My freezer is way too full right now, you guys. So, the other day I set out to use up some of my frozen goods, and ended up making this Bacon Broccoli Cheddar Crustless Quiche. As it so happened I had broccoli florets (a freezer staple), bacon, AND cheddar in my freezer. The rest of the very simple ingredients for this Bacon Broccoli Cheddar Quiche are basic refrigerator staples (eggs, milk, Parmesan), so this is a great last minute breakfast, brunch, or even dinner meal!
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Bacon in the Freezer??
Yeah, I actually keep bacon in my freezer. For bacon emergencies. No, I’m kidding. Bacon is one of those ingredients that I like to add to recipes in small amounts to add a punch of flavor, so when I buy a package of bacon I slice it right across the strips into three or four chunks (depending on whether it’s a 12oz. or 16oz. package) and then place them into a freezer bag. That way I can grab out a 4oz. piece whenever needed. I add it directly to a skillet frozen and just cook over medium-low heat until the strips thaw enough to separate from each other, then eventually brown and crisp up.
Can this quiche be baked in a muffin tin?
Yes, egg dishes like this bake very well in muffin tins, although I haven’t tried this particular broccoli cheddar quiche in a muffin tin so I can’t suggest an exact baking time. The baking time will likely be much shorter (closer to 20-30 minutes), so keep an eye on them and take them out when the tops are puffed and slightly browned.
Can Crustless Quiche Be Frozen?
Yes, you can freeze crustless quiche, although they do seep a little water upon thawing and reheating, so if you’re sensitive to this sort of thing freezing might not be a good option for you. This Bacon Broccoli Cheddar Quiche will keep in the refrigerator for about four days.
Is Crustless Quiche The Same as a Frittata?
Nope, the two dishes differ in both texture and cooking technique. Quiche is a baked custard, or a mixture of eggs, milk, and cream, so it has a softer, more delicate, custard-like texture. Frittatas are baked eggs and have a more firm texture. Frittatas begin cooking on the stove top and finish with the last few minutes in the oven, whereas quiches are cooked in the oven only.
Bacon Broccoli Cheddar Crustless Quiche
Servings 8 slicesIngredients
- 1 lb. frozen broccoli florets ($2.10)
- 4 oz. bacon ($1.43)
- 4 large eggs ($1.08)
- 1 cup milk ($0.31)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan ($0.41)
- 1/4 tsp seasoning salt* ($0.03)
- 4 oz. shredded medium cheddar, divided ($0.95)
Instructions
- Take the broccoli florets out of the freezer so they can begin to thaw. Place the bacon in a skillet and cook over medium-low heat until very brown and crispy. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate to drain and pour off most of the grease out of the skillet.
- Turn the heat under the skillet up to medium-high and add the broccoli florets. Sauté them in the residual bacon grease until they are no longer frozen. Transfer the broccoli to a cutting board. Roughly chop the florets into smaller, bite-sized pieces.
- Begin preheating the oven to 350ºF. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, Parmesan, and seasoning salt.
- Coat a 9-inch pie plate in non-stick spray (or butter, if you prefer). Place the chopped broccoli in the dish along with half of the shredded cheddar. Crumble the bacon over top. Stir the broccoli, cheddar, and bacon together.
- Place the pie plate on a baking sheet for easy transport in and out of the oven. Pour the egg and milk mixture over the bacon, broccoli, and cheddar in the dish. Top with the remaining shredded cheddar.
- Bake the crustless quiche for 50-55 minutes, or until the center is puffed and it is golden brown around the edges. Let the crustless quiche cool slightly before slicing into eight pieces and serving.
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Equipment
- Glass Pie Plate
- Baking Sheet
- Whisk
- Non Stick Cookware
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Want more crustless quiche? Try my Spinach Mushroom and Feta Crustless Quiche.
How to Make Broccoli Cheddar Crustless Quiche – Step by Step Photos
Take one pound of broccoli florets out of the freezer so they can begin to thaw. Place 4oz. bacon in a skillet and cook over medium-low until very brown and crispy (my bacon was frozen and I just placed it in the skillet straight from the freezer without thawing). Transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Pour off most of the bacon grease, leaving just a bit in the skillet for the broccoli.
Turn the heat under the skillet up to medium-high and add the broccoli florets. Sauté the broccoli florets in the leftover bacon fat until they are no longer frozen (just a few minutes, don’t over cook them). This also helps evaporate the excess moisture so your quiche doesn’t end up soupy on the bottom.
Transfer the broccoli florets to a cutting board and roughly chop them into smaller, bite-sized pieces.
Begin preheating the oven to 350ºF. In a medium bowl, whisk together 4 large eggs, 1 cup milk, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, and about 1/4 tsp seasoning salt. I used Avec Tous seasoning salt, but you could use something like Lowry’s or Tony Chachere’s.
Place the chopped broccoli, half of the 4oz. shredded cheddar, and the bacon (crumbled) into a 9-inch pie plate that has been coated with non-stick spray. Stir them together until they’re evenly mixed.
Place the pie dish on a baking sheet to make it easier to transport in and out of the oven once it’s full of liquid. Pour the milk and egg mixture over the bacon, broccoli, and cheddar in the pie plate.
Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheddar over the top. Transfer the broccoli cheddar quiche to the preheated oven and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the center is puffed and the edges are golden brown. When I say “puffed” I mean that it has puffed to roughly the same height as the outer rim and is no longer “depressed.”
All of the puffiness will deflate as it cools and the steam releases, but the Broccoli Cheddar Quiche should look a little something like this. :) Totally scrumptious! 😍
Wait about five minutes, then slice it into 8 pieces and serve!
Had everything in fridge in addition to 1 cup half n half so substituted that for the milk. Came out perfect! Thank you…I’ve tried other crustless quiche recipes but this was the easiest and THE BEST
Have this on my list of must try. Any thoughts using a cast iron skillet? (glass broke during our move)
I don’t know if I’d recommend that just because there’s a lot of room for error. It’s totally possible that with perfect conditions it would work, but it’s more likely that it would stick to the cast iron an be a huge mess.
I’ve made these twice now using a muffin tin instead of a pie plate. They are so yummy and perfect to put away to heat up later.
It was great! I only had skim milk on hand, so I went with it- no issue. I think I’ll make this a go to with different veggies I have on hand to use them up for breakfast for the week. Mine was browned all over and done at the 45 min mark and a toothpick came out clean.
Thanks for the recipe!
Could I do this in a springform pan and would I parboil the broccoli if using raw? TIA
I’ve never tried this in a springform, so I’m not sure how it would perform. But yes, if you’re using raw broccoli you will want to par-cook it first, whether that be boiling or steaming.
I have made this several times and it is always a hit. I use fresh broccoli and just saute it a bit longer. Perfecto…thanks for the recipe
Can I substitute almond milk for the cow’s milk?
Hi Cathy, you can substitute the milk with almond milk. However, the flavor profile and texture will change a touch.
Easy!!! Yummy!!! Had ham so I used ham instead of bacon. I will be making again and one time will try it with bacon!!
Excellent quiche. We make it often.
SuperBR recipes
I changed it by adding onions, green peppers, jalapeños peppers, 3 cheeses, sour cream, and rice.
If I double this recipe, how long to bake?
It would depend on the size and depth of the dish that you’re cooking in. I’d really need to test it before offering a suggested cooking time.
Can you make the quiche in a baking pan with raised sides instead of a glass pie dish? I’m paranoid that if used the glass dish will explode in my oven.
Finally, a concise answer to the difference between quiche and frittata, thank you. I am a frittata man but I like it all…I just don’t always have milk in the fridge. I get most of my dairy via cheese, so that is always here. I have heard of folks making something like this with sour cream to add the fluffiness to the quiche (vs. Milk). Also, bacon! yes, keep some on hand all the time. I take a package and cut across the strips to make 1/2 inch long pieces that fry up to a nice pan of bacon bits that can be used (sparingly) in ANY dish. My last comment, Your cooking is very much my style, so I follow all of your posts and mailings, thank you. This dish for instance is perfect for most any leftover…extra roasted veggies? chop into a quiche… leftover chicken? chop into a quiche. Great job, thanks for Budget Bytes.
Very good a keeper in my book
This has been a breakfast staple for me. It’s easy to make, and tastes good all week long. I do have a question: what’s the purpose of the Parmesan? Does it add a certain flavor to it?
Yes, Parmesan always adds a lot of umami flavor to recipes and it also adds some salt. :)
Replaced bacon with onion, not a meat eater, was amazing. Will definitely make it again and again!
I made two of Beth’s recipes tonight, one being this one. It seemed pretty simple, so I thought why not?! I can’t sleep anyway! I didn’t have a pie dish, so I baked this using a rectangle glass baking dish. I used sautéed fresh broccoli. It smelled delicious while baking (my dog kept coming by to check if it was done lol!!). I was worried about overcooking it based on a few of the reviews, so I pulled it out at 40 minutes, as it looked done to me (and it was). Next time I’m going to use less milk, I think, because the cooked quiche had a bit too much moisture on the bottom for me. Maybe it was the dish I used or just not cooking it long enough per the instructions. It was still yummy, and I can’t wait to eat it for breakfast this week!
Good idea about less milk
This is so delicious and Easy and Crustless!
Thanks for sharing 😷
Made this just now and it’s wonderful. I used veggie bacon because I don’t eat meat, and it worked out fine. It also brought the calorie count down! If you do that, though, don’t go by weight, because you’ll end up with a ton of veggie bacon! About 6 slices worked for me.
I made this but instead of pork bacon and parmesan, I used beef bacon and gouda… It came out DELISH!!! 😁😁
EIGHT slices?! Ha ha ha!
If you freeze this, should you freeze it before or after cooking?
I would freeze after cooking.
Would this work in a cast iron? As in, cooking the bacon and broccoli in the cast iron, then pour the eggs and bake it in the cast iron?
I use cast iron almost exclusively and do things “like this” all the time. That said, I find eggs very hard to clean off even my best-seasoned cast iron. But the finished dish does quite well in the cast iron. IMO.
Yum. Easy to make and very good. Happy to find a crust-less quiche with bacon! Put just a little more bacon in it, and a little more shredded cheddar. Wasn’t sure the time difference for cooking in a glass pie dish instead of metal, so paid more attention to the center rising. It came out golden and very good! Thanks.
Would Blue Diamond almondmilk coconutmilk blend work in place of the whole milk? Thanks.
I wouldn’t suggest it. I don’t think almond milk is thick enough to work for this recipe. But you can try!
Perhaps if you blended 1-2 TBSP of cream cheese into the almond milk as a flourless thickening agent? I’m not sure how the flavor of the almond milk might affect the overall recipe though.
Made this for breakfast last weekend and it was great!
I made this for Christmas morning and it was so delicious! Thanks for the recipe! I’m just wondering could I substitute heavy cream for milk? Would you use 1 cup? Would it affect cooking time?
You can use heavy cream in place of milk, although I’m not sure what the appropriate amount would be without testing the recipe. :) Your quiche will definitely be a lot more rich and delicious, though!
I made a double batch of this yesterday to use up some fresh broccoli I had. I just sauteed it in my frying pan with the lid on. It turned out soooo good! I’ll be freezing some of it for lunches. Next time I’ll try the cupcake idea for easier portability!
Thanks for the great recipe!
Happy to hear it Caroline!
I found your site three weeks ago and my SO and I have been looking for recipes to try and get us into the habit of cooking instead of eating out all the time. As you can imagine my bank account was starting to hate me pretty hard for ordering food every day. So far we have done more consistent cooking with the recipes from your site than we have in the last 10 years probably.
This was the first recipe we made. The first time we made it we didnt have the seasoning salt or parmesian – IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE LOL. I still enjoyed it the first time but we made some tweaks based on our preferences and when we made it this week it was phenomenal. We added in more bacon because I love bacon and added in extra broccoli. We also used all the ingredients this time. Adding five minutes to the cook time helped get rid of some of the moisture at the bottom that we had seen the first time and made the cheese on top a browned delicious cheesy crust of awesomeness. SOOO GOOD, super easy and heats up well for the next two days. Love it.
I plan on using fresh broccoli for this instead of frozen. Should I steam it a bit first?
Yes, that’s definitely a good idea. :)
Easy and delicious
Made this tonight. Added Italian herbs. Absolutely gorgeous. Hubby was extremely happy. Will definitely be making this again. 😊😊😊 thank you for the recipe. 😊
I just made this quiche and wish I had checked it sooner because at 44 minutes I could smell burnt eggs so I quickly took it out of oven. Seems like it would have been done in 30 minutes and not 50-55. Was wondering if anyone else adjusted the time? We still ate it but it was rubbery so I know it would have been better if it was light and fluffy.
i just made this in a muffin pan. i will let you know how it came out.
This works amazing in a cupcake pan! I wish I timed exactly how long, but it was roughly 30 minutes and they were very fluffy and a nice golden brown around the edges! Delicious :)
My husband and I loved this recipe! It’s definitely going to be one of my go-to recipes for easy morning breakfasts.
Really good! I used 5 eggs, because my OCD wouldn’t let me leave an odd number of eggs in the carton, and 2/3c. heavy cream, because I needed to use it up, and I was afraid it might be weepy with plain milk. Added a little extra cheese, because: cheese, hello! My youngest was skeptical about a crustless quiche {“So it’s basically a soufflé”}, but everyone – including he – had seconds. Your recipes never disappoint!
Can you supply nutritional numbers? I was wondering about calories and carb count. Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m sorry, I don’t have a reliable source for nutrition information. There are several calculators online that you can use, but you’ll need to decide which to trust, since they’ll all give slightly different results.
Just made this for brunch, and even though all I had in my fridge was fat free milk, it still turned out SO delicious! My only problem is that now I want to eat all 8 slices instead of just one. Thanks for the recipe! ☺️
Made this tonight and it turned out fantastic! Followed the recipe using a 9 inch round pie dish. Yummy! Will make this again
I baked this for 55 minutes with precise ingredients, 0 substitutions (whole average milk, etc.), and my quiche seeped out milky liquid when cut into as if it wasn’t even near baked despite the top being cooked and the edges being gloriously browned. I never have issues with desserts or baking anything else so I’m confused. Any ideas on what that could be caused by? It smells sooooo good though.
What type of dish did you use? Size, shape, material, etc?
I made this for dinner today and it was truly delicious. I tweaked it a bit used fresh broccoli and just ‘stir-fried’ it in a pan with mushrooms and shallots. I also added chives, sage and rosemary from my garden to the egg mixture. Simple easy.
I had a heavy lunch a few days ago and decided to make this for a nice lighter dinner. Wow, was it good!! I saved the leftovers in the fridge and warmed them up for 15 minutes in the oven. SO good for a filling breakfast! Thank you!
How many cups would the 4 oz of cheddar cheese approx. be? I tried looking it up and got 2 different answers. 1 site said about 1/2 a cup and another said about 1 cup since it’s a dry ingredient. To me it looks like more than 1/2 a cup in total but just wondering if you can help!
It’s about one cup shredded cheese. :)
Hi Beth, this recipe is such a great hit over here! My partner always gets very excited when she hears I’m making this :-) I wanted to let you and other readers know that this recipe can be adjusted perfectly for vegetarians: I replace the bacon by two sweet, thinly sliced, caramellized onions! It’s a guaranteed success!
What an excellent idea!! Thank you for sharing that. :)
Second time I’ve made this recipe, and it’s killer as always! I also tried baking my bacon in the oven on 375 for about 20 minutes. Turned out nice and crispy.
A crustless quiche actually has its own name. Its called a Frittata :)
Frittatas are different from the filling of a quiche. :) Quiches have more milk and cheese and are therefore more custard-like in texture. Frittatas are mostly egg, so it’s more like a baked egg with added vegetables.
Awesome recipe, made this morning and it was a success with the family! Instead of using the required bacon portion, I did half bacon and half turkey breast. Thanks for sharing it!!
I made this while we had guests visiting and there were no leftovers, they loved it! I served this with a Hollandaise sauce; great combination! I used fresh broccoli and did not blanch it, the broccoli was great and flavored like bacon from the pan. I will definitely make this again. Thanks for the recipe, Beth!
Can this be made using skim milk or 2%? Or should I buy whole milk for it?
I think 2% would work in a pinch, but I wouldn’t use skim.
Hi, if I cut the recipe in half and use a smaller dish, can I cut the cooking time in half?
Unfortunately, it’s hard to say for certain without actually testing it.
Can’t wait to make this!! Can half & half milk be used instead of regular milk? How will it change the texture and the baking time?
I think it would probably work. I’m sure there will be a slight texture change (probably a good one in the direction of more custardy). I’m not sure if it would affect the cooking time, though. Probably not much, if at all.
Will it cook same length of time if we use a crust??
I’m not sure, I’d need to test it.
Oh. My. Gosh. So good, and very simple to make. I’m looking forward to enjoying the crustless quiche for breakfast for the next few days. Thank you, Beth for this awesome recipe!!! :-)
Question: I have a load of fresh broccoli–do I need to adjust the recipe in any way? (I don’t generally use frozen veggies so I’m not quite sure if the frozen ones listed here mean they’re precooked and frozen, or raw an frozen).
Frozen vegetables are briefly blanched (dipped in boiling water) to stop enzymatic browning, so if you’re using fresh I would suggest boiling the florets for a minute or two just to barely take that raw edge off. Boil just until the broccoli turns bright green, but is still fairly firm.
Did you mean put the dish on a baking sheet?
Yes. Is there a place where my wording is confusing? If so, please let me know and I’ll fix it. :)
In step 5 you say “baking dish” instead of “baking sheet.”
Thanks!
I have a new obsession with quiches, but since my husband doesn’t like eggs I generally have to eat the whole thing by myself. Do you think this would freeze okay after being cooked? My thoughts are I’d eat half over the week and freeze the other half for the following week or so.
I cut my quiche into slices, put in ziplock and freeze. Put a piece in microwave for
a minute (sometimes a little moire)… tastes awesome.
To second what Elaine said, it freezes VERY well. I usually make 4 large quiches as I can
purchase in bulk and save $$. This lasts me for a number of months. (I vacuum pac for longer storage) Reheats perfectly.
Where do you usually buy your frozen fruit and vegetables? I like to shop at Aldi, but have found some of their frozen produce to be poor quality. Particularly their frozen broccoli, it was full of tough, flavorless broccoli stem pieces. I know a lot of your recipes use frozen broccoli, and was curious where you tend to buy it.
I don’t have a usual place, to be honest. But I do have one tip for you. When buying frozen broccoli make sure the package specifically says “florets” otherwise it will be mostly stems. :) The florets are usually a little bit more expensive than “pieces,” but it’s worth it IMO! I like to buy a big two pound bag when I can, because I use them in so many things and it’s less expensive per pound than the one pound bags.
Made two of these this weekend for company and they were delicious! Everyone enjoyed them. In the past I’ve had trouble with quiches cooking all the way through- sometimes the center doesn’t set. This cooked up beautifully and mine looked just like the picture when I took it out of the oven. Also cut very well into slices. I did use less broccoli than called for because I was using up what I had and I think when I make again I will probably keep it to 10-12 oz. instead of a full pound. Looking forward to leftovers for breakfast this week!
I followed the recipe exactly as written and this was incredibly tasty! We loved that the broccoli actually tasted like bacon from using the bacon grease! But the best part was how impressive it looked out of the oven for such a simple recipe. Both of my toddlers enjoyed their own slice and I didn’t have to disguise broccoli for once!
Yum–I did this this morning for a lunch dish, and added about 1/3 cup each diced onion and red bell pepper, sauteed briefly in the bacon fat before adding the broccoli. I’ll cut it in 6 pieces and the 4 leftovers will go into my lunch prep as soon as I figure out what to serve with. Lunch today will include salad and garlic toast with the quiche.
Sounds delicious!!! :-)
About that bacon: Why not bake it in advance? My supermarket offers buy-2-for-1 pounds of bacon pretty regularly, so I try to keep a few pounds in the fridge. (Factory-packed bacon typically has a long shelf life.) When I want bacon, I bake it on half-sheet pans that are fully lined, even up the sides, with parchment paper. Drain, cool and freeze in layers in a storage box. When you want bacon, just take a few slices and thaw in the microwave. This is way cheaper than buying those packages of fully cooked bacon slices, and the bacon is better quality too. Of course, for this recipe, that means you’d have to find something else to cook the broccoli in–maybe a combo of butter and oil.
I like to cook it as needed so that I can have all the extra fat to flavor my dish. :)
I’m going to have to make this recipe for breakfast very soon!!! :-)
Awesome recipe! Can I sub in almond milk?
I wouldn’t suggest it. I don’t think almond milk is thick enough to work for this recipe.
I used almond milk the second time I made this because I ran out of regular, and it didn’t seem any different to me!
Very nice. I’ve been doing a version of crustless quiche for years, and in my poor college days I got my recipe down to four ingredients. The pieces freeze very well too individually wrapped in foil.