Cheesy Italian Quiche with Bacon
Cheesy, salty, rich, and satisfying, this Italian quiche is an automatic crowd-pleaser.
Quiche is a savory breakfast pie, loaded with eggs, cheese, meat, and hopefully, more cheese.
This version of cheesy Italian quiche starts with a base of eggs, garlic, cheese, and diced onions, which is the base of any delicious egg dish.
Poured into a prepared pie crust and filled with your choice of salty meats and cheeses, this hearty quiche recipe bakes up deliciously every time.
About this Italian quiche
The key to this rich, creamy Italian quiche is the combination of sour cream and heavy whipping cream, seasoned with dried basil and oregano.
The heavy cream thickens the eggs to make a custard, and the sour cream adds a tart complexity that highlights the savory blend of cheeses and meats. By using a dried Italian seasoning blend, you’ll taste Italian flavors in every bite.
You can use any cheeses you have on hand, making this a great dish to use up smaller portions of cheese you may have left from other recipes. To create a classic Italian-style quiche, try a blend of mozzarella, provolone, Parmesan, Fontina, Romano, or Asiago.
Mozzarella is mild and creamy. Parmesan and Asiago are sharper and tend to be saltier. But really, any cheese works because there’s no such thing as bad cheese! Unless of course, it’s gone bad.
You can try different varieties of meat as well. This recipe is delicious with crumbled bacon and spicy sausage. can Prosciutto and pepperoni are good choices. Any cooked breakfast meat is delicious in this dish.
The prepared pie crust bakes up flaky and crusty, making it easy to serve. If you’re looking for a dish to bring to a party or to serve to guests, this quiche is a winner. It bakes for a half hour in the oven, giving you plenty of time to clean a few dishes and focus on sides or drinks. It also travels well, so don’t be afraid to take it on the road!
If you prefer your quiche to be bite-sized, try our mini quiches!
What you need
- Pie Crust – You’ll need an unbaked 9-inch pie crust or pastry
- Flavor Building Blocks – You’ll be sautéing onions and garlic in butter to build flavor into this quiche. Yum! If you prefer a more mild garlic flavor, just add 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder instead of fresh garlic.
- Quiche Basics – Every quiche is slightly different, but for this rich, decadent quiche, you’ll need eggs, milk, heavy cream, and sour cream. The egg mixture is flavored with Italian seasoning and some black pepper.
- Cheese and Bacon – Read on for lots of tips about how you can change up the mix-ins to make this quiche perfect for you and your people!
How to make it
Preheat your oven and prep your pie crust according to the package directions or the recipe. Line unbaked pie crust with foil and fill with pie weights, dry uncooked rice, or uncooked beans (this is called a blind bake). Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove pie crust from oven, carefully remove pie weights and foil, and sprinkle a half cup of the cheese in the hot pie crust. Allow crust to cool slightly while preparing remaining quiche ingredients.
In a small skillet, heat butter until melted. Add onions and sauté until softened and lightly browned.
Add minced garlic to the skillet and cook for two more minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, cool slightly.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs with a hand mixer or whisk until well combined. Add milk, cream, sour cream, Italian seasoning, and pepper and beat until all ingredients are well combined and the mixture becomes frothy on top.
Add onions and garlic; stir to combine. Add 1 cup of the cheese; stir to combine.
Pour filling into pie crust and top with bacon. If desired, reserve some of the bacon to sprinkle on top just before serving.
Bake on the lower shelf of your oven for 30 minutes. If the crust starts to get too brown, cover the edges with aluminum foil, and continue to bake. Quiche is done when center is mostly set, and a knife inserted in center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with reserved ½ cup cheese and bacon pieces. Let cool about 10 minutes. With a sharp knife, cut into 8 slices and serve.
How to make this quiche your own
- Cheese Ideas: There’s no wrong cheese combination for this dish! If you’re not sure where to start, try a classic Italian pairing of ricotta, parmesan, and mozzarella.
- Kid Version: If your kids are not thrilled about sharp cheeses and spicy breakfast meats, try a blend of white and yellow sharp or mild cheddar with ham. Even a simple deli ham, sliced into small pieces, works well.
- Add veggie power. Don’t be afraid to toss some extra veggies in your quiche. Bell peppers, broccoli, and asparagus will hold their own in this dish. Make sure to lightly cook them before putting them in the quiche.
- Note about garlic: If you don’t have fresh garlic or like a more mild garlic flavor, you can use a half teaspoon garlic powder, more or less to taste.
- Lighter version: Substitute half-and-half for the heavy cream.
What to serve with this quiche
There are many great options for sides to serve with your quiche:
- Roasted potatoes or hash browns
- A green side salad
- For lunch or dinner, try pairing it with soup (try tomato basil, french onion, or a roasted vegetable soup topped with bacon!) and crusty bread
- Fresh fruit (especially berries, peaches, and nectarines). Try this luscious fruit salad with poppy seed dressing!
- More bacon!
- A refreshing beverage like a mimosa, a mimosa mocktail, an iced vanilla latte, a mango smoothie, or a blueberry smoothie.
Storage Suggestions
Store leftover quiche covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheating Tips
Reheat single slices of quiche in the microwave in 30-45 second intervals or until warm.
More egg-cellent recipes
- How to Make Fluffy Scrambled Eggs
- Over Easy, Over Medium, and Over Hard Eggs
- Pesto Eggs (as seen on Tiktok!)
- Avocado Toast with Eggs
Get the Recipe: Cheesy Italian Quiche with Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust or pastry
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 5 large eggs
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup cooked bacon pieces (from 12 oz. package bacon)
- 2 cups Italian six cheese shredded blend, divided (mozzarella, provolone, Parmesan, Fontina, Romano and Asiago)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Prepare pie crust according to package directions. Line unbaked pie crust with foil and fill with pie weights or uncooked beans (this is called a blind bake). Bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove pie crust from oven, carefully remove pie weights and foil, and sprinkle a half cup of the cheese in the hot pie crust. Allow crust to cool slightly while preparing quiche ingredients.
- In a small skillet, heat butter until melted. Add onions and sauté until softened and lightly browned.
- Add minced garlic to the skillet and cook for two more minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, cool slightly.
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs with a hand mixer or whisk until well combined. Add milk, cream, sour cream, Italian seasoning, and pepper and beat until all ingredients are well combined and the mixture becomes frothy on top.
- Add onions and garlic; stir to combine. Add 1 cup of the cheese; stir to combine.
- Pour filling into pie crust and top with bacon. If desired, reserve some of the bacon to sprinkle on top just before serving.
- Bake on the lower shelf of your oven for 30 minutes. If the crust starts to get too brown, cover the edges with aluminum foil, and continue to bake. Quiche is done when center is mostly set, and a knife inserted in center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle with reserved ½ cup cheese and bacon pieces. Let cool about 10 minutes. With a sharp knife, cut into 8 slices and serve.
Notes
- Store leftover quiche covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat single slices of quiche in the microwave in 30-45 second intervals or until warm.