Mini Quiches with Bacon, Caramelized Onions & Spinach
Individual quiches lend a festive air to a weekend brunch. If you have any left over, wrap them tightly and freeze—reheated in the oven, they make a terrific quick dinner, paired with a green salad.
Ingredients
- 2 portions pie dough, store bought or homemade
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 (8-ounce) package Applegate Naturals ® No Sugar Bacon, chopped
- 5 ounces baby spinach, coarsely chopped
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup half and half
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup grated Gruyère or Swiss cheese
- Equipment: 12-cup muffin pan; pie weights or dried beans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut out twelve 6-inch square pieces of aluminum foil, set aside.
- Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Using a small plate or saucer, cut out twelve 5-inch rounds from the dough. Press each dough round into a muffin cup, then use a fork to prick the bottoms. Line each dough-filled muffin cup with a piece of aluminum foil. Fill each cup halfway with pie weights or dried beans.
- Bake the lined muffin cups for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and when cool enough to handle, remove the pie weights and foil.
- While the crusts bake, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are deeply golden and bacon is crisp, about 15 minutes.
- Add the spinach and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Whisk together the eggs, half and half, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Stir in the cheese and the bacon mixture. Divide the egg mixture evenly between the muffin cups.
- Bake the quiches until puffed and lightly golden on top; a skewer inserted in the center should come out clean, 20–23 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes (the quiches will deflate) before removing the quiches from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.
- Variation: To make gluten-free frittatas, omit the pie dough and grease the muffin cups well (the recipe yields 10 to 12 frittatas). Divide the egg mixture evenly between the muffin cups. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven until puffed and lightly golden on top, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the frittatas to loosen, then lift out and transfer to a serving plate.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut out twelve 6-inch square pieces of aluminum foil, set aside.
- Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Using a small plate or saucer, cut out twelve 5-inch rounds from the dough. Press each dough round into a muffin cup, then use a fork to prick the bottoms. Line each dough-filled muffin cup with a piece of aluminum foil. Fill each cup halfway with pie weights or dried beans.
- Bake the lined muffin cups for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and when cool enough to handle, remove the pie weights and foil.
- While the crusts bake, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are deeply golden and bacon is crisp, about 15 minutes.
- Add the spinach and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Whisk together the eggs, half and half, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Stir in the cheese and the bacon mixture. Divide the egg mixture evenly between the muffin cups.
- Bake the quiches until puffed and lightly golden on top; a skewer inserted in the center should come out clean, 20–23 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes (the quiches will deflate) before removing the quiches from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.
- Variation: To make gluten-free frittatas, omit the pie dough and grease the muffin cups well (the recipe yields 10 to 12 frittatas). Divide the egg mixture evenly between the muffin cups. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven until puffed and lightly golden on top, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the frittatas to loosen, then lift out and transfer to a serving plate.