ahead table

Cool it before wrapping, keep the refrigerator window conservative, and reheat only what the table needs.

Bake for tomorrow

The maintained author page confirms the quiche can be baked a day ahead. Cool, cover, refrigerate, and warm gently or serve at room temperature.

Refrigerate within two hours

Egg dishes should not linger across a long brunch. Cover cooled slices and move them into the refrigerator promptly.

Use within 3–4 days

USDA’s quiche window is shorter than the maintained page’s five-day suggestion; follow the conservative food-safety guidance.

Freeze for up to two months

Cool the baked quiche completely, wrap it in several protective layers, thaw overnight, then warm at 350°F for 20–30 minutes.

Broccoli Cheese Quiche

A 9-inch homemade-crust quiche with bacon, a whole broccoli crown, scallions, garlic, Parmesan, cheddar, and mozzarella.

QuicheBroccoliBaconBrunchCheddarMake Ahead

Ingredients

Crust and savory filling

  • 1 unbaked homemade pie crust, fitted into a 9-inch pie pan
  • 4 slices good-quality bacon
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large head fresh broccoli, roughly chopped, about 3 cups
  • 3 green onions, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic, or roasted and chopped garlic
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste

Custard and cheese

  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

  1. Cook the bacon in a large frying pan over medium heat until golden and crisp on both sides. Transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour off most of the rendered fat, leaving only a light film in the pan.
  2. Add the olive oil to the pan. When hot, add the chopped broccoli, green onions, and garlic. Season lightly with salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes, tossing occasionally, until the broccoli is slightly tender and no watery liquid remains in the pan. Chop the bacon, stir it into the vegetables, and remove the pan from the heat.
  3. Heat the oven to 350°F. Fit the unbaked homemade pie crust into a 9-inch pie pan and pre-bake it for 8 minutes as the original recipe directs. Set the hot crust on a rimmed baking sheet for easier filling and carrying.
  4. While the crust pre-bakes, whisk the eggs, whole milk, and Parmesan in a medium bowl until evenly combined. Season the custard lightly with salt and black pepper, remembering that the bacon and cheeses are already salty.
  5. Scatter most of the cheddar and mozzarella over the bottom of the warm crust, reserving about 1/4 cup of the combined shredded cheese for the top. Spread the broccoli, onion, garlic, and bacon mixture evenly over the cheese.
  6. Pour the egg mixture slowly over the filling. Sprinkle the reserved cheese over the surface. If the shell is unusually shallow, stop before the custard reaches the rim rather than overfilling it.
  7. Bake at 350°F for 45–60 minutes; the source author’s oven took about 47 minutes. The edges should look set, the center should no longer slosh, and an instant-read thermometer in the center should reach 160°F. If the pastry edge browns too quickly, shield just the crust with foil and continue baking.
  8. Cool on a rack for 5–10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature, and refrigerate leftovers promptly.

Source and technique references: the saved My Recipe Magic card for legacy ID 2502063940, Lauren Allen’s original August 31, 2016 post for the complete 12-item formula and six-step method, and the maintained Tastes Better From Scratch page for the present eight-serving yield, make-ahead note, and documented later revision. Independent technique checks came from the King Arthur Test Kitchen’s vegetable quiche for cooked, drained vegetables and a cheese moisture barrier, its bacon, egg, and cheese quiche for the short pre-bake and just-set center, and the USDA FSIS shell-egg safety guide for a 160°F quiche center, 165°F reheating, and 3–4-day refrigerated storage. The queued four-egg formula, cheese proportions, assembly, and oven range are unchanged.

Image credits

Photography is used under open licenses with attribution: Karen and Brad Emerson / Wikimedia Commons, Michele Frazier / Wikimedia Commons, and Jeffery Martin / Wikimedia Commons.