Bacon, Cheddar & Veggie Quiche - with gluten-free buttermilk pastry crust

The one meal that seems to get inhaled around here is quiche.  I think the most amazing thing is watching my 3 year old inhale a slice that's packed to the brim with veggies of all color without a word of complaint. It's quite miraculous.  I often make quiche using a buttermilk biscuit crust, such as in my broccoli-bacon quiche, but using my buttermilk pie pastry crust works perfectly as well for a quiche crust.  My version here, a modification of the classic bacon-cheddar quiche, is a great filling meal for the whole family. I've made this quiche with baby spinach and also with a baby spinach/baby kale mix - both were great!  Enjoy!

A fresh, colorful slice of quiche, ready to eat!

Bacon, Cheddar & Veggie Quiche

To cook bacon: 

Preheat oven to 400F. 

Place 5-6 strips bacon on a wire rack over a pan. (you can bake your entire package now, but you'll only need part of it for this recipe) Bake 15-20 minutes, until crispy.  Remove from oven and chop bacon into bite sized pieces.

Crispy cooked bacon - I tend to just cook the whole package.

Preheat oven to 425F.

Roll out ½ batch of my gluten-free piecrust between pieces of plastic wrap until you have a circle approximately 12”-14” in diameter.  Remove the top layer of plastic wrap.  Press into a pie pan.  You can neaten/shape the edges of the crust however you like. It helps if you use the plastic wrap to do this, so it doesn't stick to your fingers if they get a little warm.  Set aside until you're ready to fill. 

In a frying pan, heat: 
2 Tbsp olive oil

Cook until softened: 
1/3 cup red & green bell pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced

Add and cook until wilted: 1-2 handfuls baby spinach (or baby kale), diced
Remove from heat.

In pie crust, fill with: 
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
Precooked veggies
chopped bacon

Freshly grated sharp cheddar, topped with veggies

Then add the bacon.

Mix together, and pour over top the fillings: 

4-6 eggs

1/3 - 1/2 cup milk

salt and pepper

I tend to wait and do the final shaping of the crust edges just before baking - you can do it earlier, I just find pressing it towards the filling gives a nice scalloped look.

Bake at 425F for 10 minutes.  

Lower heat to 350F and continue cooking 20 minutes, or until set in center.  

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.  Let sit 5 minutes before serving.  You can serve this quiche warm or chilled. 

Enjoy! 

Using a pie pastry crust turns out a lovely final product.