You know what I love about Thanksgiving? It is not actually the turkey. Do not get me wrong, I appreciate a good roasted bird as much as the next person, but what really gets me excited is all those incredible side dishes and the breakfast situation. Because let me tell you, Thanksgiving morning can be absolutely chaotic, and the last thing anyone needs is to be scrambling eggs for eight people while also basting a turkey and answering questions about when dinner will be ready. This easy recipe with eggs, cheese, and bacon will save your holiday morning stress.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

This is where my favorite Thanksgiving quiche comes into play, and I am going to share exactly how I make it every single year. It has become such a tradition in my house that my sister actually called me last November in a panic because she could not remember if I use Swiss cheese or cheddar. The answer is both, by the way, but we will get to that.

The beautiful thing about a good quiche for Thanksgiving is that you can make it the night before, which already puts you miles ahead of the breakfast game. I stumbled onto this recipe about five years ago when I was hosting Thanksgiving for the first time and realized at about ten at night that I had made zero plans for feeding my guests breakfast. We had people sleeping on air mattresses in the living room, and I knew they would be up early and hungry.

Let me walk you through how I make this now. First, you need to think about your crust situation. I have made homemade pie crust exactly twice in my life, and both times I ended up with something that resembled a very flat, very sad cracker. So I buy the refrigerated pie crusts that come rolled up in the dairy section, and I have absolutely no shame about this. You want to get two of them if you are making a deep dish quiche, or one if you are using a regular pie pan. Press that crust into your pan, crimp the edges if you are feeling fancy, and stick it in the fridge while you make the filling.

For the filling, I start with about eight eggs. Some people say six is enough, but those people are wrong if you want a really custardy, substantial quiche. Crack those eggs into a big bowl and whisk them up with about a cup and a half of heavy cream. You could use milk or half and half, but the cream makes it so much richer and more luxurious, and it is Thanksgiving, so we are not counting calories today.

Here is where it gets good. I add in a cup of shredded Swiss cheese and a cup of sharp cheddar. The Swiss gives you that classic quiche flavor, and the cheddar brings a little sharpness that keeps it interesting. Then I season it with salt, pepper, a little nutmeg, and sometimes a tiny pinch of cayenne if I am feeling adventurous. The nutmeg is crucial, though. It adds this warmth that people can never quite identify but they always comment on.

Now for the vegetables and add-ins, which is where you can really make this your own. I always sauté some onions first because raw onions in quiche are simply unacceptable. I cook them in butter until they are soft and golden, maybe ten minutes or so. Then I add in some fresh spinach and let it wilt down. You could also use mushrooms, roasted red peppers, or honestly whatever vegetables you have hanging around that need to be used up.

I also like to add some cooked bacon or ham because this is a breakfast situation and we need protein. About six strips of bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled, is perfect. Sometimes I use leftover ham from another meal, which works beautifully and saves money.

Once everything is ready, I spread the onions, spinach, and bacon evenly in the bottom of the pie crust. Then I carefully pour the egg and cream mixture over the top, making sure not to overfill it because quiche has this annoying habit of puffing up in the oven and then potentially spilling over if you are not careful. I learned this the hard way and spent an hour scrubbing my oven.

The baking part is straightforward. I put it in a 375-degree oven for about 45 to 50 minutes. You want the center to be just barely set, with maybe the tiniest wiggle when you shake the pan. It will continue cooking as it cools, and nobody wants an overcooked, rubbery quiche.

Reference​

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service. (n.d.). Safe minimum internal temperature chart. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/safe-temperature-chart

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service. (n.d.). Shell eggs from farm to table. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/eggs/shell-eggs-farm-table

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service. (n.d.). Leftovers and food safety. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/leftovers-and-food-safety