Make the most of seasonal asparagus by making this delicious cheese and asparagus quiche. With a deliciously cheesy crust and creamy filling packed with tender asparagus, a slice of this quiche is like summer on a plate.
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Cheesy asparagus quiche
This cheese and asparagus quiche is absolutely packed with cheese. Not only is there cheese in the pastry, but there is also cream cheese in the filling. And if that isn’t enough, the quiche is also sprinkled with grated cheese before it goes into the oven. And as we all know, cheese and asparagus is a classic pairing so you just know this quiche is going to be delicious!
First of all, let me tell you about the pastry. It’s simply an easy shortcrust pastry, made with the addition of cheese. The cheese melts into the pastry as it bakes, creating a soft flaky texture.
I like to blind-bake the pastry before adding the filling to prevent a ‘soggy bottom’. I also don’t trim the pastry before baking it and only trim the edges off once the pastry has been blind-baked. The trimmings are delicious – a bit like cheese straws and great to nibble on!
The filling itself is made with tender fresh asparagus spears, covered in a mixture of cream, eggs and cream cheese. This is poured into the pastry case and covered with grated cheese before being baked in the oven.
I don’t bother to blanch the asparagus first because I like the slight crunch it retains once the quiche has been baked. If you prefer a softer asparagus you can steam it lightly for 3 to 4 minutes before adding it to the filling (see below for the instructions).
This cheese and asparagus quiche is perfect to pack in your picnic basket or lunchbox. It also makes a delicious light lunch when served with a fresh green salad. You could even serve it as a main meal with slices of ham or pieces of cold chicken and a few boiled baby potatoes.
Here’s how to make it.
What you will need
Equipment
For making the pastry you will need a large mixing bowl and a rolling pin. I like to use a bowl similar to this earthenware bowl because it is large enough for you to get your hands in, making it easy to mix the pastry without flour spilling out all over the counter.
You will also need a 9″ or 10″ round loose-bottomed flan dish. There will be sufficient pastry to line a 10″ dish, but the filling won’t be quite as deep. The loose bottom on the flan dish makes it easy to get the quiche out of the dish. You could use a normal ceramic flan dish, but you may find you have difficulty in removing the first slice.
For blind-baking the pastry you will need some ceramic baking beans and a piece of baking parchment. If you don’t have ceramic baking beads you could use dried beans instead. You just need something with a bit of weight to hold the pastry down.
Ingredients
This recipe can be used to make either a 9″ or 10″ quiche.
Asparagus – try to get the thinner asparagus spears as they are not quite as woody as the thicker spears, and they also don’t need to be peeled. You should trim about an inch from the end of the stem. If the asparagus is on the thick side you may want to peel the lower part of the stem too.
Cream – I used single cream but double cream will work just as well. If you are watching your weight you could use half cream and half milk to cut down on calories.
Eggs – these are mixed with the cream to form the base for the filling.
Cream cheese – you can use any non-flavoured soft cream cheese. Philadelphia is probably the most well-known brand, but for cooking, I tend to use the supermarket’s ‘own’ brand.
Cheddar cheese – this is used both in the pastry and sprinkled on top of the quiche before baking.
Flour – plain flour – not self-raising. We don’t want the pastry to rise.
Butter – you can use either salted or unsalted. If you are using salted butter then you should omit the salt in this recipe.
Salt – not too much – just half a teaspoon to season the flour, and another half teaspoon for the filling. You can also add one-quarter of a teaspoon of ground black pepper for extra seasoning if you prefer.
Water – for the pastry you will need 4 to 5 tablespoons of water – which is just over one-quarter of a cup.
What to do
This might look like a lot of steps (there are a lot of photos), but they are all easy. In a nutshell, this is what you need to do:
- Make the pastry and let it rest
- Assemble the filling
- Roll out the pastry, line the flan dish and blind-bake it until it is golden.
- Put the filling into the baked pastry shell and bake until the filling has set.
Pastry
Start off by making the pastry.
Place the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut the butter into cubes and add. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add the grated cheese and stir to combine.
Add most of the water and mix with a spatula or a flat-bladed knife until the mixture forms a loose ball of dough. If the mixture seems too dry, add the remaining water.
Use your hands to press the dough into a soft ball. Place the dough in a plastic bag or cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for half an hour to rest.
Make the filling
While the dough is resting, you can get on with making the filling.
Cut 4-inch pieces from 10 of the asparagus spears. These will be arranged as ‘spokes’ on top of the tart. Cut the remaining asparagus into one-and-a-half-inch pieces.
Combine the eggs, cream and salt in a jug and whisk in the soft cream cheese. Don’t worry if the cheese doesn’t break down completely – it will melt and combine with the filling while the quiche is in the oven. Leave it in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble the tart.
Blind-bake the pastry case
Once the pastry has rested, place it on a lightly-floured surface and roll it out into a circle large enough to fit into your pie dish.
Use the pastry to line a lightly-greased flan dish. Leave the pastry to overhang the sides of the dish.
Cover the pastry with a sheet of baking parchment and place a layer of baking beans (or dried beans) on the base.
Place the flan dish on a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes in a preheated oven (180C/360F). Remove the pastry from the oven and remove the baking beans. The base of the pastry will still be slightly undercooked. Allow to cool slightly.
Use a sharp knife to trim the edges of the pastry to remove the overhang. Return the pastry to the oven and cook for a further 5 to 7 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the base is cooked through.
You can arrange the pastry off-cuts next to the flan dish on the baking tray to allow them to finish baking. Baking the pastry offcuts is totally optional – I just wanted you to see what the bits of pastry looked like. Believe me, they are good to snack on!
Assemble and bake
Now it’s time to put the cheese and asparagus quiche together and bake it.
Arrange the chopped asparagus on the base of the baked pastry case.
Pour on the egg and cream mixture. The asparagus will look as though it is floating. Don’t worry it will settle down as the quiche bakes.
Arrange the cut tips of asparagus into ‘spokes’ and sprinkle grated cheese over the top.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the filling has set and the cheese is starting to turn golden. If you find that the edges of the pastry are browning too much, you can lay a sheet of tin foil lightly over the top of the dish.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool before cutting into slices and serving. If you intend taking this quiche on a picnic I would recommend you leave the quiche in the baking dish and wrap it all in tinfoil before packing it in your picnic basket.
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Cheese and asparagus quiche FAQ
You can steam the asparagus for 2 to 3 minutes (no longer) either in an electric steamer or in a saucepan with a collapsible steamer insert.
If you don’t have a steamer you can bring an inch of water to boil in a saucepan, add the asparagus and boil for 2 minutes.
In all cases, remove the asparagus from the heat immediately and refresh it in cold water to stop the cooking process.
I have found that leaving the pastry to overhang will prevent the pastry from shrinking as it bakes.
Blind-baking the pastry is not essential, but it does help to prevent the dreaded ‘soggy bottom’. If you decide to skip this step, you can place the filling directly onto the raw pastry. If you do this I would recommend that you cook the quiche for 40 to 45 minutes rather than the stated 20 – 25 minutes to compensate for the pastry not being blind-baked. I can’t guarantee the results though 🙂
Store the quiche in a covered container in the refrigerator. It will be good for 3 to 4 days.
Save for later
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Other recipes
If you enjoyed this cheese and asparagus quiche you might like to try some of my other easy quiches:
- Crustless tomato quiche – packed with vibrant tomato flavours with a deliciously light egg custard filling and a cheesy topping.
- Easy cheese and onion quiche – packed with cheese and onion, with extra cream cheese in the filling for even more flavour.
- Crustless ham and cheese quiche with sweetcorn – no pastry required – just layer all the ingredients in a dish and bake in a savoury egg custard.
- Mushroom galette with cheese – not strictly a quiche, but a delicious mushroom slice.
The recipe
Cheese and asparagus quiche
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Ingredients
Pastry
- 1½ cups / 230 grams plain flour not self-raising
- 4 ounces / 115 grams butter
- ½ cup / 60 grams grated cheddar cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 to 5 tablespoons / 60 to 75 ml water
Filling
- ½ pound / 225 grams fresh asparagus
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup / 240 ml single cream
- 3½ ounces / 100 grams soft cream cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup / 60 grams grated cheddar cheese for topping
Instructions
Cheese pastry
- Place the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut the butter into cubes and add. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.1½ cups / 230 grams plain flour, 4 ounces / 115 grams butter, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the grated cheese and stir to combine.½ cup / 60 grams grated cheddar cheese
- Add most of the water and mix with a spatula or a flat-bladed knife until the mixture forms a loose ball of dough. If the mixture seems too dry, add the remaining water.4 to 5 tablespoons / 60 to 75 ml water
- Use your hands to press the dough into a soft ball.
- Place the dough in a plastic bag or cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for half an hour to rest.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/360°F
- Once the pastry has rested, place it on a lightly-floured surface and roll it out into a circle large enough to fit into your pie dish.
- Use the pastry to line a lightly-greased flan dish. Leave the pastry to overhang the sides of the dish.
- Cover the pastry with a sheet of baking parchment and place a layer of baking beans (or dried beans) on the base.
- Place the flan dish on a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove the pastry from the oven and remove the baking beans. The base of the pastry will still be slightly undercooked. Allow to cool slightly.
- Use a sharp knife to trim the edges of the pastry to remove the overhang. Return the pastry to the oven and cook for a further 5 to 7 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the base is cooked through.
Cheese and asparagus filling
- Cut 4-inch pieces from 10 of the asparagus spears. These will be arranged as 'spokes' on top of the tart. Cut the remaining asparagus into one-and-a-half-inch pieces.½ pound / 225 grams fresh asparagus
- Combine the eggs, cream and salt in a jug and whisk in the soft cream cheese. Don't worry if the cheese doesn't break down completely – it will melt and combine with the filling while the quiche is in the oven. Leave it in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble the tart.2 large eggs, 1 cup / 240 ml single cream, 3½ ounces / 100 grams soft cream cheese, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Arrange the chopped asparagus on the base of the baked pastry case. Reserve the longer pieces.
- Pour on the egg and cream mixture. The asparagus will look as though it is floating. Don't worry it will settle down as the quiche bakes.
- Arrange the longer cut tips of asparagus into 'spokes' and sprinkle grated cheese over the top.½ cup / 60 grams grated cheddar cheese
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the filling has set and the cheese is starting to turn golden. If you find that the edges of the pastry are browning too much, you can lay a sheet of tin foil lightly over the top of the dish.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool before cutting into slices and serving. If you intend taking this quiche on a picnic I would recommend you leave the quiche in the baking dish and wrap it all in tinfoil before packing it in your picnic basket.
Notes
If you don’t have a steamer you can bring an inch of water to boil in a saucepan, add the asparagus and boil for 2 minutes.
In all cases, remove the asparagus from the heat immediately and refresh it in cold water to stop the cooking process. Store the quiche in a covered container in the refrigerator. It will be good for 3 to 4 days. Nutrition assumes the quiche will be cut into 10 slices, and is per slice.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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