Country Christmas Quiche

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First off, let me start by saying this quiche is great anytime of year. It doesn't need to be reserved for Christmas. But my mom always made it for Christmas morning and the festive colors of the ingredients lend themselves to the seasonal tidings.

Christmas morning is a time of excitement, chaos, and let's be honest, exhaustion. Everyone is looking for a special breakfast, but who wants to be the one responsible for slaving away in the kitchen while everyone else is enjoying themselves with their new treasures or relaxing after a rampage of paper tearing and gleeful excitement? No one.

This quiche is the perfect make-ahead item for Christmas morning. You can bake it fully ahead of time then stick it in the fridge. Reheat by the piece or the entire quiche (just be sure to cover with foil to it doesn't over-brown). And since it's a quiche, it's also great at room temperature. It's so comforting and hearty, it will keep everyone happy and satisfied until the big holiday meal later in the day and you won't have a whole kitchen to clean up before cooking again.

This is also great to bring to a Christmas brunch since it transports easily and can be made ahead. It really is the gift that keeps on giving, Clark.

Enjoy the Country Christmas Quiche this year at Christmas, or any day of the year. You're going to love it.

Country Christmas Quiche
Makes ~ 8 servings
Prep time: 25-30 minutes | Cook time: 40 minutes

Click the file below to download and print the recipe

Country Christmas Quiche

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Download PDF • 128KB

I recommend reading the recipe all the way through, including the recipe notes at the bottom, before you start cooking.

Ingredients:

• 1lb. roll of country sausage (I like Tennessee Pride. Also Jimmy Dean or Bob Evan's)

• 1.5 - 2 C. shredded swiss cheese (or combo of swiss and jarlsberg)

• 1/4 C. finely chopped red bell pepper

• 1/4 C. finely chopped yellow bell pepper*

• 1/4 C. finely chopped onion

• 4 eggs

• 1 C. half and half

• 1 TB finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)**

• 1 pie crust (uncooked-- either store bought or homemade)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°

2. Cook the sausage in a large pan, breaking up with a spoon or spatula until cooked through and crumbled. Transfer cooked sausage to a paper towel-lined plate to drain off excess fat.

3. In the same pan used for the sausage, add 2 tsp. oil (may need less if you still have fat from sausage in the pan). Heat over medium heat and add peppers and onion. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until the peppers and onions are slightly softened but not browning; about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the sausage back into the pan and stir everything together so it is evenly mixed. Set aside to allow to cool while you work on the next steps.

4. In a quart-size measuring cup or a bowl, whisk the eggs until scrambled. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and the half and half. Carefully whisk until everything is combined and a little frothy.

5. Using a rolling pin, gently roll out the pie crust so it is big enough to fit into your pie dish with a little overlapping the edges. The crust will shrink slightly in the oven. Gently press the crust into the crease of the pan so it lays flat with no bubbles and comes completely up the sides of the dish. Pinch or crimp the top of the crust at the edge of the dish like you would with a regular pie.

6. Spread the shredded cheese onto the bottom of the pie, followed by the sausage/pepper mixture. Sprinkle the parsley evenly over the sausage mixture. Finally, slowly pour the egg mixture over the rest of the ingredients.

7. Transfer to the oven and bake for about 40 minutes until the eggs are set, the pie crust is golden brown, and the top of the quiche is lightly browned. Cover with foil if the crust or top is browning too quickly.

8. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Can be served at room temperature too.

*Recipe notes + Variations*

*The original recipe for this calls for red bell pepper and green bell pepper (hence the "Christmas" part of the recipe title). But I absolutely abhor green pepper so my version opts for red and yellow pepper instead. I add in the parsley so the quiche still has Christmas colors without the flavor of green pepper. If you like green pepper, feel free to add that instead of yellow and leave out the parsley.

**Read above. The parsley is completely optional

The original recipe calls for all swiss cheese, but I used a combination of swiss and jarlsberg and really like it. Jarlsberg has a little more flavor than swiss, but the dish will be completely delicious with swiss only.

To reheat an individual slice, I like to use the "reheat" button on my microwave for about 40-60 seconds. Then finish reheating in the oven or toaster oven at 350° until the crust is crispy again (about 10 minutes). I find this to be the best method because the microwave heats the inside faster and the oven keeps the crust crispy. Microwave alone will result in a soggy quiche and oven alone I find the crust ends up burning while you're waiting to heat fully through.