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With its cosy Autumn flavours, ThisLeek and Squash Quiche with Bacon Recipeis perfect for a cosy family dinner, weekend breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. It’s packed with plenty of flavours that all compliment each other and make this quiche recipe really stand out. From the sweet butternut squash to the savoury leeks and crispy bacon, every ingredient in this quiche is a comforting treat. The creamy filling made with eggs, cream, and strong cheddar cheese, and theflaky homemade crustmake this recipe a true winner.
Page Contents
Why You’ll Love This Leek & Squash Quiche
- Made from Scratch –I’ll show you everything you need to know to make this quiche from scratch including a homemade shortcrust pastry base.
- Make it Vegetarian –Simply omit the bacon or add in a vegetarian substitute.
- Great for any meal –Lunch, brunch, dinner or parties, this easy quiche recipe can be served up in many ways.
About This Recipe – In More Detail
In this Leek and Squash Quiche with Bacon recipe, I havemade everything from scratch, including a flaky shortcrust pastry base that’s buttery, light and crispy.
Thissavoury tartis full of flavour, with tender leeks and sweet squash, sautéed and nestled in a rich filling made with eggs, cream, and a hint of seasoning. The smoky, crispy bacon add an extra flavouring that compliments the vegetables so well.
This quiche is similar to the traditional Quiche Lorraine, a French dish with a filling of bacon, cream, and cheese. However, my Squash and Leek Quiche takes it up a notch with the addition of fresh, seasonal vegetables to the mix.
Whether you’re hosting a brunch, planning a special dinner, or simply looking to treat yourself to a comforting homemade meal, my Leek and Squash Quiche with Bacon is the perfect choice. It’s sure to impress. Serve up a slice of quiche with a simple green salad for a delicious way to feed your friends and family.
Equipment Needed
- Large Bowl – To mix the pastry ingredients in. You can also use a food processor to make the pastry if you’d prefer, but it isn’t essential.
- Pastry Blender/Pastry Cutter – This isn’t essential but is a useful piece of equipment to assist you when creating the pastry dough by hand.
- 24cm (9 inch) round, loose-bottomed tart / quiche tin, preferably fluted. With a depth of 3cm (1.2 inch)
- Baking Paper/Parchment Paper
- Cling Film / Plastic Wrap
- Rolling Pin
- Baking Beans– These ceramic beads act as a weight and help to bake the pastry crust. If you don’t own any, there are a few alternative substitutes you can use. You can use uncooked rice, but be aware, the rice will turn brown as it is baked. You can also use another smaller pie dish that fits inside the tart tin or some scrunched up tin foil. You can even use some washed, clean coins.
- Frying Pan
- Spoon or Spatula
- Sharp Knife
- Vegetable Peeler(optional) – You can use this to peel the skin from the butternut squash.
Ingredients
- Plain White (All-Purpose) Flour –I use simple all purpose flour in this recipe to make the flaky pastry pie crust. I do not recommend substitutions here.
- Butter –Another ingredient for the pastry crust. You can use salted or unsalted butter. I prefer to use unsalted and add in the salt separately for seasoning. This way, you have control of how much salt you use.
- Eggs –I use eggs in the pastry and in the quiche filling. Use large free-range eggs for the best results.
- Olive Oil– I use this to saute the leeks and butternut squash and fry the bacon.
- Leeks– I use 1 medium sized leek in this recipe. Be sure to use only the white part and light green part of the leek and wash it thoroughly. Finely slice the leeks for best results. You can use a Mandoline slicer to achieve this.
- Butternut Squash– About half a small sized butternut squash works perfectly for this recipe. Chop the orange flesh into small chunks before roasting it in the oven with a little oil.
- Smoked Streaky Bacon– The bacon flavour compliments the other ingredients well in this recipe. We shallow fry it first to make it crispy. You can also grill the bacon slices before using too. You can substitute the bacon for pancetta if you prefer. If you want to make this leek & squash vegetarian. You can leave the bacon out or use a vegetarian alternative.
- Double Cream– Also known as heavy cream or whipping cream. This makes the creamy quiche filling rich and thick.
- Cheddar Cheese– I use a strong cheddar cheese in this leek and bacon quiche. You can substitute it with stilton, goat cheese or gruyere if you prefer.
- Fresh Parsley& Fresh Thyme– I finely chop the herbs and add them to the filling. Fresh flat leafed parsley is best but you can use dried parsley too. Dried herbs are also more concentrated so replace the teaspoon of fresh parsley and thyme used in this recipe for half a teaspoon of dried parsley and thyme.
Additions and Substitutions
- Cheese –If you’d prefer to use a different cheese than cheddar. Try goats cheese or stilton for a stronger more tart taste, or gruyere cheese for a subtle, different taste.
- Bacon –Try using pancetta in place of the streaky bacon or use a vegetarian alternative or omit it completely if you want this quiche to be suitable for vegetarians too.
- Herbs –You can also use rosemary, basil or sage. We have used fresh herbs in this recipe, but dried herbs work too. Just be sure to reduce the amount. Use half a teaspoon (tsp) of dried herbs to replace every 1 teaspoon.
- Leeks– Owing to the mild onion flavour, the leeks in this recipe can be substituted for shallots or evencaramelised onion chutney.
How To Make Leek and Squash Quiche With Bacon – Step By Step Guide
Step 1: Making the Shortcrust Pastry Dough
- Cube the butter into small squares.
- In a large bowl, rub together the flour and cold butter with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Alternatively, use a stand mixer or blender.
- Beat one of the eggs with a little water and gradually add it to the flour and butter mixture. Mix until it forms a dough.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry into a disc slightly larger than the baking tin, about 3mm thick.
- Grease the tart pan, then carefully transfer the rolled-out pastry to the tin.
- Press the pastry into the base and sides, slightly overlapping the edges. Trim off any excess.
- Prick the base all over with a knife or fork. Cover the tin with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Step 2: Preparing the Butternut Squash
- Peel the butternut squash and chop the flesh into small chunks.
- Coat the squash with half the oil and spread it in a single layer on a baking tray.
- Roast the butternut squash in the preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for about 25 minutes until soft. Set aside.
Step 3: Baking the Pastry
- Remove the pastry from the fridge. Remove the cling film and line the pastry case with baking paper. Fill with baking beans.
- Bake the pastry case in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- Remove the parbaked quiche crustfrom the oven, take out the baking beans and paper, and return it to the oven.
- Bake for another 5-10 minutes until the pastry is just cooked and slightly golden. Set aside.
Step 4: Preparing the Filling
- Finely grate the cheese and finely chop the parsley and thyme leaves. Set aside.
- Finely chop the leeks and chop the bacon into small pieces.
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and sauté the sliced leek until soft.
- Add the bacon pieces and fry until cooked and slightly crispy. Remove from heat.
Step 5: Assembling and Baking the Quiche
- In a bowl, whisk the remaining eggs and add the double cream. Season with pinches of salt and pepper.
- Spoon the cooked leeks, squash, and bacon into the pastry case, spreading evenly.
- Sprinkle grated cheddar cheese over the filling, reserving some for the topping.
- Pour the cream and egg mixture over the filling and sprinkle chopped herbs and extra cheese on top.
- Bake the quiche in the preheated oven at 160°C (320°F) for about 35-40 minutes until golden brown and set on top.
- Check the quiche during baking and rotate if needed.
- Remove the quiche from the oven and let it cool slightly and rest in the tin before serving, or cool on a rack and serve it as acold quiche.
Why Blind Bake Pastry?
Blind baking pastry is the method ofpartially baking a shortcrust pastry caseto seal it before adding any filling.
Pre-baking the pastry is animportant stepin making leek & squash quiche as it prevents the case from becoming soggy and the filling leaking out.
It’s important toweigh the pastry downwith pie weights such as baking beans or an alternative substitute, otherwise, you may find that the pastry rises and puffs up in the oven and doesn’t hold its shape in the tin.
FAQ
Should quiche be served warm or cold?
Traditionally, quiche should be served at room temperature or chilled. However, you can also enjoy it warm if this is how you prefer it. You will find the filling is softer when the quiche is warm.
What part of Leeks do you use?
The edible part of a leek consists of the white and pale green parts. The dark leaves at the top of a leek are often too tough to eat but not inedible. You can save the dark green parts and saute them well in butter or oil to soften before consuming.
Do you have to blind bake pastry for a quiche?
Due to the filling, I recommend baking the pastry case before adding the filling ingredients when making a quiche. Otherwise the uncooked pastry will absorb the moisture from the filling and become quite soggy.
Pro Tips and Guidance
- Allow the Quiche to Cool –before removing it from the tin. This will help the quiche hold together and keep its shape.
- Don’t slice the quiche until it has cooled –The filling will firm up as the quiche cools, making it easier to slice into portions.
- Don’t omit pre-baking the pastry case –It will become soggy if you don’t blind bake it first.
Storage
Cooked Quiche isbest eaten on the day that it has been madebut do not leave it sitting out at room temperature for more than 2 hours. However, you can store it as below:
Chilling:
Cooked quiche should be cooled completely and stored in the fridge covered or in an airtight container for up to3 days. Be aware that the pastry base can become a little soggy when left for too long.
Freezing:
The cooked quiche can be frozen completely, although you may find that the consistency changes and the crust becomes a little soggy when defrosting. Therefore,I don’t recommend freezing the quiche whole.
If you wish to freeze it, we recommend doing so in part.
- The unfilled pastry base can be frozen before baking if you wish to make it ahead. Freeze it for up to3 months.
- The cooked butternut squash, leek and bacon can also be frozen once cooled completely.
- You can freeze the grated cheddar cheese.
- Do notfreeze the egg and cream mixture as this will separate upon defrosting. Make this only when you are ready to make the quiche.
Check Out These Recipes!
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Leek And Squash Quiche Recipe With Bacon and Cheese
5 from 11 votes
This recipe for a Leek and Squash Quiche with Bacon is perfect for any meal of the day and a great way to use up leftover vegetables in your fridge. With its tender leeks, sweet butternut squash, and smoky bacon, this recipe makes a delicious and satisfying meal that's sure to please. Made completely from scratch with a flake pastry crust, our recipe is easy to follow and can be adapted to suit your taste.
Print Recipe Pin Rate
Course: lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: French
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 948kcal
Author: Rebecca Foxley
Ingredients
For the Pastry Base
- 225 g Plain Flour
- 125 g Unsalted Butter, Chilled
- 1 Egg
- 1 tbsp Water
For the Filling
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 85 g Leeks, Approx. 1 Medium Leek
- 350 g Butternut Squash, Approx. Half a Small Squash
- 70 g Streaky Bacon, Approx. 5 rashers
- 3 Eggs, Large
- 220 ml Double Cream
- 100 g Cheddar Cheese
- 1 tsp Fresh Parsley
- 1 tsp Fresh Thyme
- Salt and Pepper, To taste
Instructions
To make the shortcrust pastry, start by cubing the butter into small squares.
Add the flour and cold butter to a large bowl and mix together with your fingertips, a stand mixer, or a blender until it forms a breadcrumb-like consistency.
Beat an egg with a little water and gradually add it to the flour and butter mixture, mixing everything together until a dough is formed.
Lightly flour a flat surface and roll out the pastry into a disc shape that is slightly larger than the baking tin, and about 3mm thick.
Grease a 24 cm x 3cm loose based quiche tin with some butter, and carefully transfer the rolled-out pastry to the tin.
Press the pastry into the base and sides, and lip it over the edges slightly. Trim off any excess pastry.
Prick the base all over with a sharp knife or fork.
Cover the pastry tin with plastic wrap / cling film.
Chill the pastry in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
Cut the Squash into small cubes. Transfer the cubes to a baking tray and drizzle with half the olive oil.
Spread the squash cubes out in a single layer and roast for 25 minutes until tender. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Remove the pastry case from the fridge and remove the plastic wrap / cling film.
Line the pastry case with baking paper, fill it with baking beans, and transfer the tin to the oven. Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove the pastry case from the oven, take out the baking beans and paper, and return the pastry to the oven to bake for another 5-10 minutes until it's just cooked and slightly golden.
Remove the pastry from the oven and set it aside.
Turn the oven temperature down to 160°C (320°F).
Finely grate the cheese and finely chop the parsley, and set them aside for later.
Finely chop the leeks and chop the bacon into small pieces.
Heat the oil in a frying pan, and add the sliced leek and sauté until softened.
Add the bacon pieces and fry until cooked and slightly crispy.
Remove the pan from the heat.
In a bowl, whisk the remaining eggs and add the double cream. Beat together, and season with salt and pepper.
Spoon the cooked leeks, squash, and bacon into the pastry case and spread evenly over the base.
Sprinkle over the grated cheddar cheese and the chopped parsley, reserve a little cheese for the topping.
Pour over the egg and cream mixture and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
Bake the quiche in the oven for about 35-40 minutes until it's golden brown and set on top. Be sure to check the quiche during the baking time and turn it around if it's cooking on one side more than the other.
Remove the quiche from the oven and leave it in the tin to cool slightly and rest before turning it out and serving, or place the quiche on a cooling rack and serve at room temperature.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Blind-bake the crust: To ensure a crisp and flaky crust, it’s essential to blind-bake it before adding the filling. This will prevent the crust from becoming soggy and ensure it stays crisp even after the filling is added.
- Change up the herbs: This recipe is incredibly versatile, and you can easily adjust it to suit your tastes. Try adding your own favourite herbs, such as rosemary, basil or sage.
- Experiment with different cheeses: While this recipe calls for cheddar cheese, you can easily experiment with other types of cheese to add a different flavour. Try swapping the cheddar for gruyere, feta or even blue cheese for a delicious twist.
- Let it cool before slicing: While it may be tempting to dig into the quiche straight out of the oven, it’s best to let it cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving. This will allow the filling to set and make it easier to cut into slices.
- Storage: Once cooled this quiche can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. We don’t recommend freezing the cooked quiche as a whole. However, a pre-baked pastry crust, the grated cheese and the cooked vegetables and bacon can all be frozen separately for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Estimate
Calories: 948kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 68g | Saturated Fat: 38g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 336mg | Sodium: 548mg | Potassium: 637mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 11770IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 313mg | Iron: 5mg
