Deep Dish Bacon Spinach Quiche

Brunch is one of my favorite meals of the day. Just thinking about the word makes me want to do a drooling Homer Simpson "Mmmmm ... brunch...." impression. As far as I'm concerned, one of the best items that brunch has to offer is quiche. A giant slice of quiche stuffed with cheese, bacon, spinach, caramelized onions.... Does it get any better? If you're looking to impress your guests with your mad brunch-making skills, this quiche is the way to do it.

Deep Dish Bacon Spinach Quiche, serves 6-8.

2 cups cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
7 eggs
1 ready-made refrigerated pie crust
3/4 pound bacon
2 cups baby spinach
1 medium sweet onion
2 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper to taste
deep quiche pan with removable bottom (you can use a regular pie pan too; you just won't fit all the liquid in a regular pie pan, so you may want to have another smaller pie pan to use the excess with)

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Remove your pie crust from the fridge and allow it to sit out on the counter for 15 minutes to soften. In the meantime, cook your bacon over medium heat until crispy, and set on paper towels to cool. Chop your onion and add to a pan with the butter. Cook over medium heat until the onions have softened and caramelized. They should look browned, but not burnt, and have a delicious sweetness to them. Once the onions are caramelized, set them aside to slightly cool. Chop your spinach into slices and add them to a pan with a small amount of butter or oil over medium heat. You just want to wilt the spinach, and it will only take a minute or two before they will shrivel up and darken in color.

Take your softened pie crust and roll it into your lightly-oiled, deep quiche pan. Press the crust against the bottom and sides with your fingers. Bake your crust without any filling for 10 minutes (pre-cooking the crust helps you avoid a soggy pie crust later).

While the crust is baking, whisk your eggs, heavy cream, and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Crumble your bacon into the egg mixture and add your cheese, onions, and spinach. Stir until combined and pour into your pie crust. Cover the pan loosely with aluminium foil and set on a baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour or until the sides are set but the middle still moves slightly when you jiggle the pan. Allow the quiche to cool for 10 minutes, remove the sides from the pan (if using a deep quiche pan), and serve.

The great thing about quiche is you can fill it with whatever you want! Love sausage? Use it. Want a veggie quiche? Make it. More of a swiss cheese person? Switch it. Brunch guests cancelled at the last minute? Don't cry, it's just more quiche for you. Of course you can eat quiche for any meal, not just brunch, and it reheats quite nicely if you have leftovers. But why you would have leftovers is frankly beyond me.... xo. Laura

Credits // Author: Laura Gummerman, Photos by: Sarah Rhodes. Photos edited with Petal of the Fresh Collection.