Step-by-Step Recipe: Ham and Cheese Quiche

The spring flowers and trees are blooming...but the spring temperatures have been inconsistent at best.  This means more recipes with the tastes of spring, but with some extra heartiness.  This quiche totally hit the spot.  Say what you will about quiche being feminine, my husband loved this.  It was hot, cheesy, filling, and delicious.

You could put whatever you wanted into this quiche; I went the traditional way with diced ham and shredded cheddar cheese.  You could do whatever cheese you'd like--swiss would have been great, too.  You could probably add vegetables, too, though you'd want something that wouldn't add too much moisture to the quiche, because that would affect how it cooked.  (I'm as much of a fan of veggies as the next girl, but I decided to just serve a salad on the side.)  And quiche is good for brunch, lunch, or dinner!  The secret to this quiche is that it uses cottage cheese instead of heavy cream.  This makes it lighter without sacrificing the taste or texture.

Recipe and pictures under the cut!

First, assemble your ingredients.

Next, roll out the pie crust in your pie dish.  You'll want to use a large, deep pie dish.

Next, mix the shredded cheese with the flour and scatter it in the pie crust.

Add the diced ham on top of the cheese.

Whisk together the remaining ingredients.

Pour the egg mixture over top of the ham and cheese in the crust.

Bake the quiche at 400 degrees for one hour or until set. (You may want to cover with foil for part of the time so that the crust doesn't overbrown. I only covered mine for the last 20 minutes, and wish I'd covered it a bit longer.)

Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes, then slice and serve!

Ham and Cheese Quiche, recipe found on Tasty Kitchen
Serves: 6-8, depending how big you slice it. Time: <90 minutes, including baking.

Ingredients

• 1 whole Refrigerated Pillsbury Pie Crust
• 2 cups Freshly Grated Cheese (swiss, Cheddar Or Whatever You Like)
• 4 teaspoons Flour
• 1 cup Cubed, Cooked Ham
• 6 whole Eggs
• 1 cup Milk
• 1 cup Cottage Cheese
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• ½ teaspoons Dried Ground Mustard

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F).
2. Let the rolled pie crust sit on the counter for 15 minutes. Once room temp unroll it and put in a deep dish pie pan.
3. Mix the cheese and flour together and place in bottom of pie. Top with the meat.
4. In a bowl combine the rest of the ingredients whisk until blended well. Pour on top of the meat.
5. Bake for 60 minutes at 400 degrees. Then, remove from the oven and let it sit on counter until cooled and enjoy!