Rule #270: Some recipes are worth the extra time.
This Caramelized Onion and Bacon Quiche is one of those recipes that really invokes a sense of warmth and comfort in me whenever I make it. I’ve included the recipe for a homemade Parmesan crust, but you can absolutely just skip that and use a store bought one instead. I just love the sweet caramelized onions paired with the salty, crunchy bacon all snuggled in tight to a delicious savory crust.
I mean, just look at those layers of Quiche Perfection.
One of the major bonuses to this recipe is that it freezes well! So, make a biggo quiche for your people and freeze the leftovers for a quick breakfast or lunch later on.
Parmesan Crust
First, let’s make our little crust shall we? In a food processor, pulse together 1/4 cup cornmeal, 1 1/2 cups flour, and 3/4 tsp. sea salt (or table salt).
Next, sprinkle in a stick of cold butter cut into small pieces. Pulse until it looks like pea-sized bits, then add 3 tbs. shredded or grated Parmesan.
Now, with the food processor on low, drizzle in some ICE COLD water. I mean it – friggin’ Arctic level ice cold. None of that lukewarm business.
Drizzle in anywhere from 5-8 tbs. of ice water.
As you the mixture pulses around, you want it to start to come together as one big piece of dough on its own like this:
Next, pull out that gorgeous hunk of Parmesan deliciousness and form it into a ball. Then, flatten it into a disc, and cover with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate that bad boy until firm (about 45 minutes).
Now, roll out the dough onto a floured surface until it’s just slightly larger than your pie dish.
Coat your pie dish with cooking spray, lay the crust on top, and press the edges in with your fingers. Think of it like Play-Doh: when there’s a crack, grab some dough from another part of the pie, and fill in those little gaps. Then, pierce the bottom all over with a fork to prevent it from rising unevenly. Refrigerate another 20 minutes.
Next, preheat the oven to 350. Place some foil all over the top of the dough. You’re going to want some pie weights or dried beans to weigh down the crust. We’ve had ours for years, but these are great on Amazon and only $6!
Just pour the pie weights or dried beans into the foil. Bake 20 minutes, then remove the foil and pie weights.
Place the crust back into the oven and bake another 12-15 minutes, until golden brown.
Allow to cool completely.
Caramelized Onion and Bacon Quiche Filling
While we let our little Parmesan crust deliciousness cool, let’s make us some quiche filling! In a large Dutch oven or skillet, brown the bacon over medium-high heat.
Once the bacon is cooked, remove it to a paper-towel lined plate to dry and cool.
In the same Dutch oven or skillet, sauté some sliced yellow onion until caramelized over medium-low heat (about 20 minutes).
Meanwhile, measure out 1 cup of half-and-half in a large measuring cup. Then whisk in 4 eggs, 3 tbs. flour, 1/4 tsp. Kosher salt, and 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper.
Stir in the cooked bacon and fresh thyme leaves.
Layer the bottom of the quiche with the caramelized onions.
Then pour the half-and-half mixture over top.
Bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until set.
We garnish ours with a little chopped chives, but really, this little lady doesn’t need any accessories.
She’s pretty perfect just the way she is in her Bacon-y, Creamy Egg-y, Parmesan-y goodness. Those are all real words. Look ’em up.
Fork Cheers to this delicious, oh-so-worth-the-wait dish!
Caramelized Onion and Bacon Quiche
Ingredients
For the crust:
- ¼ cup yellow cornmeal
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp. sea salt or table salt
- 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into ½” pieces
- 3 tbs. grated Parmesan
- 5-8 tbs. ice water
For the filling:
- 3 strips bacon chopped
- 1 yellow onion thinly sliced
- 3 tbs. all-purpose flour
- 4 eggs whisked
- 1 cup half-and-half
- ¼ tsp. Kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves chopped (or 1/8 tsp. dried thyme)
Instructions
Make the crust:
- In a food processor, pulse together the cornmeal, flour, and salt until combined. Add cold butter and Parmesan; pulse until the mixture has pea-sized bits of butter. While continuing to pulse, drizzle in the 5 tbs. ice water until dough comes together. Add more water if necessary, but not more than 8 tbs. Roll the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm (about 45 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- On a clean, floured surface, roll out the dough with a rolling pin until it fits the shape of a 9” pie dish. Grease the pie dish with cooking spray; press dough into pie dish, crimping sides as needed. Pierce the bottom of the dough with a fork so the dough does not rise during cooking. Refrigerate the dough in the pie dish an additional 20 minutes.
- Line the pie crust with foil and fill with either pie weights or dried beans (any kind). Bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and beans; bake an additional 12-15 minutes, until the crust is golden-brown. Allow to cool completely on wire rack.
Make the filling:
- Meanwhile in a large skillet or Dutch oven, brown the bacon over medium-high heat. Remove the cooked bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and add the onions to the bacon grease and sauté until caramelized (about 20 minutes), stirring occasionally. Lay the onions on the bottom of the cooled crust. Measure the half-and-half in a large measuring cup. Then add the bacon, flour, eggs, salt, pepper, and thyme; whisk to combine.
- Pour cream mixture over onion. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until set.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary, and Pineapple House Rules makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Bacon and caramelized onions? Yes, please!