Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche Sans Crust
When I was thinking of what I would call this dish, I was trying to decide whether it’s a baked omelette, frittata, or a quiche. Ultimately, I decided to call this a sun-dried tomato quiche sans crust because technically frittatas and omelettes aren’t made with any milk or cream, whereas a quiche is.
Typically, a quiche is made with cheese, lardon (pork fat), cream, and of course eggs. This batter is poured over a baked pie crust or shortbread crust to be enjoyed at almost any meal time.
I remember going to a small cafe in Saint-Germain, surprised to see a quiche lorraine (the traditional quiche) as an appetizer on the lunch menu. I had always thought of quiche as a breakfast food. I ended up ordering the French onion soup as my appetizer because I just couldn’t fathom eating quiche as an appetizer – it’s far too heavy!
In any case, I guess it’s more surprising to find out that the original quiche didn’t have any cheese in it, because finding one without cheese these days is a rarity. Although, maybe this isn’t really that surprising as, hello, cheese makes everything better, right?
While I love a good pie crust, it can make an egg dish like this feel too heavy in the mornings. I’m much more of a toast and jam sort of girl, so when I do have eggs, I’d rather have a piece of toast to go with it than pie crust.
This sun-dried tomato quiche is my go-to egg dish to make because it’s really flavorful. I can’t believe I didn’t like sun-dried tomatoes as a kid because I absolutely love them now.
Just a couple tablespoons of chopped sun-dried tomatoes will really add a lot of flavor to this batter; I usually add anywhere from 2 to 4 tablespoons depending on how big of a quiche I’m making.
Before I bake the batter, I sauté some onion and garlic in a pan with some good olive oil. This combo in itself can transform eggs into a deliciously savory meal, but in this case, it’s another dimension of flavor.
After the two are cooked in the pan, I add the eggs that have been whisked with a couple tablespoons of heavy cream, sun dried tomatoes, chopped fresh basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and a little bit of grated sharp cheddar cheese (any kind of cheese works, though) to the pan of onions and garlic.
I place the pan in the oven and bake the eggs for approximately 15 to 20 minutes. When it’s nearly done, I sprinkle a little more cheese on top to melt, then pull it out of the oven and garnish with fresh basil leaves.
The sun-dried tomato flavor adds this perfect, all-in-one balance of sweet, tart, and salty to the eggs in a way fresh tomatoes just can’t really do. While the amount of cream is not significant, don’t feel tempted to swap it out for milk.
The cream’s ability to make the eggs moist and almost custard-like is greater than that of milk’s. The fat content also does taste more favorable on the palate, so there’s that too.
This is the kind of breakfast you could eat outside in the sun, with a mimosa and some loved ones, and easily feel like you’ve been transported to the south of France for a Provencal morning.
P.S. I just came across this gorgeous video of Paris in my Facebook feed. I thought I would share so that you could all enjoy some of my favorite city’s beautiful sights as well!
Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche Sans Crust
Ingredients
- 5 eggs
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 2 tbsp chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/2 an onion, diced
- 1 large clove of garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided 1 bunch basil leaves, divided
- pinch of salt
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil to sauté onions and garlic in
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Sauté the onion in an oven-safe skillet until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and stir until the garlic is cooked a bit but not yet golden.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, sun-dried tomatoes, 1/4 cup cheese, a pinch of salt, and half of the basil (chopped).
- Pour the batter into the skillet and stir everything together. Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Once the top of the quiche has set, sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese and continue baking until the cheese has melted. Before serving, garnish with remaining basil leaves.
This quiche sounds fantastics especially with the sun dried tomatoes. Sounds super easy without the crust too!
It’s so easy, Kelley! Thanks so much <3
You read my mind! I’ve had quiche on the brain for a while now and have been contemplating making one for the blog. This quiche is stunning and I love that you decided to go without the crust because you are right, it can be too much at times. Especially considering how filling the quiche itself is without a buttery crust involved.
Ooh, I would love to see your quiche, Amanda! I’m sure it will be positively scrumptious like all of your other creations. Thanks so much for your kind words! 🙂
This quiche sounds delicious and looks lovely. And I can’t think of a better way to start the day then as you described—eating this quiche and the sun and drinking mimosa with loved ones.
Thank you, Thao! It really is the little things that can create such a lovely experience in your day. XO
This quiche looks incredible, Beeta! My husband is a big eggs for breakfast kind of guy while I’m with you and don’t have eggs for breakfast very often so I LOVE that this is sans crust. The sun-dried tomato, basil and garlic sound wonderful!
Thank you, Kelly! I love the flavor combo of the basil and garlic too – it really enhances the rest of the quiche. I think this is a breakfast that both of you guys can get on board with! 🙂
I love quiche! I’ve never tried one without a crust before though, it sounds so good – and definitely gives it a lighter feel which is perfect for breakfast. Sun-dried tomatoes are sooo good too, mmm. I love them, and I can tell they make such a great addition to this quiche. I could really do with a slice of this right now!
Thank you, Harriet! The crustless aspect definitely makes them feel lighter. And I’m obsessed with sun-dried tomatoes – so good!!
So, I’ve actually never made a quiche (crustless or not) but you’ve just inspired me. This quiche is really beautiful, and the ingredients are all things that I love, so I’ll definitely have to try this out! 🙂
Thanks so much, Sam! I think you’ll love how much fluffier the eggs as opposed to a typical scrambled egg or omelette. 🙂
Quiche as an appetizer? I never knew… This Sun-Dried Tomato quiche sounds wonderful! I enjoyed watching the video, beautifully done. (I loved the girl sitting by the water reading 🙂 One of these days I’ll make it there! 😉
Thanks so much, Lexi! I totally spotted that girl too and thought, oh how nice it would be to sit by the Seine with a good book! 🙂
I’m really glad you posted this recipe because I always use fresh tomatoes with eggs, but the idea of adding the intensely flavored sun-dried tomatoes sound so much better! Doing that for sure next time 🙂 Loved the video of Paris. I’ve never been but when I do visit, I hope I can spend a few months there instead of just a few days. I love watching House Hunters International and get so jealous when someone buys a multi-million dollar apartment Paris. Oh, how I wish that was me!
Thank you, Karrie! I am such a big fan of House Hunters International! My sister and I love watching the show and dreaming about an overseas move, especially when it’s those million dollar Paris apartments. Such a dream! Le sigh <3