Recipe: French Onion Quiche

Quiche is like pizza — it can be made with almost anything. Although it sounds posh, quiche one of my fridge clean-out dishes. I rummage through the crisper drawers, explore the pull-out where I keep cheese and poke through other nooks to see what needs to be used up that might taste good together. Then, I use this basic French onion quiche recipe as a guideline.

Don’t get me wrong, the original version of this quiche made only of caramelized onions is absolutely great on its own. You can see a version of it here made by two awesome students at my Beach Cooking Getaway in January 2024. I made it dozens of times while on tour with my first book, The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry.

My Personal Onion Quiche Origin Story

I created the basic recipe while living in Paris and studying at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. A small bistro near our apartment on Rue Etienne Marcel served what it referred to as French onion soup quiche one unseasonably warm March afternoon. It was exactly as advertised, with sweet brown onions usually found in the base of a bowl of French onion soup. The owner told me that this quiche was the result of caramelizing too many onions. “It was warm the past few days, so no one wanted hot soup,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. So, he sold the quiche with a salad and voila, he found a way to unload all those extra onions.

I tried it in our small Paris kitchen, looking out the window at the environs of a five-way intersection that lay below every as the onions simmered. I admit that many onions seemed like an insurmountable pile, but they reduced drastically as the heat changed them from hard, spicy and white to soft, brown and almost sugary.

Basic Recipe

This basic recipe focuses on onions, but try asparagus, mushrooms, ham, artichokes, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, bacon, chopped up ham or whatever you have in your fridge that needs to get used up. If you have a lot of vegetables, simply reduce the amount of onions so you don’t overload your quiche. I recommend cooking mushrooms in some oil, and/or lightly steaming asparagus or broccoli before cooking. If you’re using fresh spinach or kale, give it a quick whirl it in a hot pan with some olive oil until it wilts. Let any cooked vegetables cool before adding the filling or the heat may cook the eggs prematurely.

French Tart Pans – An Explanation

Quiche is traditionally made in a special tart pan that allows the bottom to be removed. You can find one online for around $10 [affiliate link] or use a standard pie pan or frankly, a cake pan, a brownie pan or anything that can go into the oven with at least 1/2 inch sides. I also use parchment and pie weights [affiliate link] to “blind bake” the pastry shell first. I’m a fan of cookie-sheet sized pre-cut parchment [affiliate link] but any kind will do. You can use aluminum foil in place of parchment and dried beans in place of pie weights. Do not use wax paper or you’ll end up with a waxy pastry shell, something no one will find appetizing.

Like pie, quiche is best with a butter-laden homemade crust. I recommend the pâte brisée from my friend Elise Bauer’s site, SimplyRecipes. However, I am certainly not going to judge you if you buy prepared pie dough. Life is too short for that.

Originally published Aug. 11, 2012. Updated April 19, 2024. This post contains affiliate links. 

French Onion Quiche

Quiche is like pizza – you can use almost anything to make it once you learn the basics. It can be served hot, warm or at room temperature. It also reheats well in a low oven. You can use leftover vegetables, that extra bit of ham leftover from Sunday dinner and so on.

Gruyere has a distinct nutty, robust flavor but let's all agree – it can be expensive. You can substitute Swiss cheese and but try adding in some Parmesan for a bit more complexity. The tomato confit is optional, but it looks lovely and adds an extra flavor that really transcends the dish. This recipe is designed for a nine-inch quiche pan, or about six servings.

To make mini quiches: Mini quiches are great for brunches or buffets. This makes 12 to 16 mini quiches using a standard muffin pan, and 24 to 30 if using a mini muffin pan. Roll the crust out a bit thinner than you would for a traditional pie crust. You can use a glass or 1 1/2 cookie cutter to make for the crust of a standard muffin, and a 3/4- to 1-inch cookie cutter for a mini muffin. Be sure to spray the pan generously with non-stick spray, or coat with shortening or butter, add the crust and prebake for five minutes, and let cool slightly.

Fill halfway with the quiche filling, top with a tomato petal and bake 18 to 22 minutes for standard muffin-sized quiches, and 12-15 minutes for mini muffins.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Course Baking

Cuisine French

Servings 6

Equipment

• Nine-inch quiche pan with removeable bottom or pie dish OR a standard pie pan

Ingredients

  

• Prepared pie dough or pâte brisée

Tomato Confit

• 6 to 8 Roma tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 close garlic peeled and quartered
• 4 or 5 sprigs thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 1 teaspoon sea salt or coarse salt

Caramelized onions

• 3 large onions about two pounds, sliced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon flour

Quiche filling

• 3 large eggs
• ¾ cup 175 ml heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon Coarse salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white or black pepper
• ½ teaspoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
• 3 ounces 90 grams Gruyère cheese, grated

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to a low heat, around 250° F / 120° C. Line a baking with parchment paper.
• Bring a small 1-quart pan of water to boil on the stove. Cut an "x" into the bottom of each tomato. Drop into the boiling water for 5 to 10 seconds. Carefully remove with a smooth. Tear the flaps at the "x" to remove the skin. Cut out the core, cut into quarters and remove the seeds. Repeat for the other tomatoes. Put the slivers of tomato onto the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, add the peeled garlic, thyme and salt. Gently bake for about 45 minutes until the slivers soften.
• In a large sauté pan melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the onions and bay leaf. Cook and stir patiently until they’re brown and soft, about a half hour or so. Once browned, sprinkle with flour and a dash of salt and cook another 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Once the tomatoes are softened, increase oven to 425° F / 220°C.
• Roll out the dough, press it into a quiche or pie pan. Pierce the bottom with a fork. To keep its shape, set parchment or aluminum foil in the center and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove weights, brush the pastry with beaten egg and return to oven for 7 minutes. Cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and cream in a bowl. Stir in about one-third of the cheese, salt, pepper and thyme. Stir in the cooled onions and then pour into the pastry shell. Arrange tomatoes in decorative pattern on top. Sprinkle on remaining Gruyère. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes until firm, slightly browned and a bit puffy.

Keyword brunch, Easy, French, onion, pastry, quiche