Wedding Breakfast Quiche

I had some requests for this quiche recipe, so I decided to post it. Even though the recipe below is for the appetizer mini quiches, I discovered it's a perfect start for a pie sized quiche as well. I am posting the original, appetizer sized recipe first, then my adjusted recipe that I used for Lance and Mandy’s wedding breakfast below it. Some of the changes I made were: I omitted the mushrooms because Mandy is allergic to them, and also the garlic, because it's just not right to eat garlic at breakfast! It is delicious with both of those in it, however. I added diced red bell pepper for color. I used half and half instead of milk to make it extra creamy, smooth and delicious since it was a special occasion. If you do use milk, whole milk would be best. I also used tabasco sauce instead of black pepper and added a dash of nutmeg. I doubled the recipe basically as far as milk (half and half) and eggs go, but I used different amounts of vegetables. And speaking of vegetables, chopped fresh spinach is also yummy in it and Deanne said for Enrichment they had one made with whole baby spinach leaves arranged in a pattern on the top of the quiche that was gorgeous. It will stay warm for quite a long time and I actually like it better warm than I do piping hot. It also reheats nicely and so leftovers taste great the next day. So here goes:

Original Recipe
Savory Vegetable Mini Quiches
from The Pampered Chef

1 pkg ready to bake pie crust (such as Ready Crust in the refrigerated section of the grocery store)
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 cup zucchini, chopped
1/2 cup fresh mushcrooms, chopped
1/4 cup cooked bacon or bacon bits
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/4 cup green onion, sliced
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
dash black pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Divide crust into 24 pieces and pres into mini-muffin tin. Whisk milk and eggs together. Stir in vegetables and remaining ingredients. Fill each muffin cup with 1 Tbls. filling. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes, remove carefully.

Note: I made these mini quiches ahead and froze them for Candace and Kevin's wedding reception and they reheat beautifully.

Wedding Breakfast Quiche

1 frozen pie shell (see note)

Note: I used Marie Callendar frozen pie shells from Wal-Mart. Check them carefully before you buy and try to get unbroken, uncracked ones. Usually if the top one is fine, the bottom one will be also. Unwrap them, put them on a foil-lined cookie sheet and let them thaw for about 10 minutes while you whip up the filling. When I was researching and testing recipes, I found that many sources recommended pre-baking the crust. Deanne’s ward did an Enrichment on quiches and she mentioned that they had also found that the quiches turned out better with pre-baking. So, I did that as well. For best results, blind bake the shells at 350 for about 8 minutes. Prick the shells lightly with a fork, then put a piece of parchment or wax paper in the pie shell, add some dried beans and bake it for about 8 minutes. (The beans keep the shell from puffing up and distorting) Lift out the paper and beans and return the pie shell to the oven to bake an additional 1 or 2 minutes. Have the filling ready and pour it in while the crust is still hot.) Lower heat to 325 degrees and finish baking.

4 eggs
1 cup half and half
dash nutmeg
dash tabasco sauce
1 cup zucchini, chopped
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup cooked bacon or real bacon bits (don't use imitation bacon bits)

Whisk together eggs, half and half, nutmeg and tabasco sauce. Stir in chopped vegetables, cheese and bacon bits. Pour into hot, pre-baked crust and return to oven. Bake at 325 for 45 minutes. Let cool slightly before cutting and serving. Serves 8.