Sweet Pea Ham Quiche

And this is where I come in today with one my favorite versions – a Sweet Pea and Ham Quiche. This simple variant is loaded with bursting sweet peas and rounded out with cubed ham and cheese, for a perfect mix of sweet and salty flavors.

This is a perfect Spring recipe that’s sure to please your family and/or your guests. Extra points if you make the pie crust from scratch! Quiche – versatile, practical, crowd-pleasing.

If you’re new to quiches, this is how you should look at it: a crisp pie crust encasing a bunch of ingredients, simply binded together by an egg and milk custard. From that point, you can see how versatile a quiche can be.

You can always pick different combinations of ingredients to fill it: ham and cheese (as in the classic Quiche Lorraine); mushrooms in the Fall; leeks in the Winter; asparagus or peas in the Spring; zucchini, tomatoes or spinach in the Summer. Add-ons are always welcome too: fresh herbs, cheeses, ham, bacon and so on. I love how quiches invite creativity and always tempt you to try a new twist on it.

Quiche are perfect to make do with what’s in season or to use up any produces and fixings that may be lingering in your fridge. The possibilities are endless, and this makes it clear why a basic quiche recipe is a must have in your French cooking repertoire.

Quiches are also practical. You can enjoy them warm, at room temperature or chilled.

They play the part for an elegant brunch as well as for a portable lunch. They also freeze very well, and can be quickly reheated in the oven.

The recipe

This Sweet Pea and Ham Quiche is one of my favorite Spring variants. The buttery crisp pie crust is the perfect vessel for the savory filling of eggs, milk and loads of cheese.

The salty ham cubes contrast with the sweet peas, and make for a colorful looking quiche. We like to enjoy it warm or cool, by the slice, and with a salad or a serving of green vegetables.

Cooking notes:

• Although you can use a store-bought pie crust for convenience, I think making your pie crust from scratch will go a long way. This only requires about 15 minutes of extra time, and guarantees a crisp buttery crust. I also like to know all the ingredients that are in my pie crust (no additives, no insane amounts of salt, etc.). My pie crust recipe will give you enough for a 9-inch pie crust, plus a little extra if you want to make an individual quiche on the side – or keep it in the freezer for another project (well-wrapped in plastic film).
• To make this quiche more accessible year-round, it calls for frozen peas. If you wish to use fresh peas, boil them for 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to an ice bath to cool completely. Drain well and pat dry. You can then add them into the filling.
• For the ham, choose an “original” or “traditional black forest” ham (not flavoured; ie. brown sugar or honey maple).
• For the cheese, choose a hard mild-tasting one, such as gruyère, white cheddar or mozzarella. Parmesan is too salty in taste for my liking in this recipe.
• The amount of filling in this recipe is just right to fill a low-sided 9-inch tart pan. If you have one on-hand, I recommend you use a pie dish with a removable bottom, which will support the crust when lifting your tart.

I hope you enjoy this Sweet Pea Ham Quiche as much as I do! Any questions, don’t hesitate to leave a comment.

• The Quiche Lorraine
• Herby Spring Vegetable Jardiniere
• Ham Cheese Olive Bread
• Turnip and Carrot Gratin with Dijon Bechamel Sauce

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to know how it turned out!

Please let me know by leaving a comment below, rate the recipe and/or share a photo on Instagram: tag @pardonyourfrench and hashtag it #pardonyourfrench. Bon Appetit! This post may contain affiliate links.