Easy Ham and Swiss Quiche

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Sunday is Easter. And for a lot of us, Easter is going to look very different than it has in past years.

Maybe you’re used to having lots of family around with lovely dinners. Or, maybe, you normally go out for a fancy buffet the way my family did when I was young.

Either way, most of those things probably won’t be happening this year.

So I decided I would share a ridiculously easy recipe that anyone can make that will allow you have a simple, yet elegant Easter no matter what your situation.

Let’s talk quiche.

Here’s the thing. I love quiche. And in my humble opinion, it’s an appropriate meal for any time of the day. Breakfast? Absolutely. Brunch? Obviously. Lunch? Well, that’s just past brunch, so go for it. Dinner? Why the heck not?!?

While they do take some time to cook, quiches are simple to make, delicious, and can easily be made ahead of time and heated for serving. Plus, you can look super fancy by pairing a simple salad and a glass of wine (or champagne!) with the quiche.

This recipe is originally from The Spruce Eats, and while I tend to make variations on recipes after I’ve made them, this one was pretty solid. I added a bit more than a “dash” of cayenne pepper, but we like things spicy in our house. Other than that, her recipe is solid, so I’m sharing it the way I like to look at recipes (without all the broken up steps and pictures!) so you can enjoy it as well

 

Ham and Swiss Cheese Quiche

quick and elegant for brunch, Lunch, breakfast, or even dinner! Try this Ham and Swiss quiche paired with a simple salad of mixed baby greens, sliced pears, pecans, and SHaved PARMESAN and Asiago cheese!

1 (9-inch) pie shell (unbaked)
6 ounces Swiss cheese (shredded)l
6 ounces ham (diced)
3 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper (freshly ground)
Dash cayenne pepper (or a bit more to taste)
1/2 tsp dry mustard
Optional: 2 to 4 tablespoons green onions (finely chopped)

  1. Preheat Oven to 375F

  2. Place unbaked crust in pie pan. (Look, here’s the thing. You can get all fancy and make your own if you want. But when I was living in Virginia I read in a Southern Living magazine that it is totally acceptable to purchase pre-made pie crusts. Girl, if pre-made crusts are good enough for Southern women, they are good enough for me!)

  3. Sprinkle cheese and ham in bottom of the pie shell along with green onions (if using).

  4. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs with cream, milk, salt, black pepper, cayenne, and dry mustard until well combined.

  5. Pour the egg mixture into the pie crust over the ham and cheese.

  6. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

  7. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes before cutting into wedges to serve.

  8. Serve with salad and optional white wine or champagne to level-up your brunch game a notch or two!

Thoughts on the salad

While I love a good salad filled with all kinds of veggies and deliciousness, when it comes to serving a side salad with your quiche, simple is better. Keep it clean, and simple for a sophisticated visual to add to the tantalizing taste.

Mixed baby greens: Get something pretty with texture. Frisee always looks super elegant if you can find it!

Seasonal fruit: I love fresh fruit on a simple salad, but if nothing looks good dried fruit like blueberries or cherries can add some nice pizzaz to your plate and your palate

Cheese: Don’t overload the salad with cheese, a little will do. Choose your cheese to go with the fruit. I like a hard cheese like a fresh Parmesan or Asiago with pear or goat cheese with cherry or blueberry. But this it’s totally up to you. The quiche has cheese in it, so you can skip the cheese entirely.

Nuts: Again, you can take them or leave them. But I love using a few nuts in a simple salad. Try pecans, walnuts, or even pistachios.

Dressing: Go light or go home. You can make your own simple vinaigrette, or purchase one. While I generally like to make my own, I recently discovered Trader Joe’s Champagne Pear Vinaigrette, and it is lovely (especially if you are doing a salad with pears).

Quiche can come in all kinds of variations. And I love them so. I’ll share more of my other favorite easy quiche recipes in the future because if for no other reason, it will give you more opportunities for brunch. Because… brunch. I think we’ll leave it at that.




Want to wow your friends without slaving in the kitchen? Look no further than this simple Brunch menu. Everything is done n under an hour (including clean up!) and you’ll look like a pro!