Asparagus, Ham, and Gruyere Quiche

This quiche is packed with all the good stuff: fresh asparagus, chopped ham, and melty gruyere cheese. It’s made with store-bought pie crust to make it even easier!

Kate’s Recipe Rundown

Glazed ham and scalloped potatoes have been on our family’s Easter menu since…forever. I love a good ham, but this Easter, I’m serving brunch instead.

I used to think quiche was a whole bunch of eggs in a crust. But the truth is, the perfect ratio is 50% eggs and 50% half & half. The half & half creates a light and fluffy custard-like interior that melts in your mouth.

For this Asparagus, Ham, and Gruyere Quiche recipe, we’ll use a store-bought crust to keep things easy. But you certainly can’t go wrong with a homemade crust (I love a Crisco pie crust, personally). Here are a few of my tips for making this quiche!

1. We’ll par-bake the crust before adding the filling. This ensures the crust doesn’t get soggy. Don’t skip it!
2. We’ll sprinkle the cheese over the par-baked crust. The cheese acts as a barrier between the liquid (eggs and half & half) and the crust—also essential for a not-soggy crust!
3. Use whatever fillings you like. This combo of ham, asparagus, and gruyere is especially great for spring, but use your favorite meat/veggie/cheese combo.

Enjoy! Kate

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Quiche ingredients

• The base of the quiche is a store-bought pie crust. I used Pillsbury. Of course, you can make your own if you’d like. This Crisco pie crust recipe is melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
• A mixture of eggs and half & half create a seriously creamy custard.
• Asparagus, ham, and gruyere cheese are the stars of this quiche. See below for substitution ideas!
• Salt and black pepper season the quiche to perfection.

How to par-bake the crust

If you like soggy crust, be sure to skip this part (wink wink).

Seriously though, par-baking is essential to the perfect quiche. All that means is you’re giving the crust a head start in the oven. I baked the crust for 10 minutes at 425°F to par-bake it.

There’s a tricky thing about pie crust, though. It easily shrinks and slides down the edges of a pie dish. The key is to make sure that the crust is sitting on the lip of the pie plate. If your pie plate is too big or too deep, it won’t do that.

Mine is a 9-inch pie dish from Pyrex.

I folded the edge of the crust in toward the center and let it sit on the edge of pie plate. This helps hold it in place while baking.

There are two more secrets to ensure a successful par-bake of the crust:

1. Poke the crust all over with a fork (this eliminates bubbles from forming).
2. Line the crust with aluminum foil, then put pie weights or dried beans in the crust before baking. Fill the crust up to the top to ensure that the edges of the crust don’t slip down! This is a great tutorial if you’re a visual learner, or just want to learn more.

How to make a Ham & Asparagus Quiche

Once the crust has cooked, it’s time to add fillings! You’ll need to sauté the asparagus, but the rest of the ingredients you can stir right in.

When layering it into the crust, start with the gruyere, then top it with the ham and asparagus. The layer of gruyere also prevents the crust from getting soggy.

The last step is adding the eggs, half & half, salt and pepper. Pour them over the fillings and bake for 40–50 minutes. Give the quiche a little jostle when you’re checking it in the oven. Once it no longer jiggles in the middle, it’s ready.

Filling substitutions

This recipe is super adaptable. You can choose any veggie, meat, and cheese that you like!

• Vegetables: broccoli, red pepper, mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, spinach
• Meat: chopped turkey or chicken, ground sausage, a mixture of ground sausage and bacon
• Cheese: cheddar, monterey jack, swiss, goat cheese

Swap any of the above for the asparagus, ham, and gruyere, and you’ll have a delicious quiche.

📖 Recipe

Asparagus, Ham, and Gruyere Quiche

Published by Kate

Asparagus Quiche with Ham and Gruyere is a simple, flavorful quiche that you can adapt numerous ways!

4.84 from 24 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Course Brunch

Cuisine American

Servings 6 servings

Calories 275 kcal

Ingredients

  

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• 1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crust
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces (about 12 thin spears)
• 1 cup shredded gruyere
• 1 cup diced deli ham (about 4 oz)
• 5 eggs
• 1½ cups half & half (or use a mixture of 1 part cream to 1 part milk)
• 1½ teaspoons sea salt
• Black pepper to taste
• For garnish: fresh chopped parsley

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Unroll the pie crust and gently place it into a 9-inch pie pan. Roll the edges in slightly to create an edge, making sure part of the crust in sitting on the lip of the pie pan (this ensures that the sides of the crust won’t collapse while baking). 
  1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crust
• Poke the crust all over with a fork. Place a piece of aluminum foil on the bottom of the crust and place pie weights (or dried beans) on top. 
• Bake the crust for 10 minutes, or until the edges are very light brown. Remove the foil and pie weights/beans. Set aside to cool. 
• Reduce oven to 350°F. Place the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the asparagus and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft (about 6–8 minutes). 
  1 tablespoon butter, 1 cup asparagus,
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, half & half, sea salt, and black pepper. 
  5 eggs, 1½ cups half & half, 1½ teaspoons sea salt, Black pepper to taste
• Sprinkle the cheese on the partially cooked crust, then top with the chopped ham and cooked asparagus. Pour the egg mixture over the top. 
  1 cup shredded gruyere, 1 cup diced deli ham
• Bake in a 350°F oven for 40–50 minutes, or until the center no longer jiggles when jostled lightly. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting into slices to serve. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.
  For garnish: fresh chopped parsley

Notes

Don’t skip baking the crust before adding the quiche ingredients—it’ll ensure that the crust isn’t soggy!

The recipe was updated in March 2021 to reflect a longer cooking time (40–50 minutes, instead of 40 minutes). 

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice (6 servings)Calories: 275kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 16gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 11gSodium: 889mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1g

Keyword quiche

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What to serve with quiche

Here are some of my brunch favorites!