Now is the time for zucchini recipes to use up all that we’ve harvested, or to take advantage of Farmer’s Market overflow. Paired with bacon, fresh corn, and pepperjack cheese, the zucchini truly shines. This crustless quiche recipe is so flavorful, creamy, and decadent, though it is chock full of healthy veggies and protein from the eggs. Perfect for a weekend brunch!
Making This Crustless Quiche Recipe
You are essentially making a custard here, mixing together eggs, cream, and milk. It’s creamier than your traditional egg casserole. The combination of heavy cream and whole milk makes this a rich dish without being too heavy.
We’ve done away with the crust and you won’t miss it at all. The veggies and bacon add so much texture, you can skip the pie dough. It happens to make this quiche a bit healthier, too!
The Bacon and Veg
You will want to fully cook your bacon first. Cut it into pieces and cook over low in a saucepan until it is brown and crispy. Drain the bacon and use some of the renderd fat to par-cook your zucchini. This step will rid the zucchini of some water so your quiche doesn’t end up being a soggy mess. Add your corn in at the end to give it a boost of flavor from the bacon fat and to give it a head-start on cooking. All of the vegetables will finish cooking in the oven.
Our Favorite Bacon Bit Hack
One of our favorite tricks is to keep a package of bacon in the freezer, well wrapped, and cut off about a quarter inch from the ends of the slices (so you are cutting across all the frozen slices) in order to get small pieces that cook up quickly for recipes like this one. Because bacon has quite a bit of fat, you can still cut it even straight out of the freezer. It’s actually easier to cut when it’s frozen!
Each quarter inch cut will give you about the same number of small pieces as 1 slice of bacon. No need to separate all the little pieces either. Simply throw your frozen “slices” into your warmed pan and the pieces will separate as the bacon cooks. It’s so quick and easy!
When the bacon is finished cooking, don’t throw away that bacon fat! Keep the extra bacon fat in a small jar in the frig to use when making scrambled eggs or use it instead of oil when cooking veggies on the stovetop. It’s way too good and useful to throw away!
Baking Your Crustless Quiche
Low and fairly slow is important here to get the creamy texture you really want in a quiche. Take it out of the oven when it still jiggles in the middle. It will finish cooking while it rests. If you wait until it is solid throughout before removing it from the oven, it will end up being overcooked thanks to that carryover cooking. It will still be delicious, but will be noticeably drier and less creamy.
A good pie dish is essential, too. We like these simple glass pie plates that you can find almost everywhere. The glass makes it easier to see when the bottom of your quiche (or anything else you bake in it) is nice and brown. This ceramic tart dish is also a good choice and is so pretty!
After your quiche has rested for 10 minutes, go ahead and serve it. It’s good warm or later at room temperature. A side salad will round out a really nice brunch, lunch, or light dinner. Fruit is always a welcome addition to a meal like this, too!
Don’t Forget Dessert!
This should be our new mantra. Dessert for everyone! At every meal!
After a meal with this quiche and perhaps a light salad, a simple fruit-filled dessert really hits the spot. We recommend these wonderful options:
- Fresh Blueberry Pie
- Ginger Peach Crisp with Ginger Whipped Cream
- Summer’s Best Grilled Peaches with Cinnamon Ice Cream
Enjoy!
Crustless Zucchini, Bacon and Corn Quiche
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon
- 1 cup diced zucchini 1 small zucchini
- 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
- 3 whole large eggs
- 2 egg yolks from large eggs
- 3/4 cup milk
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare a standard 9-inch glass pie plate by spraying it with baking spray. Set aside.
- Cook Your Bacon: Chop the bacon into small pieces and cook in a non-stick skillet over low heat until golden and crispy. Use a slotted spoon to move the cooked bacon pieces to a paper-towel lined plate.
- Par-Cook Your Vegetables: Remove all but about a teaspoon of the bacon fat from the skillet and return it to the stovetop over medium-low heat. Add the zucchini and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the corn and continue cooking for another 3 minutes before removing it from the heat. Place the corn and zucchini on a towel-lined sheet pan and pat dry to remove some of the moisture.
- Mix: While the vegetables are cooking, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, heavy cream, milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Stir in the cheese, then add the cooked zucchini and corn when it is ready.
- Bake: Pour the quiche mixture into your prepared pie dish and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the center jiggles a tiny bit. Remove the quiche from the oven and allow it to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- When completely cool, your quiche can be stored tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat in a low oven to warm through before serving.
- If you are using a ceramic pie dish, or a larger pie dish, your baking times may need to be adjusted. Use the visual cues listed in the recipe to know when it is done.
- We love this with the pepperjack cheese, but feel free to substitute white cheddar or another similar cheese if you prefer.
- The nutmeg simply hangs out in the background making everything else taste better, so don’t skip it!
