This ham and asparagus quiche is my delicious, go-to solution for reinventing leftover Easter ham. It’s a recipe that feels special enough for brunch guests but simple enough to whip up on a Tuesday thanks to refrigerated pie crusts.
What I love most is how fresh this quiche tastes—shallots add subtle sweetness, and the asparagus stays bright and crisp-tender after baking. You don't even have to pre-cook the veggies!
This is the kind of dish that looks impressive but comes together without much fuss, and I know you're going to love it.
After every holiday meal, there’s always that moment when you open the fridge, spot the leftovers, and wonder what to do with them. If you're like me, after the second or third day of eating the same thing...you're over it. However, the idea of wasting food hurts your soul. That's when this recipe comes to the rescue.
Not only does this recipe revive leftovers; the best news of all may be that this quiche freezes beautifully too. So if you have had your fill of holiday ham, whip up this quiche to bake and freeze for later when you don't feel like cooking.
One thing is for certain, whether you’re hosting brunch, packing lunches, or just making the most of your Easter leftovers, this quiche delivers every time.
Looking for another great way to use up that ham? These ham and onion empanadas taste even better than the ham and cheese Hot Pockets I had growing up. If you're on a roll and want to discover other ways to use up leftovers, be sure to check out these 20 turkey recipe ideas for leftover holiday turkey.
Finally, if you're looking for more quiche recipes, I know you'll love my sun-dried tomato quiche too. Ready to make this savory ham quiche? Let's do it!
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Ingredients
Before we get started, let's gather the ingredients we need for this easy quiche recipe:
- refrigerated pie crusts
- asparagus
- diced ham (I use the leftovers from my bourbon glazed ham)
- shallot
- large eggs
- half-and-half
- mayonnaise
- Gruyere cheese
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- ground nutmeg
(See recipe card for quantities.)
Instructions
Now that we've got our ingredients, it's time to get cooking!
- First, preheat the oven to 350°F. Stack the pie crusts on top of each other and roll out to a 12-inch circle. Fit the pie crust in a deep-dish 10-inch pie pan. Fold the edges under and crimp. Fill with parchment paper and pie weights or beans and bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the crust is set. Remove from the oven and let cool.
- Then, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
- Next, sprinkle the asparagus, ham, shallot, and cheese in the bottom of the prepared pie crust.
- Finally, pour egg mixture over the ingredients in the pie pan. Brush the edges of the pie crust with egg wash. Bake at 325°F for 35 minutes or until or until the quiche filling is set and the crust is golden brown.
Hint: Keep an eye on the crust edges as the quiche bakes. Shield with aluminum foil if needed to prevent excess browning.
Substitutions
Want to change things up? Here are some ingredient substitution ideas:
- Ham - I love to use leftover Easter ham for this recipe, but you can swap that out for another protein. Use cooked bacon, cooked sausage, or roasted chicken instead. Smoked salmon is another great choice.
- Gruyere cheese - This classic Swiss style cheese is tangy, nutty and perfect for this quiche. You can use another Swiss cheese, sharp Cheddar cheese, or even goat cheese if you prefer.
- Asparagus - Instead of asparagus, try baby spinach, peas, or broccoli.
- Shallot - If you don't have a shallot, you can use thinly sliced red onion, yellow onion, or green onions instead.
- Mayonnaise - Sour cream is the perfect substitute for mayonnaise.
- Refrigerated pie crusts - Refrigerated pie crust is such a time saver! To fill a deep-dish pie pan, I stack the two crusts that come in the box and roll them out. If you prefer, you can also buy a frozen deep dish pie crust instead.
- Half-and-half - Don't have half-and-half? Use whipping cream instead. You can use whole milk too, but the custard won't be as rich.
Variations
Check out these easy variations for this ham and asparagus quiche recipe:
- Spicy - Add a little kick to this quiche but stirring some cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes into the egg mixture.
- Mini Asparagus and Ham Quiches - The filling for one large quiche is enough to make about 16 mini quiches. Use a mini muffin pan and cut out the pie crusts with a round cutter. (There's no need to stack the crusts; you can just cut each one into smaller circles for mini quiches.) You should still pre-bake the crusts before filling, about 10 minutes, and then bake for another 15 minutes or until the filling is set.
- Quiche Lorraine - Make this classic French quiche recipe. Instead of ham, use chopped cooked bacon and omit the asparagus.
Equipment
Here's the equipment you'll need for this recipe:
- chef's knife
- rolling Pin
- 10-inch deep dish pie dish
- whisk
- liquid measuring cup
- dry measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- cheese grater
- pastry brush
- ceramic pie weights or dry beans
- medium bowl
- small bowl
Storage
Store leftover quiche in the pie pan covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
This quiche freezes very well. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months.
Tasty Tip
Sometimes when I unroll the pie crusts, they crack, and I have a great solution to fixing the cracks. Simply dip your index fingertip into water and smear the crack with your finger until it disappears. Dust with flour before rolling out.
Frequently asked questions
Nope! Because asparagus doesn't take long to cook anyways, I don't cook it before adding the filling. By the time the quiche has baked, the asparagus will be crisp-tender and bright green.
It depends on the vegetable. For vegetables that don't take long to cook anyway, I don't cook them first.
Yes! If you don't pre-bake aka "blind bake" the crust, you'll end up with a soggy crust since the custard filling is so wet.
You don't need to, but you certainly can. Just be sure to brush the holes with egg wash to seal them. Otherwise, the egg filling will seep out during baking.
This all depends on your preference. For a lighter quiche, use whole milk. For a richer quiche, use heavy cream. I opt for somewhere in the middle by using half-and-half.
Yes, if you don't have ceramic pie weights, pour dried beans over the parchment paper and bake.
When fitting the pie crust into your pie plate, try to avoid stretching the dough. It'll slide down when you bake it. Also make sure that your pie crust is cold before baking it. That'll help keep the crust in the right place too.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this leftover ham, asparagus, and Gruyere cheese quiche:
🍽Get the recipe
Easy Ham and Asparagus Quiche with Gruyere Cheese
Equipment
- chef's knife
- Rolling Pin
- 10-inch deep dish pie pan
- whisk
- liquid measuring cup
- dry measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- cheese grater
- pastry brush
- ceramic pie weights or dry beans
- medium bowl
- small bowl
Ingredients
- 1 (14.1-ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts
- 1 cup 1 to 1 ½-inch pieces fresh asparagus
- 1 cup diced leftover cooked ham
- 1 shallot, halved and thinly sliced
- 6 large eggs, divided
- ½ cup half-and-half
- 2 tablespoon Duke’s mayonnaise
- 1 cup freshly shredded Gruyere cheese
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Unroll one pie crust on a clean work surface. Brush the top lightly with water. Unroll the remaining pie crust and place on top. Roll the crusts into a 12-inch circle.
- Fit the crust into a 10-inch deep-dish pie pan. Fold the edges under and crimp. Ball up a piece of parchment paper, straighten out, and place inside the crust. Fill with pie weights and bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until the crust is cooked. Remove from oven and let cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
- Meanwhile, whisk together 5 the eggs, half and half, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a medium bowl (with a spout for easy pouring if you have it). Separate the remaining egg and add the egg white to the filling mixture. Reserve the egg yolk for the egg wash.
- Arrange the asparagus pieces, ham, shallot, and cheese in the bottom of the crust.
- Pour the custard over the filling ingredients. Whisk the egg yolk and 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Brush the egg wash over edges of the crust. Bake the quiche at 325°F for 35 minutes or until set. Remove from the oven and let the quiche cool slightly before cutting into wedges and serving.
Recipe guidelines and test kitchen tips
When developing and testing recipes, here are some key things that I do for more success in the kitchen:
- Be sure to use dry measuring cups for things like flour, sugar, and mayonnaise and a liquid measuring cup for things like water, milk, and broth.
- When measuring dry ingredients like flour and powdered sugar that can pack down, spoon the ingredient into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife as opposed to scooping the measuring cup into the ingredient.
- I test and develop recipes using a standard electric oven and standard gas stovetop. Be aware that if you use an electric stovetop or convection oven, your bake times will be different.
- When recipes call for kosher salt, I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
Food safety
Keep these things in mind for this recipe regarding food safety.
- Don't leave the quiche sitting out at room temperature for extended periods of time.
- Never leave cooking food unattended. Ovens vary, so keep an eye on the quiche as it cooks.
- Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 3 days.
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove.
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