EASY BACON AND CHEESE QUICHE

We've been on staff at our current church for 11 1/2 years now.  Early on in our time here, I used to play Bunco with a fun group of gals.  It was such a great way to make friends and deepen relationships (because although "Bunco" was technically our activity, we all knew that was just an excuse for Girls' Night Out with lots of food and chatting!).  We each took turns hosting every month, opening our home and providing dinner for the rest of the group.  One member would always make a variety of quiches when it was her turn to host, and that was always one of my favorite nights!  Meaty cheesy savory yumminess in a pie crust... what could be better?

She graciously shared the recipe with me all those years ago, and this has become an often used recipe in my arsenal.  We most often make it for breakfast, but I also love to fix this for lunch and accompany it with a salad.  It needs minimal prep work and can be ready in a flash!

Here's the ingredients:

Yes, you see a frozen pie crust there.  I am in no way opposed to using them.  In fact, I even prefer them most of the time to homemade (I like Pet-Ritz).  You can certainly make your own, or you can thaw one out and transfer it to a pretty pie plate so it will LOOK homemade.  Not that I've ever done that.  <wink wink>  I usually at least pinch and flute the edges to make them look nicer, but my husband actually assembled this one the other morning after I did the prep work the night before, so that step didn't happen.

EASY BACON AND CHEESE QUICHE

(1) 3 oz. pouch of bacon bits
1/2 c. onion
5 oz. swiss cheese
3 oz. shredded parmesan cheese
(1) 9 inch deep dish frozen pie crust
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup half and half cream

When I plan to make this for breakfast, I do a bit of prep work the night before.  I prefer for the onions to be cooked and soft, so I start by chopping those and then cooking them covered for about 2 minutes in the microwave.  After letting them cool, I add the bacon bits and cheeses, and combine everything well.  Then, I keep that in the fridge until morning.

When I roll out of bed, all I have to do is preheat the oven to 400 degrees, dump the mixture I made the night before in the pie crust, mix the eggs and cream together, then pour it on top.  Quick and easy!

With the oven at 400 degrees, bake the quiche for 15 minutes.  Then, lower the heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 35 minutes.  Eggs should be set and the top should be slightly browned when finished.

One more thing to note, you can be flexible with the cheese.  I was out of parmesan, so I used the Italian mix in place of it.  Or, I've dropped back on the swiss just a bit and used a little mozzarella along with the parmesan before.  It's good every single time.

For me, this recipe definitely qualifies for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  Do you have a favorite eat any-time meal?

*Recipe originally from Allrecipes.com.  There are several variations to the recipe in the comments that you might want to check out.