{Healthier} Ham and Cheese Quiche

I know, I know. I said I was back, and then I disappeared again. The thing about starting your life over (ok fine, that was dramatic. starting your CAREER over) is that sometimes it involves going back to school. Grad school. To become employable In the medical field. And it turns out careers in the medical field require chemistry classes. It also turns out that chemistry WILL TAKE OVER YOUR LIFE.

So it’s the first day of spring quarter, there are no more chemistry classes in my immediate future, and here I am! With a recipe for you! AND said recipe involves a way to get rid of that leftover ham from Easter!

Now, I love me a good quiche, but the first time I made my own quiche, I was oh-so-sad when I realized how unhealthy it can be with all that cream. So instead, I subbed whole milk for the cream, cut down on cheese (just a tiny bit, don’t worry), and also used freshly shredded, sharp cheddar. I’ve found that shredding my own cheese AND using sharp cheddar add so much more flavor that I often don’t need to use as much.

I also made this recipe at 11 o’clock at night after a few too many beers at my neighborhood bar. Lemme tell you, ain’t nothin ever tasted as good as cheesy quiche after an evening of drinking. But don’t worry, I’ve had it again (TWICE) today, and I can promise that it’s just as delicious sober.

Side note: the fact that I made it after overindulging should be a clear indication of how easy this recipe is to throw together.

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs, beaten
• 3⁄4 c. whole milk
• dash of salt (roughly 1/4 to 1/2 tsp.)
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. minced onion
• 2 slices whole wheat bread
• 1 cup chopped cooked ham (I used leftover spiral cut honey ham from Easter and it was to-die-for)
• 1 cup freshly shredded, sharp cheddar (plus a little extra to sprinkle on top before baking)
• 1 9″ unbaked pie shell, room temperature

Instructions:

1. Roll pie shell out a little (if needed) and place inside pie plate. Fold edges down. Make pretty if you have the patience for that sort of thing.
2. Tear slices of bread up into smallish chunks and toss into pie shell (this helps keep all the ham from sinking to the bottom)
3. Beat eggs with milk, salt and pepper in bowl.
4. Add ham and cheese.
5. Pour into pie shell.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. *IMPORTANT! Check the crust after about 15 minutes. If it’s browning too quickly, briefly remove from oven and cover JUST the edges by making a little ring of tin foil (if you don’t know what I mean by this, just Google it – it’s not hard, I promise)
7. Let stand for several minutes before serving.

Yields about 6-8 servings

Recipe adapted from: Food.com