Crustless Quiche Lorraine

Name: Crustless Quiche Lorraine Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 4 ounces pancetta; 1 large shallot, (chopped); 4 ounces gouda cheese, (shredded); 12 eggs; 1 cup cottage cheese; ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper; ½ teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon fresh thyme

This Crustless Quiche Lorraine takes all of the delicious flavors of a traditional Quiche Lorraine but ditches the pie crust and heavy cream to make for a breakfast casserole-style meal prep breakfast instead. Pancetta, shallots, gouda cheese, and thyme bring all of the flavor to this dish, making it extra-special for weekday mornings!

The quiche has been cut into 9 squares. Two have been removed from the dish.

Quiche Lorraine is and will always be my special occasion breakfast of choice, and while I do think the pie crust and heavy cream make it extra special, the thing I love about it the most are the flavors of slightly caramelized shallots, crispy pancetta, creamy gouda, and earthy thyme – it’s irresistible.

This recipe ditches the pie crust and swaps the cream for cottage cheese (hello, protein!) for a more meal prep-friendly breakfast that allows you to enjoy the beloved Quiche Lorraine flavors as an every day, easy-to-prep breakfast casserole.

Looking for more delicious meal prep-friendly breakfast casserole recipes? We’ve got you. This roasted veggie breakfast casserole, plantain & sausage breakfast casserole, and chile relleno breakfast casserole.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It’s delicious – crispy pancetta, creamy gouda, caramelized shallots – this breakfast casserole is not your average weekday breakfast casserole. It’s special!
It’s easy – as most breakfast casseroles go, this recipe is easy-peasy. Throw it together like you would any other breakfast casserole recipe and let the bold flavors take care of the rest.

Recipe Ingredients

You’ll just need a handful of ingredients for this recipe, all of which can be easily found at your local grocery store. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.

Ingredients for crustless quiche Lorraine sit in a variety of bowls on a white tiled countertop.

Pancetta – we grabbed pancetta here, but you can absolutely use bacon instead. They’re really similar, so you won’t compromise flavor if you choose to go that route.
Shallot – similar to the pancetta, we went with shallot (vs. onion) here, but if you have a purple onion on hand, feel free to grab that instead.
Gouda cheese – gouda is our cheese of choice for Quiche Lorraine, but Monterey jack, gruyere, or swiss cheese would also be great.
Cottage cheese – cottage cheese is the secret ingredient that makes this recipe so darn creamy and delicious. It also ups the protein content substantially, which we love. Feel free to go with whole milk, 2%, or low-fat cottage cheese here – they’ll all work!
Fresh thyme – feel free to swap dried thyme for fresh, if you’d like.

A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

Recipe Variations and Modifications

Lower the fat content – swap the whole eggs for egg whites if you want to lower the fat content but keep the great, delicious flavors. If you’re doing this, you’ll need 24 egg whites or 3 cups of egg whites from a carton.

How to Make a Crustless Quiche Lorraine

This recipe is incredibly easy to make – you’ll need to crisp the pancetta, semi-caramelize the shallots, combine the ingredients in a baking dish, and bake. That’s it! Follow along below for the full how-to.

Chopped bacon is shown being cooked in a white frying pan.

The fully cooke bacon bits have been removed from the pan. Diced and toasted onion has been added in its place.

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F, and line a 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper. In a large skillet over medium/high heat, cook the pancetta until crispy. Once cooked, add the pancetta to the bottom of the prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer, and drain all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan.

Step 2: Add the chopped shallots to the pan with the tablespoon of reserved fat. Cook over medium/high heat until slightly browned and crispy. Spoon the shallots into the baking dish over top of the pancetta.

A white shredded cheese and bacon bits have been added to the bottom of a parchment paper lined baking dish.

Cracked eggs and a variety of other ingredients have been placed into a blender.

Step 3: Sprinkle the shredded gouda over the pancetta and shallots.

Step 4: Add the eggs, cottage cheese, salt, and pepper to a blender, and blend until smooth.

The blended egg mixture has been poured over the top of the bacon and shredded cheese. A green herb has been sprinkled over the top.

Fully baked crustless quiche Lorraine sits in a parchment lined baking dish.

Step 5: Top with the fresh thyme, then bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes, or until the top has a golden brown and it no longer wiggles in the center.

Step 6: Let the crustless quiche cool for 10 minutes before cutting, then serve warm and enjoy!

Recipe Tip

For the smoothest casserole, be sure to use a blender to blend together the eggs, cottage cheese, salt, and pepper. If you don’t have a blender or just don’t want to get it out, feel free to whisk the ingredients together instead – the filling won’t be quite as smooth, but it’ll still be delicious.

How to Serve

Enjoy a piece or two of your crustless quiche alongside fresh fruit or a simple yogurt bowl (Greek yogurt, berries, and a dollop of nut butter) for a complete, filling breakfast.

If you’re running out the door with your breakfast in hand, you may consider grabbing more than one piece to keep you full until lunch!

How to Store and Reheat

Store any leftover crustless quiche in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. This breakfast recipe also freezes beautifully – simply wrap each piece in parchment paper and store in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.

Reheat a slice or two in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, until warmed through. You can do this straight from frozen, too!

Pieces of crustless quiche Lorraine sit on a sheet of parchment paper.

Frequently Asked Questions

Isn’t crustless quiche simply a frittata?

Though similar, there are a few key differences between the two. Frittatas are typically cooked first on the stovetop, and then finished in the oven. This recipe is more like a breakfast casserole than a frittata, as far as cooking methods go, but the flavors are identical to classic Quiche Lorraine flavors.

Why is quiche Lorraine called quiche Lorraine?

Quiche Lorraine is a really well-known style of quiche that is named after the Lorraine region in France. The standard ingredients are eggs, cream, and bacon, but cheese is pretty common now too!

How much protein is in this crustless quiche?

One slice (the full dish makes 9) of this crustless quiche has 15 grams of protein and 207 calories. If this is all you’re having for breakfast, consider grabbing more than one slice to up these numbers and, ultimately, leave you feeling more full and satisfied.

– 1 slice: 207 calories / 15g fat / 2g carbohydrates / 15g protein
– 2 slices: 414 calories / 30g fat / 4g carbohydrates / 30g protein
– 3 slices: 621 calories / 45g fat / 6g carbohydrates / 45g protein

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