Caramelized Onion Quiche with Bacon & Gruyère Cheese

Caramelized Onion Quiche with Bacon & Gruyère Cheese

Why You Should Give This Recipe a Try

Quiche is one of my favorite dishes because it is so versatile. Spinach quiche, ham and asparagus quiche, ham and leek quiche, the list goes on. Enter a new contender for a quick and delicious dinner: Caramelized Onion Quiche with Bacon & Gruyère Cheese. Flavorful jammy onions are paired with crisp bacon and shredded Gruyère in an egg and light cream base. It is all super simple, but really flavorful, the perfect meal – with a touch of French flair for – a busy weeknight.

Some of the best features of this recipe:

Flavor: Jammy, caramelized onions provide a rich, deep flavor that pairs perfectly with crispy bacon crumbles and shredded Gruyère.

Easy: This recipe uses a store bought crust, so no messing with making a traditional pie crust.

Complete meal: Much like my one pot meals and sheet pan meals, this is a complete meal in one dish. Pair it with a simple green salad and some vinaigrette for an authentic French experience.

As with all of my recipes, Caramelized Onion Quiche with Bacon & Gruyère Cheese is easy with no complicated cooking techniques, no special equipment, and with basic ingredients found in any grocery store. 

Recipe Ingredients

1 pre-made, refrigerated pie crust

​2-3 yellow onions (about 1 lb)

6 strips bacon

​1-2 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 cups light cream

4 large eggs

1 1/4 cups shredded Gruyère cheese

Helpful Tools

• Rolling pin
• 9-inch pie pan
• Pie weights or dry beans
• Parchment paper 
• Aluminum foil
• ​Sharp knife
• Cutting board
• Liquid measuring cup
• Dry measuring cups
• Plate 
• Paper towels
• Small bowl
• Large mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Rimmed baking sheet

Ingredient Notes

Pie crust: I use Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust. I like the taste and think that it holds up well. Whether you make your own crust, use a refrigerated crust, or a frozen crust, you will need to do a blind bake, partially baking the crust before adding the filling. This will keep the bottom of the crust from being soggy.

Cream: Light cream has the ideal consistency for quiche, but if you don’t have it on hand, whole milk or part skim milk will work as well. Make sure you DO NOT use heavy cream as it tends to curdle and makes the filling too thick.

Gruyère: Grating your own cheese is best because pre-grated cheese tends to have a coating that keeps it from melting smoothly. It does, however, take away from the idea of this being very easy, so I think the shortcut of shredded cheese is fine. Can’t find Gruyère – or find it too expensive? You can substitute shredded Swiss cheese instead.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Thinly slice the onions and set aside.

2. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. 

3. Add the onions and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Do not let the onions brown too quickly. If you sense they are burning, lower the heat.

4. Once the onions are soft, lower the temperature to medium low. Stir regularly throughout the process, lowering the heat if the onions are in danger of burning. Cook until very soft and brown, about 45 minutes.

5. As the onions are cooking, do a blind bake (also called par baking) of the pie crust in a 375 degree oven.

6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

7. On a lightly floured surface, roll out your dough to about 12 inches and then place it in a pie dish. Fold under the excess dough (you may need to trim a little) and then crimp the edges. See Tips & Tricks for how to create a neat crimped edge.

8. Chill the crust in the fridge for about 15 minutes.

9. Once the dough is chilled, line the crust with a sheet of parchment paper. Leave enough extra paper so that you can lift it up later. 

10. Fill the covered dough with pie weights or, as I like to do, with dried beans. I used great northern beans here. Push some of the beans up against the side of the crust as well.

11. Place the pie crust in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the edges are a light golden brown and center is set. You can leave the oven on since you will use it to bake the quiche.

12. Using the edges of the parchment paper, lift up the paper and dried beans. I pour the beans into a medium bowl until they are cool enough to return to storage.

13. Prick the bottom and sides of the crust all over with a fork.

14. Because you will be baking the crust further once it has the filling, you are going to return the crust to the oven for only about 8 more minutes until the bottom is set and a light golden brown. Set aside until the remainder of the ingredients are ready.

15. Remove the prepared onions to a small bowl. Set aside.

16. Cook the bacon in the skillet over medium heat to your desired doneness. I try to opt for something just short of very crispy so there are no surprises when people bite into the quiche.

17. Line a plate with paper towels and place the cooked bacon on top in a single layer.

18. Pat with another paper towel to absorb the grease.

19. Crumble the bacon into bite-sized pieces. You can use your fingers or a knife.

20. Add the light cream and eggs to a large bowl. Whisk to combine, making sure you break up the eggs.

21. Layer the onions into the bottom of the prepared crust.

22. Sprinkle with the bacon.

23. Add the cheese, sprinkling it over the onions and bacon in an even layer.

24. Place the quiche on a rimmed baking sheet and pour the cream and egg mixture evenly over the filling.

25. Bake until the center of the quiche is set, about 45 – 55 minutes. If you feel like the crust is getting too dark, tear a sheet of aluminum foil slightly bigger than the quiche. Cut out a circle in the middle about the size of the quiche filling. This should leave you with foil that covers the crust edges but not the quiche. Carefully place the aluminum foil on the pie crust.

26. Allow the baked quiche to set outside of the oven for about 15 minutes before serving.

Check out the printable recipe card below for step-by-step directions for this Caramelized Onion Quiche with Bacon & Gruyère.

Storage

Store leftover quiche in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. To reheat, loosely cover the quiche with foil and heat in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until heated through. I do not recommend heating quiche in the microwave since the crust gets soggy.

Tips & Tricks

Preparing caramelized onions is easy but time-consuming. I recommend preparing them ahead of time so that you won’t feel rushed into taking a shortcut. Caramelized onions are super flavorful and the most important ingredient here, so be sure you let them cook at a low temperature for at least 45 minutes – even up to an hour!

In order to make a pretty crimped edge, form a V-shape with your middle and index finger. Place the tips of your fingers against the inside of the crust. Using the thumb of your other hand, gently push the crust into space between your fingers. Do this all around the rim.

Don’t have pie weights? I don’t either. I filled my unbaked crust with great norther beans that I keep in a container for exactly this purpose. You can use other kinds of dry beans or you can use uncooked rice as well. Make sure to push whatever you use up against the sides as well. The whole idea is to keep the dough from shrinking or puffing up as it bakes.

I have had enough oven spillages to know that placing your quiche on a rimmed baking sheet can save you lots of cleanup troubles later.

I enjoy simplifying French dishes for my French husband, including all sorts of quiche. Try out some of these other easy French recipes:

Easy to Make One Pot Coq Au Vin

Easy Oven Roasted Ratatouille with Herbes de Provence

Easy Creamy Mashed Potatoes with Boursin Cheese

Easy French Comfort Food: Creamy Potatoes and Pancetta (Tartiflette)