I know, I know. This is the L O N G E S T quiche name ever! BUT it’s worth saying 10 times fast and it’s certainly worth making too. My auntie recently had a hip replacement and, well with my shoulder coming along with healing, I thought it would be a smart idea to have a quiche or two in the house to heat up for easy weeknight meals. So, if you’re looking for a make-ahead meal idea, look no further than the fully loaded, elegant and tasty quiche.

Made from a mixture of whole eggs and half and half, quiches are not only protein packed meals, but they can be loaded with any of your favorite leftover vegetables or freshly sauteed or roasted veggies too. You can spin them either way, really. Allow yourself to get creative with quiches. Although this one may see like a leftover kitchen sink combo of ingredients - Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion, Crispy Kale & Cheddar Quiche - it was actually an intentional quiche. We had all of the fresh vegetables in the refrigerator and I wanted to find one way to use all of them, at one time. My answer was this quiche, and boy did it turn out to be creamy, tasty, and super filling (look at that ingredient list). With a vibrant array of vegetables, this quiche was colorful and got us through a night of dinner (paired with a salad) and another lunch (paired with bowls of soup).

If you’re interested, well, let’s get started!

I’d like to note that roasting and caramelizing veggies takes a little bit of time and love, so you’ll have to be willing to invest that, at the very least. Which, frankly, I believe is worth it for a homemade meal that is delicious, healthy and can be frozen for reheating at a later date.

Also, you can roast your veggies a day or two before making the quiche, which is exactly what I did! It really sped up the process on quiche making day so all I had to do was whisk the eggs and half and half, season, grate cheese and pop this bad boy in the oven!

And some more good news! On the time saving side, I do use ready made deep dish pie crusts to make this quiche because, well, they make life easier. Marie Callender makes a super tasty crust without a ton of additional ingredients, who am I to try and one up Marie? Not here, not today!

Once all of the vegetables have been roasted and set aside to cool, begin by whisking 4 eggs with 1 cup of half and half. Adding salt, freshly ground black pepper and a big old heaping cup of thickly grated cheddar cheese.

Feel free to grate the cheese on you own or pick up a bag o pre-grated cheese for more time saving. Sargento makes a great thickly grated cheddar that is perfect for this recipe.

Assemble the ingredients to begin the quiche layering process! Having everything in place is essential for expedited and organized cooking!

The pie crusts should be taken directly from the freezer and then layered first with the roasted butternut squash and then topped with the caramelized onions.

Next, top the butternut squash and caramelized onions with the crispy kale and, finally, pour the egg and cheese mixture over the top. Now the quiche can be placed in the oven to bake for 35-40 minutes until the mixture is solid and cooked through.

Allow the quiche to sit for 15 minutes until slightly cooled before attempting to cut. Serve warm with a salad or bowl of soup!

Quiche Ingredients

1 x deep dish pie crust, *recommended Marie Callender’s
3 cups of butternut squash, cubed *I purchase butternut squash pre-cut, big time saver!
1 x 10 oz bag of kale
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons of butter
1/4-1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
5 teaspoons of salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 eggs
1 cup of half and half
1 cup of cheddar cheese, thickly grated

Instructions for roasting butternut squash
—Preheat oven to 425 degrees
—Lay butternut squash on a roasting tray and season with 1 teaspoon of salt, freshly ground black pepper and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and toss to coat; add a little more olive oil if necessary so the butternut squash is coated well - but not drowning in oil
—Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, depending upon the heat of your oven, and until caramelized and brown
—Remove from the oven and put aside to cool

Instructions for roasting crispy kale
—Keep the oven at 425 degrees
—Lay kale, flat, on a roasting tray and and season with 1 teaspoon of salt, freshly ground black pepper and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and toss to coat; add a little more olive oil if necessary so the kale leaves are all coated well
—Roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes, depending upon the heat of your oven, and until kale is crispy - but not burnt!
—Remove from the oven and put aside to cool

Instructions for caramelizing onions
—Heat a large skillet over a medium flame with 2 tablespoons of butter and 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
—Add onions, allowing them to cook and sweat, about 10 minutes
—Add 2 teaspoons of salt and continue to cook the onions, stirring and moving the onions about for another 20-25 minutes
—As the onions break down and become brown, you’ll notice beautiful browning and bits on the bottom of the skillet, at this point, add half of the balsamic vinegar to deglaze and continue to stir and cook
—Deglazing the pan with balsamic vinegar helps speed the caramelization process and creates really yummy, jammy caramelized onions with loaded depth of flavor
—Continue to cook and deglaze for up to 1 hour, if you’re that patient, but you can pull them from the flame as soon as your desired caramelization is reached
—Taste to adjust salt, add freshly ground black pepper
—Put aside to cool
—Good news: you’ll probably have leftovers from the quiche to use for a burger, or on eggs or in a grilled cheese sandwich!

Instructions for egg custard / quiche base
—In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and half and half with 2 teaspoons of salt and freshly ground black pepper
—Whisk in cheese and put aside

Quiche assembly
—Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
—Remove your 9” deep dish pie shell from the freezer
—Layer the bottom with the roasted butternut squash
—Load a nice layer of caramelized onions on top; you’ll know when to stop!
—Next, layer with crispy kale
—Finally, pour the egg custard over the top of the vegetables so it’s evenly distributed and covering all of the layered veggies
—Bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes until the edges of the pie crust are brown and the middle of the quiche is just set (no jiggling: solid, yet still soft, like my belly)