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Tomato, Basil & Caramelized Onion Quiche

Combining a creamy egg base with heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, a shaving of Parmigiano-Reggiano, and onions caramelized to perfection, this is the be-all end-all of quiche recipes.

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tomato basil and caramelized onion quiche with two slices cut out of it shown with a sharp knife.

Mary, Mary Quite Contrary, How Does Your Garden Grow?

Several years ago, we attended a lecture with the founder of the Slow Food Movement, Carlo Petrini. In his speech, he said something we’ll never forget: “I remember when a tomato used to taste like a fruit.” Simple, perhaps, but something about that stuck, and each summer when heirloom tomatoes reach their sunkissed peak, we always come back to Signore Petrini. Of course, sun-sweetened tomatoes are delicious any which way you slice it, but for us, we love to enjoy their juicy pop in a tomato quiche. Add garden-fresh basil, sweet caramelized onions, and a shaving of Parmigiano-Reggiano and you get our Heirloom Tomato Quiche with Caramelized Onions, Basil, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Basically, the summertime breakfast quiche to end all breakfast quiches. Peak summer, peak quiche—it’s all of the things.

tomato and basil quiche topped with fresh basil with two slices cut out of the quiche.

What Is Quiche?

Our definition of “quiche” is simply a savory pie crust (aka, pate brisse) filled with an eggy custard. For food history buffs, here’s a tasty tidbit: quiche originated in the Alsace-Lorraine region of France, and it’s most popular iteration—Quiche Lorraine—is filled with bacon, Gruyère cheese, and heavy cream. We’ve taken that classic quiche recipe and transformed it into a vegetarian celebration of all things summer. Here’s how:

  • We’ve swapped quiche Lorraine’s classic bacon for umami-rich caramelized onions.
  • Add summertime seasonal ingredients like juicy heirloom tomatoes and fragrant, fresh basil.
  • Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Tomato slices, basil, onions, butter, flour, eggs and heavy cream in small bowls and plates

Can You Freeze Quiche?

Yesssssss!! Maybe your friend just had a baby, or your tomato plant is so weighted down with burtingly ripe tomatoes it can barely stand upright. No matter the reason, bake this egg quiche ahead of time, let completely cool, then wrap tightly in a few layers of cling wrap, and freeze. When you’re ready for a little slice of summer—and this heirloom tomato quiche is perfect for that—simply pop the still-frozen quiche in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 15-20 minutes, or until it is heated through.

Frittata vs. Quiche—What’s the Diff?

The easiest way to remember? Quiche = crust. Frittatas typically omit the crust and heavy cream, relying mostly on the eggs. And a tart is something different altogether—it’s commonly made without any egg filling (but does have a crust —are you confused yet?). All three are delicious in their own right (a good tomato tart recipe is worth all the ripe tomatoes), but today we’re pie-eyed for this tomato basil quiche recipe.

onions slices and brown sugar in a skillet
onions caramelized in a skillet with a wooden spoon
pie crust shaped into a pie dish
raw pie dough filled with onions and garlic
pie crust filled sliced tomatoes
raw pie crust filled with sliced tomatoes and topped with parmesan cheese and fresh basil
tomato basil and caramelized onions in a raw pie crust with egg and cream mixture
Tomato basil and caramelized onion quiche in a ceramic pie dish

How to Make Quiche

Our quiche recipe is pretty much foolproof, thanks to the fact that most of the mixing happens in your trusty food processor. Adding caramelized onions is an easy way to add tons of flavor, while still making this a vegetarian quiche recipe.

  • Start by adding thinly sliced onions to a hot frying pan bubbling with butter and brown sugar and cooking down until the onion slices collapse onto themselves and take on a deep, dark mahogany hue.
  • While the onions caramelize, make the quiche crust by pulsing together flour, salt, and frozen butter in your food processor. Add water at a slowwww trickle until the dough just comes together. The more water you add, the more the crust will shrink when it bakes, so less water the better.
  • Layer your heirloom tomatoes, cheese, fresh basil, and sweet caramelized onions into the crust. Pour in eggs and fresh cream, and bake until the center loses its wobble!
  • Serve your tomato-laden, caramelized onion quiche alongside our Simple Butter Lettuce salad and call it breakfast well done (or dinner, if you please!).

Tools You’ll Need to Make This Easy Quiche Recipe:

  • Sharp knife.
  • Food processor. Ours sees so much action we stopped even trying to put it away. Now it just lives in its happy little place on our counter, and honestly we don’t mind one bit.
  • Quiche pan or pie pan. You don’t have a quiche pan?! Not to worry—a regular 8- or 9-inch pie pan will do.
tomato basil and caramelized onion quiche topped with fresh basil
tomato basil quiche on a marble block with two slices cut out of it shown next to a knife and linen

Love Eggs? Here Are More Eggy Recipes We Love:

Seriously, we could eat eggs for every meal of the day. You, too? Take these egg recipes out for a spin:

  • Homemade tomatillo sauce gives our Salsa Verde Baked Eggs the perfect amount of fresh jalapeno heat.
  • Deconstructed breakfast tacos—aka Migas—are totally a thing.
  • The only thing better than a classic BLT? Our Heirloom BLT with Pesto, topped with a runny fried egg.

Best Quiche Recipe, Ever?

Show us how yours turned out and tag us @themodernproper and #themodernproper.

Tomato, Basil & Caramelized Onion Quiche

  • Serves: 8
  • Prep Time:  1 hr
  • Cook Time:  45 min
  • Calories: 319

Ingredients

Filling

  • 1 small sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 6 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 2-3 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese finely grated
  • 1 medium heirloom tomato, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 handful of basil leaves, thinly sliced

Crust

  • 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 9 tbsp unsalted butter, cold, 1/2 inch diced
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 1/2 tbsp ice water

Method

  1. Before preparing quiche filling, dice 9 tablespoons of butter, place on parchment paper and put in freezer.
  2. Melt the remaining butter in a small frying pan over medium-low heat until foaming. Add the onions and sugar, let them cook, stirring occasionally, until they are deep golden brown and caramelized, about 40 minutes. Add garlic to the pan and let them cook 5 minutes longer. Season well with salt and pepper, remove from the pan, and let cool.
  3. While onions are caramelizing, place flour and ½ teaspoon salt into a food processor with fitted blade. Pulse to combine. Add the butter from the freezer. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball.
  4. Preheat oven to 375º F.
  5. While onions are cooling, press dough into an 8 or 9 inch pie or quiche pan. Place in refrigerator while preparing the eggs.
  6. Combine eggs, cream, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender. Blend the ingredients for 1 minute. Layer the tomatoes, cheese and basil in the bottom of the crust lined quiche pan. Evenly disperse onion and garlic over top, then pour the egg mixture on top of that. Bake for 35-45 minutes until the egg mixture is set. Cut into 8 wedges.

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories319
  • Protein10 g
  • Carbohydrates20 g
  • Total Fat21 g
  • Dietary Fiber2 g
  • Cholesterol188 mg
  • sodium256 mg
  • Total Sugars2 g

Tomato, Basil & Caramelized Onion Quiche

Questions & Reviews

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  • Carolyn

    I am going to use premade crust in pan
    do I follow the recipe from that point and just put it in the crust to bake. It was mentioned that the crust becomes wet . How do you eliminate that problem??
    Can you use grape tomatoes ??? I just dont want the quiche crust to be wet

    Yes ma'am just ignore any instructions for making your own crust. As for a wet crust we haven't noticed this problem but you can use grape tomatoes or after slicing your tomatoes place them in a strainer before going into the pie crust.

  • Megan

    If you were going to use pre made pie crust, do you make it exactly as listed? Or pre cook the crust? Thanks!!

    No need to pre-cook the crust, hope you enjoy Megan!

  • eileen

    I'm confused about quantity of tomatoes. The pictures imply several tomatoes sliced but the ingredient list calls for one chopped. Which is correct? Thank you.

    It is One chopped, thanks Eileen!

  • Mary Beth

    Hi, this recipe looks amazing, but I've tried making a tomato tart and, despite an incredible amount of research and efforts, the bottom was soggy. I placed salted tomato slices in a colander and allowed them to drain for an hour, then slow roasted them to get as much moisture out as possible. I also layered the tomatoes over cheese so as to not have the tomatoes in direct contact with the crust. I did not blind bake the homemade crust as directed by the recipe, but ended up with a soggy bottom after all my efforts. I just can't believe how this recipe would avoid that. I haven't yet tried any of your recipes, but they all look bullet proof. I even bought your book which is absolutely stunning, bravo!

    Thanks Mary Beth, so happy you are enjoying the book! We haven't had this come out with a soggy bottom but the recipe only calls for one tomato in with everything else so perhaps you had used a lot more tomato in the past.

  • Amy Stovall

    We used what we had on hand - yellow onion instead of sweet onion and Campari tomatoes instead of heirloom tomatoes, and this came out absolutely delicious. It was very easy to make, and we had everything on hand for a last minute Easter brunch. I plan on making this for Mother’s Day as well. Soooo good!!!

    Thank you so much Amy, we are so happy that you loved it!

  • Debbie

    My husband and I love this recipe so so much! We change it a little bit that we just use pre-made pie crust and we add in mushrooms.
    Specifically we cook mushrooms and then add them on top of the tomato and basil. I even precook the tomatoes to make sure they're soft but that isn't necessary.
    Like I said, we love it and it's one of our favorites. Helps switch things up from just scrambled eggs in the morning.

    Thank you Debbie! So happy to hear you both enjoy it so much! We agree, it's definitely nice to treat ourselves to something a little more special than scrambled from time to time!