As for the old saying that "Real men don't eat quiche?" Well, this Texan does, and I love it. Quiche Lorraine may have French roots, but it has certainly earned a spot on my table.
Crustless Quiche Lorraine is a delicious, low-carb twist on the French classic, made with a rich egg custard, crisp bacon, sautéed onions and nutty Gruyère cheese. The custard forms its own light, golden-brown crust as it bakes, creating a dish that's just as satisfying as the original, with fewer carbs, and less fuss.
Quiche is perfect for a family or small group, and makes a delicious addition to any brunch spread, especially when served with fruit or a fresh-baked scone. It's also a great option for a light lunch or simple dinner with a side salad.
While it's tempting to prepare ahead of time, quiche is best when served warm from the oven. Reheating can make the custard rubbery, so plan on enjoying it fresh.
Crustless Quiche Lorraine goes great with homemade applewood smoked bacon, Canadian bacon or breakfast sausage.
Ingredients
- Eggs
- Heavy cream
- Gruyere cheese
- Bacon
- Onion
- Nutmeg
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Add a layer of sautéed onion and cooked, crumbled bacon to a prepared glass pie pan.
Place a layer of cheese on top of the onion and bacon.
Add one more layer of onion, bacon and cheese.
In a large bowl, mix the eggs, cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over the onion, bacon and cheese and bake until puffy and golden brown.
Variations
Quiche is very versatile and can be easily modified to accommodate what you have on hand. Some variations to try are:
- Mushrooms - Try adding ½ cup of sautéed mushrooms to the layers of onion and bacon.
- Pancetta - Rather than bacon, try using thick cut pancetta. Just cut into ¼" pieces and fry them first.
- Swiss Cheese - Gruyere cheese can be hard to find. Swiss cheese is a wonderful substitute.
Equipment
A glass pie pan works better for this recipe than a metal pie pan because a glass pie pan provides more even heat distribution and food is less prone to sticking.
Reheating
Reheat pieces of Quiche Lorraine in an oven at 275°F for about 8 minutes or until warm inside.
Top tip
Make sure the center of the Quiche Lorraine is "set" before taking it out of the oven. Using oven mitts, jiggle the pie dish side to side. If the center wiggles, it needs a few more minutes.
Related
Looking for other breakfast recipe ideas? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this recipe.
📖 Recipe
Crustless Quiche Lorraine Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, sauté the chopped onion until soft (about 3 minutes). Remove the onion from the pan and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Spray a 9 inch pie pan with cooking spray. Layer ⅓ of the bacon and onion in the pie pan and top with half of the cheese. Layer another ⅓ of the remaining bacon and onion in the pie pan and add the remaining cheese. Top with the remaining bacon and onion.
- Gently beat the eggs with a wire whisk until combined. Add the cream, nutmeg, salt, and pepper and stir. Pour the egg mixture over the onions, bacon, and cheese.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the quiche is set and develops a light golden-brown crust on top. The quiche will puff up as it bakes and then relax as it cools. Gently wiggle the pie pan at 30 minutes. If the center is jiggly, bake for 2 more minutes and try again. Continue every 2 minutes until center is set.
- Let the quiche rest for 10 minutes, then slice and serve.
Debbie says
I made this for our dinner tonight. I was hesitant, as I've never made quiche & I was afraid my husband wouldn't care for it. We loved it!! I'll be searching for more quiche recipes soon. Thank you for sharing this one!!
dvscott902 says
Debbie,
Thank you for the kind words, I'm so glad that you liked it. To be honest, I like the crustless leek and goat cheese quiche a bit more. Although, my wife prefers this one. You can find the recipe for the other quiche here ---> https://austin-eats.com/crustless-leek-and-goat-cheese-quiche/
Dave
Nancy Twohey says
I have a question. The oil is not in the list of ingredients so I’m not sure which type of oil to use and how much of it. Are we supposed to cook the bacon in a pan and then use the bacon grease, or should we use olive oil or butter? I made this using a teaspoon of olive oil and it came out well but not sure if I’m doing it the way intended.
dvscott902 says
Debbie,
You're right! I forgot to list the oil in the ingredient section. Thanks for pointing that out, I will fix it today. I make this quiche every week. Here is how: First, I cook the onion in a little bit of canola oil. Olive oil is fine, but if you use too much it may add an olive flavor to the quiche. When the onion is soft, I remove it with a slotted spoon and place it on paper towels to drain. Then I remove the oil from the pan with a few paper towels. Next, I cut a stack of three slices of bacon into three 3-inch long stacks. Then I cut each stack into three strips (lengthwise), then cut those into 1/2-inch pieces. I cook all the bacon in the pan that I used for the onions. When the bacon is done, I remove it with a slotted spoon and drain it on paper towels. I have cooked the bacon first then cooked the onion in the bacon grease but I didn't like the way it turned out. The onions were a little too greasy, so this is how I do it now.
I have a new version of this quiche that I would like you to try. It has three new ingredients: leaks (instead of onions), goat cheese and chives. Remove the roots and the green portion of two 1-inch wide leaks (or one 1 1/2-inch wide leak). You want just the white and pale green part. Cut them into quarters lengthwise, then cut those into 1/8-inch pieces. Cook them in a little bit of canola oil until softened. Watch them, because the go from soft to brown in no time. Use the leaks in place of the onion when you assemble the quiche. After you add a layer of gruyere cheese, add a layer of crumbled goat cheese on top (1/2 of a small log). Use the other half of the goat cheese on top of the last layer of gruyere. Sprinkle a teaspoon of chopped chives on top of each layer.
Let me know what you think. Thanks again for pointing out the error.
Regards,
Dave