This has become one of my go-to quiche recipes — perfect for brunch, lunch, or dinner. Everyone who has tried it says they love it, and it’s easily made into a vegetarian-friendly dish by leaving out the bacon. Quiches are also the perfect party dish; they can be made in advance, cooled, and simply reheated in the oven before serving.

Spinach, gruyere & bacon quiche
(Serves 6-8; adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients
– 1 9″ deep-dish frozen pie crust (or freshly made), thawed; my favorite is whole wheat!
– 1/3 cup (4-5 slices) of bacon or pancetta, chopped into small cubes
– 1/2 cup shallots, thinly sliced
– 4 large eggs
– 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
– 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
– 3/4 tsp salt
– 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
– 1 cup gruyere cheese, finely grated
– 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, wrung free of water

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a fork, prick all over the bottom and sides of your thawed pie crust, making fork marks about one inch apart.

2. Bake your pie crust until fully cooked and lightly golden, about 10-15 minutes. Watch the crust carefully to make sure it doesn’t poof up (if it does, just use your fork to prick the crust and deflate it). Remove your crust from the oven to cool, and turn down your oven temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. While your pie crust is cooling, cook your bacon in a pan over medium heat, until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and pat with a towel to remove excess oil. Reserve about one tablespoon of oil for cooking the shallots.

4. In the same pan, cook your shallots until soft and slightly translucent (about 8 minutes), stirring occasionally to make sure the shallots don’t burn. Remove from heat to cool.

5. In a large mixing bowl, beat your eggs, heavy cream, nutmeg, salt, and cayenne pepper.

6. In your cooled pie crust, first scatter your cooked shallots on the bottom. Next, add half of your bacon, followed by your grated cheese, and then topped off with the rest of the bacon. Add your spinach, scattering it evenly over the bacon and cheese layers. Finally, pour your egg mixture over the top of your quiche, making sure the filling doesn’t pour over the sides.

7. Bake your quiche at 325 degree Fahrenheit for about 50-55 minutes, until your quiche is set and lightly golden on top. Enjoy warm!