Quiches are great for breakfast, brunch, or any time of the day.
Try our loaded bacon + spinach quiche, made with tons of fresh and delicious ingredients.
This recipe is for all of my quiche lovers out there, of which I am sure there are plenty.
If you know quiche-like I know quiche, then you already know just how versatile quiche can be, the possibilities are almost infinite. Almost!
Loaded Bacon + Spinach Quiche
From spinach quiche to caramelized onion quiche, and every possible combination in-between, quiche isn’t only for breakfast.
Far from it, serving up a quiche filled with grated smoked Gouda cheese, tender baby spinach, shredded potatoes, diced ham, and crispy thick-cut crumbled bacon is also perfect for a light lunch, mid-day brunch, or dinner.
Sounds pretty darn good to me.
The best kind of quiche, to make is making a quiche filled with whatever flavors you like. If bacon is your jam, then, by all means, add bacon as an essential ingredient to your quiche.
One of the things I love about quiche is its versatility because you can combine all kinds of goodies when it comes to creating a quiche you will love and want again and again.
For this recipe, I used fresh spinach, shredded potatoes, diced ham, crumbled thick-cut bacon, and a cup of smoked gouda cheese.
With so many great ingredients, it’s not a surprise everyone loved it right down to the very last delicious bite.
Quiche is a dish made with heavy cream, eggs, and usually cheese, the ingredients are mixed into a sort of savory custard and baked in a flaky pie crust.
However, feel free to add whatever ingredients you like.
Some of my favorite quiche ingredients:
thick-cut bacon
smoked salmon
diced ham
caramelized onions
sautéed mushrooms
shredded potatoes
artichokes
spinach
garlic
Thick-cut bacon is one of my favorite ingredients to add to quiche. I know, duh!
Having a reliable crust recipe is essential when making quiche, and I have a tried and true easy crust recipe, or if you have a favorite of your own, then, by all means, use what you’re comfortable with using.
Here’s What You’ll Need To Make This Loaded Bacon + Spinach Quiche:
Eggs. For this recipe, use fresh eggs if you can. Farm fresh eggs if you got ’em, and here’s a hint, make sure your eggs are room temperature, just let them sit in a bowl for 15-20 minutes, but if you don’t have time use your eggs right out of the fridge.
Half & Half. Some quiche recipe calls for a combination of whole milk and heavy cream; I used half & half because mostly it’s the same thing, and it’s one purchase instead of buying whole milk and heavy cream.
Yukon Gold Potatoes. While most quiche recipes don’t call for potatoes, I think the potatoes add a heartiness to quiche, and it eats more like a meal rather than something I am going to eat now, then an hour later, I’m still hungry.
Diced Ham. Most traditional quiche recipes call for diced ham, so naturally, I am going to add a fair share of diced ham to the recipe. And, if you’re preparing an Easter ham, you can use some of the leftovers to make this delicious quiche.
Crumbled Thick-Cut Bacon. When you’re adding bacon to almost anything, it’s a good look, and adding crispy to this quiche is an even better look, and the taste isn’t too bad either. Other options include turkey bacon, chorizo, and chopped steak.
Smoked Gouda Cheese. Smoked gouda is an excellent choice, but use whatever cheese you have on hand. I imagine freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano wouldn’t be a bad idea either. Grana Padano or white cheddar would work as well.
Baby Spinach. Adding a bit of green to quiche isn’t a bad idea any way you slice, but you can also use flat-leaf or curly parsley, cilantro, green onion, or sautéed kale.
Savory garlic and green onion go well in this easy anytime quiche recipe.
You’ll Love This Quiche Recipe Because It’s:
Easy
Savory
Hearty
100% Comfort Food
Loaded With Vegetables
Ready In Under An Hour
How to make a Bacon + Spinach Quiche
6 Servings
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups Yukon Gold potatoes shredded
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 5 fresh farm eggs
- 1 1/2 cups fresh baby spinach chopped
- 1 1/4 cups grated smoked Gouda cheese
- 1/2 cup crispy thick-cut bacon crumbled
- 1 cup ham diced
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- 3 green onions chopped
- 1 1/3 cups half & half
- freshly cracked black peppercorns
- a prepared 9-inch pie shell or make buttery and flaky homemade pastry dough.
Sidebar: When preparing the potatoes for this recipe, you want to remove as much residual starch and excess water from the potatoes as possible.
To do this, after shredding the potatoes, place them in a bowl of water and rinse off most of the starch then strain off the water using a colander.
Next, tightly squeeze the potatoes in your hand to remove more water, then spread the shredded potatoes out on top of three or four sheets of paper towel or cheesecloth.
Do not pile the potatoes on top of each other, spread them out evenly, then place more paper towels or cheesecloth over the potatoes and press down; the remaining moisture should be absorbed into the paper towel or cheesecloth.
Now, the shredded potatoes are ready for a three-minute sauté. Use this same method to make killer hash browns.
This quiche is loaded with shredded potatoes, baby spinach, green onion, diced ham, thick-cut bacon, and grated smoked gouda. I mean, how could this quiche not be 100% crave-worthy?
Directions:
- Shred one large or two medium russet or Yukon gold potatoes using a box shredder until you have a cup and half of shredded potatoes. Prepare the potatoes by rinsing off excess starch then removing as much moisture as possible by spreading the potatoes out evenly on top of the paper towel and adding a layer of paper towel on top and pressing down on the potatoes to remove as much water as you can. Note: you can also use a cheesecloth too!
- Place a skillet over medium-high heat and add the EVOO and butter; when the oil is hot and the butter is melted, add the shredded potatoes and sauté for three minutes; we do this to 1. soften the potatoes, 2. more moisture will be removed by sautéeing the potatoes, and 2. to brown the shredded the potatoes just a little bit before adding them to the quiche.
- Crack five eggs into a large bowl and add the half & half. Use a wire whisk and whisk the mixture until the eggs and half & half are well-combined. Add the prepared shredded potatoes, chopped baby spinach, shredded smoked Gouda cheese, crumbled thick-cut bacon, diced ham, minced garlic, and three-quarters of the chopped green onions. Use the wire whisk to mix all of the ingredients.
- Preheat the oven to 400° and line the pie shell with parchment paper. Add the 1 1/2 cups of dry beans or pie weights, bake the pie shell on the middle rack for fifteen minutes, or until the edges are lightly brown. Remove the parchment paper along with the dry beans or pie weights. Using a fork, prick the bottom of the pie shell and return to the oven, and bake for an additional 5-8 minutes. Open the oven and slide-out the middle rack and fill the pie shell with the quiche mixture. To keep the pie shell edges from over-browning cover with aluminum foil or use a pie crust shield.
- Bake the quiche for forty minutes or until the quiche, has set.
- Remove the quiche from the oven and allow the quiche to cool for about fifteen minutes.
- Serve.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Yukon Gold potatoes shredded
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 5 fresh farm eggs
- 1 1/2 cups fresh baby spinach chopped
- 1 1/4 cups grated smoked Gouda cheese
- 1/2 cup crispy thick-cut bacon crumbled
- 1 cup diced ham
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- 3 green onion chopped
- 1 1/3 cups half & half
- freshly cracked black peppercorns
- a prepared 9-inch pie shell or make buttery and flaky homemade pastry dough you will also need pie weights or 1 1/2 cups of dry beans
Instructions
- Shred one large or two medium russet or Yukon gold potatoes using a box shredder until you have a cup and half of shredded potatoes. Prepare the potatoes by rinsing off excess starch then removing as much moisture as possible by spreading the potatoes out evenly on top of the paper towel and adding a layer of paper towel on top and pressing down on the potatoes to remove as much water as you can. Note: you can also use a cheesecloth too!
- Place a skillet over medium-high heat and add the EVOO and butter; when the oil is hot and the butter is melted, add the shredded potatoes and sauté for three minutes; we do this to 1. soften the potatoes, 2. more moisture will be removed by sautéeing the potatoes, and 2. to brown the shredded the potatoes just a little bit before adding them to the quiche.
- Crack five eggs into a large bowl and add the half & half. Use a wire whisk and whisk the mixture until the eggs and half & half are well-combined. Add the prepared shredded potatoes, chopped baby spinach, shredded smoked Gouda cheese, crumbled thick-cut bacon, diced ham, minced garlic, and three-quarters of the chopped green onions. Use the wire whisk to mix all of the ingredients.
- Preheat the oven to 400° and line the pie shell with parchment paper. Add the 1 1/2 cups of dry beans or pie weights, bake the pie shell on the middle rack for fifteen minutes, or until the edges are lightly brown. Remove the parchment paper along with the dry beans or pie weights. Using a fork, prick the bottom of the pie shell and return to the oven, and bake for an additional 5-8 minutes. Open the oven and slide-out the middle rack and fill the pie shell with the quiche mixture. To keep the pie shell edges from over-browning cover with aluminum foil or use a pie crust shield.
- Bake the quiche for forty minutes or until the quiche, has set.
- Remove the quiche from the oven and allow the quiche to cool for about fifteen minutes.
- Serve.
Notes
More recipes that are great for breakfast or brunch
30+ Amazing French Toast Recipes That Make You Rethink Breakfast
Loaded Bacon + Peppers Breakfast Strata
Let’s Do Brunch: Tomato + Fried Eggs & Toast With Herb Goat Cheese + Brut Rosé Mimosas
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