Savory ham and asparagus quiche is the perfect dish to make for Easter or brunch. The buttery crust is filled with egg custard, ham, leeks, chives, and asparagus.
Quiche combines my two favorite mealtimes together, breakfast and dessert. You can’t get any more decadent than filling a tender buttery crust with creamy, savory egg custard. For this year’s Easter brunch make sure you have this delicious ham and asparagus quiche on the table.
You can add just about anything you want in your quiche custard base. My spin on this quiche Lorraine is adding smoky chunks of ham, tender leeks, and fresh asparagus. Just before baking, I add fresh chopped chives to the eggs to infuse that onion flavor, and fresh garden picked aroma as it bakes.
A pinch of warm nutmeg spice brings all the rich and fresh ingredients together, it’s a winning springtime combination! To make this pie, even more, irresistible, I added shredded Swiss cheese. If you have access to Gruyère, that will make the quiche even better because of its nutty flavor.
There’s a lot of debate as to go crustless or switch it up by using hash browns or quinoa for the crust. I’m a classic butter and flour crust girl, so I’m all for making a simple crumbly crust to help carry the savory bites of egg custard, ham, and vegetables to your mouth, yum!
I like to use a 9-Inch glass pie plate because I can see if the crust is achieving the right color and cook as it bakes. The see-through material makes peeking at the sides and bottom of the pan a breeze. You certainly don’t want a raw doughy crust, no thanks!
You can even make the crust a few days in advance. Just combine the ingredients one day, roll it out into the pie pan the next and have it ready to fill and bake the day you’re ready to eat. This gives you more time to spend with your family and enjoy the festivities.
This beautiful quiche will not be the only item on our Easter Sunday menu. I will also be making some traditional Italian Easter bread that even has a dyed egg in the center with sprinkles! Jason loves this bread, and he can eat a whole ring all by himself, especially if it’s fresh out of the oven.
If you are looking for some more Easter and Spring inspired recipes, try my spinach artichoke deviled eggs.
How do you know when your Quiche is ready?
Besides the smell of aromatic herbs, vegetables, and savory ham filling the air when you remove the quiche from the oven you want to see a little wobble in the center of the egg custard. This indicates a creamy and smooth custard base that surrounds the meat and vegetables with every bite. The crust and top of the quiche should also be a beautiful golden brown. Make sure you allow the quiche to stand for at least 15 minutes before serving, so the carryover cooking allows the eggs to delicately set.
Ham and Asparagus Quiche
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling dough
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces, 1 stick
- 2 tablespoons ice water, plus 2 more, if needed
Quiche Filling
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups leeks, halved and thinly sliced, then well washed, white and light green parts only
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup asparagus, tough ends removed, thinly sliced on the diagonal
- 8 ounces ham steak, (1 ½ cup) cut into ¼-inch dices
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ¼ cups half-and-half
- 1 pinch nutmeg, ground
- 1 tablespoon chives, chopped
- 1 cup swiss cheese, or gruyere cheese, (4 ounces) shredded
Instructions
Pie Crust
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter pieces and cut into the flour mixture using your hands or a dough cutter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal, with just a few pea-size pieces remaining.
- Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of ice water. Combine with your hands until the dough holds together when squeezed with fingers (if needed, add up to 2 tablespoons more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time). Do not over knead.
- Turn dough out onto a work surface; form dough into a ¾-inch-thick disk. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate until firm, at least, 1 hour or freeze for 30 minutes. Tightly wrap in plastic wrap and stored in a plastic bag.
- Before baking, unwrap dough; place on a large piece of floured parchment paper. Roll dough to a 14-inch round. Using paper, lift and wrap dough around rolling pin (discarding paper); carefully unroll over a 9-inch pie plate. Gently fit into bottom and up sides of the plate.
- Trim overhang to 1 inch; fold overhang under itself. Pinch between thumb and forefinger to make a straight edge around the rim. Crimp edge; refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour or 30 minutes in the freezer.
Quiche Filling
- Preheat oven to 350°F, with rack in the lowest position. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium. Add leek and asparagus; season with salt and pepper. Cook, occasionally stirring, until asparagus is crisp-tender and bright green, 5 minutes; let cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, a pinch of nutmeg and chopped chives. Place the pie crust on a rimmed baking sheet. Evenly sprinkle with ham, the leek and asparagus mixture, and then cheese. Pour egg mixture on top.
- Bake until the center of quiche is just set, 50 to 60 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.
Equipment
Notes
- The dough can be made up to 3 days in advance.
- The crust can be rolled out 1 day in advance, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
Katy | Her Cup of Joy says
This quiche looks lovely! A perfect combination of yummy ingredients!
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you Katy!
Thao @ In Good Flavor says
This quiche looks SO good! I agree with you, the other kind of crust are good, but good old-fashioned flour crust is best!
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you Thao! I am still curious to try a hash brown crust, maybe for a new recipe!
Shelly says
Looks good. Thinking of making this for an upcoming Spring brunch. Just curious why you don’t par bake the pie crust first. I usually do with quiches. I’m afraid it will leave me with undercooked dough on the bottom.
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Shelly- Great question! I have found for custard based recipes like quiches and pumpkin pies, I don’t need to always par-bake the crust. I usually use a glass pie dish so I can also monitor the browning of the crust along the sides and bottom of the dish. If you like the crust to be a little more cooked, or for assurance that you won’t get a soggy crust, you can absolutely par-bake the shell before you add the custard. I would suggest putting foil around the edges of the crust if you see it browning rapidly during the second bake step.
Boston Kevin says
I prebaked the pie shell and it shrunk and puffed up and was unusable. If you want to prebake the pie shell, use a different recipe.
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you for your feedback Kevin! I usually don’t blind bake the tart shell before adding the filling for this quiche recipe, so I appreciate your comments.
Susan says
My co-worker made this for my birthday treat instead of cake and I’m so glad she did. THIS. WAS. FABULOUS.!!! Thank you so much for sharing.
Jessica Gavin says
Wow, what a spin on birthday cake! I hope you had a wonderful day celebrating 🙂 I’m thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the recipe. Cheers!
Nina says
Very tasty.
My first time making a quiche and this one was a success. My husband loved it. I made a few changes. I added mushrooms to the asparagus and leeks. I also added my ham to the skillet as well to give it more flovor.
For the cheese, I didn’t have Swiss, so I used provolone instead. And instead of half and half I used heavy cream and milk.
I wish you would have posted before baking pic, because it looked like there was not enough eggs, but then they fluffed up during baking.
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Nina! Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I love your substitutions, and that you had success with your very first quiche! Great suggestion for adding the before photo to help other cooks.
Linda Blair says
I just made this with my first garden asparagus and it was wonderful. I used Vidalia onion and it tasted like ham and scalloped potatoes without all the carbs.
Jessica Gavin says
Wow, you are amazing growing your own asparagus Linda! Vidalia onions are so good 🙂
Char Cunning says
Just made this and loved it. Added an extra egg since I was using a deep dish pie pan. Appreciate the nutrition info but don’t see how many servings per quiche?
Jessica Gavin says
HI Char- 8 servings of quiche per recipe.
Ann marie says
Hey Jessica if using a frozen pie crust do you have to defrost it first or add ingredients to frozen and bake ?
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Ann Marie! Defrost froze pie crust before baking with the filling.
Kate Kennedy says
Love this! Used tinned asparagus as it’s out of season right now, but it still turned out wonderfully. The custard is creamy and the flavor is delightfully subtle.