Parmesan & Leek Quiche
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A variation on the classic French cheese quiche, this Parmesan and leek quiche is rich and flavorful.
When I was studying abroad in France, every day for lunch I would walk to the pastry shop near my university and treat myself to an individual quiche fromage — a delicious little habit that quickly cost me all my skinny jeans. Over 20 years later, it is still one of my favorite things to eat. This parmesan and leek quiche is a wonderful variation on the classic French cheese quiche; the leeks impart a mellow, almost sweet onion flavor while Parmesan cheese makes the custard filling extra flavorful.
What You’ll Need To Make Parmesan & Leek Quiche
I use a good-quality store-bought crust to save time but feel free to make your own if you prefer. The secret to success, whether you make the crust yourself or use pre-made, is to pre-bake it so it won’t be soggy.
For the cheese, it’s important to use authentic Parmigiano Reggiano cheese for this recipe. You can always tell if it’s authentic by looking at the rind, which is embossed with the name over and over. If the cheese is already grated, it should be labeled “Parmigiano Reggiano,” not “Parmesan.”
Leeks are part of the onion family, but they have a milder flavor. They’re notoriously sandy and dirty (and very good at hiding it) so it’s important to wash them well. To clean them, cut off and discard the root ends and thick dark green parts, then cut the leeks in half lengthwise. Rinse each half under cold water, pulling apart the layers to remove any grit that’s tucked inside.
How To Make Parmesan & Leek Quiche
To begin, preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the pie shell from the freezer and thaw it until just soft enough to easily prick with a fork (10 to 20 minutes). Prick the bottom and sides all over with a fork and bake on the center rack until lightly golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 325°F.
While the crust bakes, melt the butter in small sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and season with a bit of salt and pepper.
Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until very soft, about 15 minutes. Do not brown. Taste and adjust seasoning (they should be well-seasoned). Set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, combine the heavy cream, eggs, thyme, nutmeg, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Whisk well.
Spread the cooked leeks over the pre-baked pie shell, taking care not to puncture the crust. 
Pour the egg mixture over top.
Bake at 325°F for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the custard is set and puffed.
The quiche will deflate as it cools. Slice into wedges and serve hot or warm.
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Parmesan & Leek Quiche
A variation on the classic French cheese quiche, this Parmesan and leek quiche is rich and flavorful.
Ingredients
- 1 frozen deep-dish 9-inch pie shell
- 1½ tablespoons butter
- 1 cup finely chopped leeks, white and light green parts only, from 1-2 leeks
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme, or ½ teaspoon dried
- Pinch ground nutmeg
- 1¼ cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the pie shell from the freezer and thaw it until just soft enough to easily prick with a fork (10 to 20 minutes). Prick the bottom and sides all over with a fork and bake on the center rack until lightly golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Don't worry if the crust cracks while baking; see note below on how to fix it. Turn the oven down to 325°F.
- Melt the butter in small sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and season with a bit of salt and pepper. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until very soft, about 15 minutes. Do not brown. Taste and adjust seasoning (they should be well-seasoned). Set aside to cool.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, eggs, thyme, nutmeg, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Mix well.
- Spread the cooked leeks over the pre-baked pie shell, taking care not to puncture the crust (it may be fragile around rim, or where there are air bubbles). Pour the egg mixture over top. Bake at 325°F for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the custard is set and puffed. The quiche will deflate as it cools. Slice into wedges and serve hot or warm.
- Notes: Be sure to clean the leeks well, especially between leaves where there can be a lot of grit.
- Note: Don't panic if your crust cracks -- you can easily fix it. Make a smooth paste by mixing 1 tablespoon of flour with 1 tablespoon of water. Use your fingers to patch up and fill any cracks, then place the crust back in the oven for a minute or so to set. It should be good as new.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: This quiche can be made up to a day ahead of time and refrigerated. To reheat: Cover the quiche with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 300°F oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until hot in the center. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Remove the quiche from the freezer about 24 hours prior to serving and reheat it, covered with foil, in a 300°F oven until hot in the center.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 551
- Fat: 44 g
- Saturated fat: 24 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Sodium: 553 mg
- Cholesterol: 229 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Comments
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Quiche is delicious – I made it with 5% cream which might have been the reason I needed to keep putting it back in the oven. So good though once it was done. I do have a photo too but don’t know where to add it?
Glad you liked it, Kim! Unfortunately, the blog isn’t set up to receive pictures but if you’re on Instagram, you can share it there; be sure to tag me @onceuponachef! 🙂
Great recipe…once again! Came together quickly and was very flavorful.
Hi Jen, can I add sauteed purple onion? Do you have a recipe for crust? Thanks! Tal
Yes and yes. 🙂 Here’s my recipe for homemade pie crust. Hope you enjoy if you try it!
Jenn, would Gruyere cheese work with this recipe?
Sure!
Can this quiche be made crustless? Could most quiches be made crustless? Why or why not?
I have your cookbook and without question it has more usable and delicious recipes in its pages than any other cookbook I own. And I own a lot of cookbooks!
So glad you like the cookbook!! I haven’t tried it, but I think you could make this crustless. It will pretty delicate but it should work. The primary reason you wouldn’t be able to make a quiche crustless is that it would be too delicate without the structure of the crust and very challenging to serve.
Hi Jenn and Carol – I just wanted to share that I made this quiche this morning – crustless – and it was perfection! Delicious and served fine! Thank you for all of your delicious recipes, Jenn. When I try something from your site, I always know it will be a winner, and this was no exception!
Thanks for weighing in, Cindy! 🙂
Hi Jenn. Is it ok to use a refrigerated crust, not a frozen one? Do I still need to pre-bake it? Thank you! Mary
Sure, and it should still be blind baked. Just follow the directions on the package for blind baking. Hope you enjoy!
This is a wonderful dish–I have submitted an earlier review but have since made changes that might be helpful to viewers. I adore a very deep quiche: looks great and serves many people. I bought a 2-piece tin (with removable bottom) that is 2 inches deep. Its fluted sides are angled, so I knew it was important to measure its volume (9 1/2 liquid cups) in order to increase all ingredients to fill the tin. As an example, I used 2 1/4 cups whipping cream and 7 eggs. I make my own par baked crust (using leaf lard) and roll it a tad thicker as it has to stand up to a lot of liquid. This baked for about 75 minutes (until the wobbly centre had calmed down). It is very important that the crust has no tears/cracks as leakage compromises a clean release from the tin and detracts from presentation. This quiche looks great and the taste is amazing. I shared it with neighbours; one commented: “best quiche ever…..incredible”. Thank you Jen.
Wonderful quiche. I made it crustless because I don’t like making pastry and don’t like store bought shells.
I found a tip for crustless quiche you might want to try. Mix equal parts of butter and finely grated parmesan and spread it thinly on the pie plate. It seems to make a crustless quiche come of the pan more easily. Have tried it with this recipe – hard to tell if it made a difference because it was the same type of cheese and another crustless quiche made with cheddar – and it did seem to form a kind of bottom crust.
I use that method, buttering and sprinkling with finely grated parmigiano reggiano, for soufflés as well. Works quite well.
It would be great to have the nutritional information even if this isn’t the friend of skinny jeans!
I just added them! 🙂
Ms. Segal,
This is the best quiche I have ever put in my mouth!
Your recommendation to use lower heat and heavy cream turns it into a lovely custard. I’ve made it without a crust and it’s excellent that way too.
Many thanks.