If you’re looking for something new for breakfast (lunch, or dinner), quiches sound fancy, but they’re actually quite simple to make.  By changing up the ingredients in this quiche recipe, the possibilities are endless, making it easy to please everyone’s palate.  You can even forgo the carbs by making a frittata, which is just a fancy word for a crustless quiche.  As I said, making them isn’t rocket science, either.

Start out with the basic quiche custard of eggs, cream, and half & half; add your favorite cheese—cheddar, Swiss, Gouda; choose some veggies—onions, black beans, mushrooms, bell pepper; maybe throw in your favorite meat—sausage, ham, bacon, even ground beef; round it out with some herbs and spices and, voila!  You’ve got a savory pie the whole house will love whether served warm or cold, for breakfast or dinner.

Here’s what I used:

• One 9-inch pie crust
• 4 eggs
• ½ c. heavy cream
• ½ c. half & half
• ¼ t. ground white pepper
• ½ t. dried thyme
• ¼ t. ground nutmeg
• 1 c. shredded Swiss cheese
• ½ c. ham, diced into ¼ to ½-inch cubes
• 5 baby portabella mushrooms, diced (about ½ c.)
• Cooking oil or spray

Start out by preheating the oven to 350 and preparing your pie crust in a 9-inch pie plate.

Because they hold so much extra moisture, you don’t want to start with raw ingredients when it comes to the veggies or meat.  If you choose to do bacon or sausage, be sure it’s fully cooked and drained before adding it to the custard.  I’ve used ham, so I don’t need to cook that, but I sautéed the veggies in a little cooking spray until they were tender and lightly brown.  Set them aside to cool slightly.

While the veggies (and meat) are cooling, whisk together the remaining ingredients for this quiche recipe: the eggs, cream, half & half, thyme, nutmeg, and pepper.

Once the veggies are touch-cool, add them to the custard, along with the cheese, give it a quick stir and pour into your pie crust.

Bake for 40-50 minutes until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  Let stand for at least 5 minutes before serving.