Meal Prep “Kitchen Sink” Quiche

One of the harsh realities of adulthood is the fact that not only do you have to prep lunches for the work week, but you also have to prep breakfasts (unless you want to wake up an extra 20 minutes earlier each day, which I don’t). I literally have my morning routine down to the minute so I can get every ounce of sleep possible. That’s probably an issue I need to face sooner rather than later, but until then I will continue to prep my breakfasts as well.

Some days, I keep it easy and just make a smoothie. I don’t need to think about it and just throw everything into the blender. However, when I want something more substantial, I reach for egg casseroles of any kind. When I was paleo, I would painstakingly homemake crusts that fit within the confines of that diet. That method is awesome if you’ve got the time (and they always turned out delicious), but I found that it took the ease out of the whole process and I dreaded prep days because of it.

Nowadays, I just use store-bought pie crust. I know you’re all SHOCKED. But, I can’t tell a lie. It’s always flaky, always buttery, and never falls apart like a homemade crust. It rocks. I will say that I’m picky about the ingredients that go into the store-bought crusts, so I usually reach for an organic brand such as the crusts from Immaculate Baking Co. However, the generic crusts will definitely work in a pinch, or if you don’t care about the ingredient list.

For the filling, I’ve experimented a ton based on the ingredients we have on hand, but the combination in this recipe is one that we’ve consistently wanted to remake each week. It combines hearty broccoli with sautéed peppers and shallots on the bottom, a layer of shredded gruyere cheese, diced ham, and a final layer of goat cheese. The flavor combination is amazing, and the quiche itself is pretty healthy. I absolutely love it. I call it “kitchen sink” because this quiche really takes to any combination of produce/meat/cheese you have laying around, so feel free to go crazy! If you aren’t feeling creative and would rather just stick to a pre-written recipe, then this one is the perfect one for you.

Quick note on these quiches: they were inspired by my boyfriend Jeff, who used to eat a greasy breakfast sandwich (that he homemade, but still, it was greasy) every day. He asked me to brainstorm ways he could still get his egg fix without the heavy feeling after, and thus the quiche idea was born. He simply reheats his slices in the microwave at work, but you could also opt to heat them in the oven at 375 for a few minutes.

This recipe makes two quiches, and I usually wrap them in individual slices in foil, then store in a bag in the freezer for easy breakfasts. Alternatively, this makes a great addition to any brunch table to feed a crowd! If you make these quiches, don’t forget to share your recipes and tag me @theardentcook on Instagram so I can see how you served ’em!

Ingredients

2 9-inch pie crusts, homemade or store-bought, at room temperature

16-20 eggs

1 cup broccoli, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 yellow bell pepper, diced

2 large or 3 medium shallots, diced

2 cups ham, diced

1 cup gruyere cheese, shredded

1 4oz log goat cheese, crumbled

1/8 cup whole milk

Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease two 9-inch pie dishes and line each one with a pie crust.
2. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add broccoli, peppers, and shallots, and cook until lightly browned and mostly cooked through, about 5 minutes.
3. While the vegetables cook, crack 16 eggs into a large mixing bowl. Add the milk, salt, and pepper, and whisk to combine.
4. Spoon 1/2 of the vegetable mixture into one pie dish, and the other 1/2 into the other pie dish, followed by the gruyere cheese. Divide the ham evenly between the two pies (on top of the vegetables and gruyere), then crumble goat cheese evenly over the two quiches.
5. Fill each pie pan with roughly 1/2 of the egg mixture. If more eggs are needed to completely cover the filling, feel free to beat eggs one by one and add to fill each quiche. I prefer to start with 16 and add as I need, so I don’t waste eggs. Some days I use more filling, which requires less eggs to fill the pie dishes, and vice versa.
6. Bake the quiches for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is set and lightly browned.
7. Allow the quiches to cool slightly before slicing. Serve immediately, or wrap slices individually in foil and store in a plastic bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.