Quiche is such a great, easy brunch dish which can be made ahead and eaten at room temperature, or enjoyed as a simple dinner with a salad! And there are so many tasty flavor combinations. Since spring is here, and asparagus season is upon us, I thought it would be the perfect time to make a crustless asparagus quiche. Seasonal vegetables, a touch healthier, and gluten-free. It’s all good!
Hello, all!
Right now as I’m posting this, we are only a few short weeks away from having fresh, local asparagus at our farmer’s markets here. Squeee!!!
The supermarket asparagus is looking quite nice as well (since it’s not traveling as far as it was over the winter), but I am so looking forward to swinging by and buying some asparagus that was just picked that day or the day before.
And, along with the asparagus, will come shelling peas, pea tendrils, baby white turnips with their greens, fresh beets with their greens, spring spinach, lettuces, garlic scapes, and all my other favorites!
I may like the farmer’s market just a little…
While I enjoy making quiche, I have to admit that I am much more likely to make a crustless quiche than I am to make a more traditional quiche with the crust. A big factor is that, if I’m going to go through the bother of making a pie dough (and though I enjoy making pie dough, it is time consuming), I prefer to get a fruit pie or tart out of the deal. 🙂
For dinner and for savory meals, I tend to skip the crust if I can. And it does have the benefit of decreasing the calories/fat content of the meal while also making the quiche easily gluten-free, so bonus!
As you can see from the photos above, filling the quiche is pretty simple. Grease the plate well with butter and then give a good coating of breadcrumbs, gluten-free or regular, depending on your needs.
Once the plate is prepared, layer all the filling ingredients followed by pouring the custard mixture over. I like adding a little touch of decoration in the form of a few asparagus spears arranged around the top. (Totally optional but cute!) Then into the oven it goes.
A few pointers:
- First, always cook any vegetables or watery ingredients before adding them. You do not want a watery quiche!
- Second, I prefer a moderate oven, since it allows the filling to set before the top browns too much while also being safer for the custard. Too high a temperature can wring all the moisture out of those eggs, giving you a watery quiche again. Still do not want!
- And, third, I like to go with the 1 egg + milk = 1/2 cup custard formula. Which means you break the egg and then add milk until the milk mixed with the egg reaches the 1/2 cup level. For this quiche I broke 5 eggs into a 4 cup measure and then filled it to the 2 1/2 cup mark. It makes measuring easy. This method was good enough for Julia Child, so it’s good enough for me.
If you try my recipe for Crustless Asparagus Quiche, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience and rating! And I’m happy to answer any questions you might have.
– Happy Eating, Annemarie
Asparagus and Bacon Crustless Quiche
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, gluten-free
- 1 bunch asparagus, ends broken off
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- 4 slices thick cut bacon
- 6 oz gruyere cheese, shredded
- 1 oz parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 5 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk, approximately
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Butter a 9-inch pie plate and then coat it with the breadcrumbs. Swirl the breadcrumbs around the plate until you have an even coating and then tap out the excess.
- Cover a baking sheet with foil; arrange the asparagus on the baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes.
- Add the scallions and bake for 2 minutes more.
- Collect 8 of the asparagus spears and set them aside to top the quiche and then cut up the remaining spears into 2 inch pieces.
- Spread out the bacon on a baking sheet and bake for 14-16 minutes, or until brown and crispy. Remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate.
- Lower the heat of the oven to 350F.
- Spread out the chopped asparagus and the scallions in the pie plate. Crumble the bacon and spread that out. Add the gruyere, parmesan, and parsley in an even layer.
- Break the 5 eggs into a 4 cup measure and then add milk until you reach the 2 1/2 cup point on the measuring cup. This will be about 1 1/2 cups of milk.
- Mix together the eggs and whole milk until well blended. Pour the custard over the ingredients in the pie plate. Tap the plate and give it a little shake to remove any air bubbles.
- Then cut the reserved asparagus spears so they are a little shorter than the radius of the pie plate. Arrange them evenly around the top and press them into the custard a bit.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the top is browned and the custard is set. The quiche will still jiggle in the middle but the edges will be puffed and firm.
- Allow to cool until just warm or to room temperature. Then cut and serve.
Valerie says
I made this a few weeks ago for dinner. I used a colby jack cheese as it was what I had on hand and it was still delicious. So delicious in fact that I’m making it for breakfast Christmas morning! I do have one question though, can you make this ahead of time, say maybe the day before? Thank you!!
justalittlebitofbacon says
Oh certainly! The great thing about quiche and frittata is that it works just as well cold/room temp as it does when fresh.
Pamela Koupal says
Made this today for Mother’s Day brunch. Had some beautiful leftover asparagus, and this was the perfect way to use it. During this crazy pandemic quarantine, I did not have Gruyere cheese, but substituted with a blend of mozzarella, sharp cheddar and Parmesan. Used Italian Panko breadcrumbs in the bottom, and used a mix of 2% milk and cream. Served with a Caesar salad and mango mimosas. Absolutely delicious! Happy Mother’s Day to me!
justalittlebitofbacon says
Hey, we have to be flexible these days! And I’m glad you enjoyed your Mother’s Day brunch and the quiche. 🙂
Karen Fox says
I am making this wonderful quiche for the second time. It’s in the oven now, and wanted to let you know how much my family has enjoyed it. Rave reviews !!!
I made this quiche in an 8×8 glass pan and substituted 1 leek, thinly sliced and sauteed, for the scallions.
AnneMarie -, Thank you again for this terrific recipe, and I enjoyed your nod to Julia Childs.
justalittlebitofbacon says
Great! Nice choice with the leek and we can’t go wrong following Julia Child. 🙂
Kristi Kay Wiseman says
This was just wonderful. It didn’t quite fit in my pie plate so I had to use a larger pan but it was scrumptious and I will make it again.
justalittlebitofbacon says
I’m glad you enjoyed it! And thank you for the feedback. 🙂
Betty says
mmmm this is so ruddy delicious! Made it last week, thanks for sharing!
Betty x
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed this as much as we did. 🙂
Helen says
Lovely recipe. Perfect for Easter. I do like a piece of crustless quiche for breakfast too.
justalittlebitofbacon says
Having it for breakfast sounds like a plan to me!
Linda says
What a delicious combination of flavors !
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thank you! 🙂
Kirsten says
This is my kinda dish… this is the kinda brunch recipe I’d love for dinner… tonight! It was great! Anything with bacon = LOVE
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thanks! And clearly I like bacon too.
simonacallas says
Quiche without crust? I go for it! Especially since I try to avoid flour and sugar. This recipe is just perfect and I can’t wait to try it 🙂
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thanks. Crustless quiche is an excellent way to go gluten-free and keep refined grains out of your life.
shelby says
Great tips here! I have never put breadcrumbs in the plate first, that’s a great idea! We love asparagus and used to have it growing in our garden at our home back “home”. I miss that garden and the ease of just walking out there to grab some!
justalittlebitofbacon says
Breadcrumbs make it much easier to get a slice out. 🙂 And I would love an asparagus bed.
Just Jo says
Delicious – I make my savoury tarts/quiches with a light pizza dough base to cut the calories and plus I think short crust is too rich. Love this 🙂
justalittlebitofbacon says
I could see a pizza dough base! And short crust is definitely very rich for dinner. 🙂
Pat says
Awesome! I love all those flavors AND gruyere cheese is the best. 🙂
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thank you! It’s a great use of spring asparagus and of course I enjoy bacon. 🙂