Quiches, like pizzas, are very adaptable. Great for salads, buffets and parties. Once you know the basics you can make a quiche from a wide variety of ingredients, which means it can be very useful for using up vegetables you have in your fridge which are not in sufficient quantity to make a whole portion for a main meal. This easy recipe for Cheese and Tomato Quiche is made from basic ingredients you are likely to have in your cupboards.
Use whatever type of tomatoes you have – small cherry or plum ones can be cut in half and dotted around the top or one large one can be sliced to distribute in four or six slices.
Possibly the best known quiche recipe is Quiche Lorraine, named after the area from where it came from, which was originally a German area, so officially quiche comes from Germany. Apparently the word quiche comes from the German for cake – ‘Kuchen’. Quiches are very good eaten cold as part of a picnic or packed lunch.
This Cheese and Tomato quiche recipe can be made with ingredients you probably already have in your fridge and cupboards
Basic Cheese And Tomato Quiche
This easy quiche recipe is a basic quiche – yet quite delicious – and there are a number of variations you can try out. The ingredients are just eggs, milk, cheese and tomatoes in a pastry case but you can add herbs and flavourings to your taste.
You can use either white flour pastry or wholemeal flour – or a mix of the two. I always think wholemeal flour has an enjoyable nutty flavour – and of course you get the added health benefits of the wholemeal flour. Alternatively, you can always use ready made, shop bought pastry.
Baking Blind
If you have time, it is always better to bake your pastry ‘blind’ before adding the ingredients. This ensures your pastry is properly cooked through. To do this – once you have rolled out the pastry and lined your tin, line the pastry with some greaseproof paper. I always make enough to more than cover the pastry so it is easy to lift out afterwards. Fill the inside with baking beans or dried pulses and bake in the oven at 180 degrees C for about 10 minutes. This is to ensure the pastry stays flat in the tine – if you do not do this the pastry may puff up as it heats.
Alternatively you can prick the base of the pastry with a fork. In theory the holes will close as it cooks – but I prefer not to do it this way as I don’t want any of the liquid filling seeping out through any unclosed holes
If you are making pastry – it is quite a good idea to make double the quantity and make two things at a time. It is almost as quick to make two quiches as one, as the base ingredients of milk and eggs is the same for most quiches. A quiche can be easily frozen for a future quick dinner.
You are also making the most of having the oven on – it is good to use the heat by cooking as many things as possible at one time.
Alternative To A Pastry Base
If you want a lighter base than pastry – or want to avoid the wheat and fat – try making a quiche with a rice base. It is very easy and makes a nice change. Click here for How To Make A Rice Base For A Quiche
Serve with new potatoes and salad leaves or your favourite cooked vegetables
More Quiche Recipes
Cheese And Tomato Quiche Recipe
Equipment
- Flan dish
Ingredients
For the Pastry
- 140 g plain flour wholemeal, white or half and half
- 70 g butter or margarine
- 3-4 tablespoons cold water
- pinch of salt optional
For the Filling
- 1 small white or red onion peeled and chopped
- 110 g cheddar cheese grated
- 3 free range eggs
- 200 ml milk
- 1 teaspoon mixed dried herbs
- 1 teaspoon mustard optional
- 1 large tomato sliced or several cherry tomatoes cut in half
Instructions
Make the Pastry
- Sift the flour into a bowl
- Rub the butter or margarine into the flour, until it looks like breadcrumbs
- Add 2 tablespoons of water and stir
- Try to bring the pastry together with your fingers, adding more water if necessary, but just a drop at a time
- Only work the dough enough to bring it all together and then stop
- Place the dough in a polythene bag put it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to 'rest'.
- Roll out the pastry
- Grease a cake tin or flan dish
- Gently trim of off any excess
- If you have time - bake blind for 10-25 minutes (see video above). Cut a round of greaseproof paper to size and fill with baking beans or dried beans. Place in a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. Carefully remove sheet and beans.
Make the Filling
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C
- Arrange the onion pieces in the bottom of the flan
- Place the cheese on top of the onion
- Beat the eggs and mix in with the milk
- Stir in the herbs and mustard
- Pour over the onion and cheese
- Slice your large tomato into 4 to 6 sliced and arrange on top or halve the cherry tomatoes
- Place in the oven for about 45 minutes until set. NB The quiche can look done after only 20 minutes or so but don't be tempted to take it out too early or the middle will still be quite soft. If it is getting too brown on top, just turn down the oven a little.
- Allow to cool slightly before serving
- Delicious hot or cold with baked potato and salad
Hi could I use ready made shop brought pastry?,
Sure you can….. 🙂
Do you fry the onions before placing in the flan also baking blind can I not place silver foil bake 8 mind remove foil bake 5 mins…….
Thank you for asking. You can fry the onions if you wish – but I don’t. They cook in the flan but perhaps you prefer them fried first. I have not baked blind like that before – but if you have I am sure it will be fine. I might try it next time I make this quiche. There is often not just one way to do things – just the way your prefer.
Made this twice in lockdown and very pleased. Lovely and easy to follow recipe. Thank you.
what size tin do you use for this as just tried to make it but did not have enough paste or filling
A 20 cm / 8inch flan tin. There should be plenty for that. You can always add a little extra cheese and milk if you flan tin is deeper.
Just tried this recipe to bake for the family to open my Iftaar and I have to say I am very pleased. I never write comments about food that I get offline but I must say absolutley loved it 🙂
Delighted that you and your family all enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Just pulled this out of the oven and it looks gorgeous. Can’t wait to try it later and hopefully tastes as nice as it looks. Really easy to follow recipe and will be cooking it again soon. 🙂
Have just made this it looks amazing can’t wait to try it later at a family tea if I can wait that long
I love love love this recipe! I tried it just today and having had less success with Quiches before, this turned out brill! Firm pastry and lovely thoroughly cooked filling.
Thank you for saying – glad you liked it! It is a recipe I still do frequently. More recently I also tried a rice base instead of pastry Click here for How To Make A Rice Base For A Quiche
Just about to make this with all my leftovers looks yummy glad I found this page x