Loaded with chopped hard-boiled eggs, gooey cheese and tasty German bockwurst, this crustless egg and sausage savoury tart is baked in a creamy custard until firm enough to slice. It's on the table fast too - you can have it ready for the oven in less than 10 minutes, which is about the time it would take you to make a sandwich!
Crustless savoury tart at a glance
- How this recipe is made: Whisk flour, eggs, cream and milk in a bowl and stir in grated cheese, chopped hard-boiled eggs and chopped German sausage. Sprinkle grated cheese on top and bake until firm.
- Main ingredients: Eggs, bockwurst, cheddar cheese, cream and milk.
- Prep time: 10 minutes, plus an extra 10 minutes to boil the eggs if you don't have any previously boiled.
- Cooking time: 30 to 35 minutes
- Yield: 8-inch x 12-inch (20 cm x 30 cm) quiche.
This sausage and egg tart is the crustless version of my South African savoury tart (or sout tert), made without the effort of mixing and rolling any pastry. Instead, I whisked flour with eggs, milk and cream to create a thin 'custard' that is simply poured over the chopped eggs and bockwurst before it goes into the oven.
The result is a soft and creamy crustless quiche which is sturdy enough to hold its shape without being stodgy. Once cooled, it slices neatly to reveal the chopped eggs and sausages all bound together in a rich, cheesy custard and finished with a layer of golden, melted cheese on top.
And the best part? It couldn't be easier to make! With no pastry to roll or chill, you just mix, assemble and bake. It's one of those reliable recipes you'll turn to again and again - perfect for lunchboxes, picnics, potlucks or an effortless addition to a buffet table.
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Why you should make this crustless quiche
- Perfect for any meal. Serve a slice of this high-protein savoury tart for breakfast or add a crisp green salad and serve it for lunch; you could even add it to a ploughman's platter with slices of gammon or ham, a dish of cherry tomatoes and pickled onions, and perhaps a few cold, boiled baby potatoes, for a light supper.
- Ready in minutes. If you've got some boiled eggs in the refrigerator, you can have this quick egg and sausage bake in the oven in 10 minutes tops! If you need to boil the eggs first, you'd have to add another 10 minutes 😁.
- Kid-friendly. When my kiddies were little, they'd often leave pastry from a slice of quiche or tart on their plate. With this crustless savoury tart, every bit gets eaten. And as a bonus, kiddies seem to love the eggs and sausages in the quiche.
- Make-ahead friendly. This savoury tart without pastry is ideal for making ahead. It's best served chilled, so making it the day before and storing it overnight in the refrigerator is perfect.
Ingredients for a crustless savoury tart
**You can get the full list of ingredients and exact quantities on the printable recipe card at the end of this post.**
- Bockwurst. I like to buy fresh bockwurst from the chilled food aisle rather than the bottled ones in brine. I think the fresh bockwurst are firmer and hold up better in the quiche. I normally buy mine from Lidl. You could substitute with vienna sausages or chopped ham.
- Eggs. You need both hard-boiled and fresh eggs. The hard-boiled ones are chopped with the sausages, while the fresh eggs are combined with the milk and cream to form the custard.
- Cheese. I usually use cheddar for its good melting qualities and sharp flavour, but any cheese that melts and grates well will work. If you would like to use mozzarella, I recommend combining it half and half with cheddar (or another flavourful cheese). Mozzarella melts beautifully but can be quite mild on its own, so adding a sharper cheese gives the quiche a fuller, more balanced flavour.
- Flour. I only had plain flour in the cupboard, so I had to add a little baking powder (see next item). You could use self-raising flour instead. The flour gives the custard enough structure to hold everything together. While eggs and milk will set on their own, the added flour provides extra stability, which is important when the filling includes heavier ingredients like eggs and sausage. This ensures the quiche sets firmly and slices neatly without becoming too delicate.
- Baking powder. If you use self-raising flour, you won't need additional baking powder.
- Salt and black pepper. For seasoning.
- Milk and cream. This recipe requires one cup of liquid. I used half milk and half double or heavy cream. You could use single or pouring cream, or leave the cream out altogether and just use a cup of milk. The eggs and flour will ensure the custard sets.
Instructions
Preparation
- If I'm planning to make this crustless egg and sausage quiche, I normally boil the eggs and let them cool beforehand, so I can just peel them when I need them. If you haven't done this, you should boil the eggs for 10 to 12 minutes, depending on how hard you like the yolk. Once cooked, plunge them into cold water until they are cool enough for you to remove the shells.
- I always keep a bag of grated cheese in the freezer. It doesn't stick together, and it's handy to have it available when I need it, plus it lasts for ages in the freezer and doesn't go mouldy. If you haven't got any grated cheese, you'll need to grate it before you begin.
Step 1: Slice the eggs into approximately 1 cm pieces. Cut the sausages lengthwise into quarters, then slice them into small dice. Set aside.
Step 2: Place the milk and cream into a mixing bowl and break in the eggs. Add the flour, baking powder (if using), salt and black pepper. Whisk to a smooth paste with no lumps.
Step 3: Stir in the grated cheese, the chopped egg and chopped sausage.
Step 4: Pour the mixture into a greased 8" x 12" (20 x 30 cm) baking dish and sprinkle with grated cheese.
Step 5: Bake in a preheated oven (190C / 375F (conventional) or 170C / 340F (Fan) for 30 to 35 minutes or until firm to the touch.
Tips for a successful outcome
Here are my top tips to ensure your crustless South African sout tert always turns out perfectly.
- Cut the eggs and sausages into similar-sized, reasonably small pieces so that you get both egg and sausage pieces in one mouthful.
- Make sure you whisk all the lumps out of the flour and milk mixture before stirring in the chopped egg and sausages.
- Preheat the oven so it's at the correct temperature before you place the quiche in the oven. If you don't, you might need to add a few extra minutes to the cooking time.
- The quiche will be cooked when it feels firm to the touch and doesn't 'jiggle' in the centre.
- This shouldn't happen, but if your quiche seems to be browning too quickly, lay a sheet of tinfoil over the dish to prevent further browning.
Variations
Here are a few ways to vary the recipe and make it your own!
- Bacon. Swap the German sausages for lightly fried chopped bacon rashers and make a bacon and egg crustless tart!
- Ham and cheese. Swap the sausages for diced ham and extra cheese. Optionally add a half teaspoon of mustard powder for extra zing.
- Kid friendly - kids love this quiche, but just in case you've got a difficult one on your hands (we've all been there 😁), add a dollop of tomato ketchup. Sorted!
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl. You will need a bowl large enough to hold all the ingredients - including the custard mixture.
- Baking dish. This quiche fits perfectly into an 8" x 12" (or 20cm x 30cm) dish. If you wanted to bake it in a round dish, it would fit into a 9" (23 cm) or 10" (25 cm) diameter dish. The baking time would be about the same for the 10" dish, but the smaller 9" dish would be a little deeper and might need an extra 2 or 3 minutes to cook the centre of the quiche.
Storage and freezing
- Refrigerator. Allow the quiche to cool completely, then cover and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezer. You can freeze this quiche, although for optimal results, it is best enjoyed fresh. Wrap individual slices in plastic wrap or foil so you can defrost them easily. Place them in a ziploc bag or freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2 months.
- Defrosting. Defrost in the refrigerator for best results. This helps prevent excess moisture from forming.
- Reheating. Reheating the quiche is not recommended as it would be inclined to turn overcooked and rubbery if you reheat it for any length of time in the oven. It is best served at room temperature. However, that said, a few seconds in the microwave would bring it to room temperature quickly. Just don't leave it in the microwave for too long!
FAQ
Yes, it's quite easy to do. Use any gluten-free flour in the filling, or substitute the flour in the recipe for cornflour (or cornstarch), but only use half the amount, and add an extra egg to compensate.
The taste should be the same, but the texture may be a little softer.
In addition, check the ingredients in the sausages. Some brands of bockwurst may contain fillers with gluten.
Yes, replace the sausages with mushrooms or plant-based sausages such as Quorn. You could also add cubes of roasted vegetables such as butternut or capsicum.
You might like to try this crustless vegetable quiche instead.
Yes, but you should prepare your muffin tins properly to avoid sticking. I normally grease each hole in the muffin tray and then lay strips of baking parchment crosswise in the hole to help me remove the baked muffins. Spoon the mixture into the muffin tray, filling each hole almost to the top - this mixture doesn't rise too much.
The muffins won't take as long to cook as an entire quiche - start checking around the 20-minute mark.
Flour gives the custard structure, helping to hold the heavier ingredients (eggs and sausage) together so the quiche slices cleanly and doesn't fall apart.
Both! It's great served still warm from the oven, and chilled is ideal for lunchboxes, picnics or a buffet spread. Served warm, you may need a fork to eat it, but served cold, you can slice it and pick it up in your fingers.
Save for later
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Related recipes
Visit my savoury tart recipes page for other tasty tarts and quiches. Here are a few more crustless quiche recipes you might enjoy.
📋The recipe
Crustless egg and sausage savoury tart
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Baking dish 8" x 12" or 20 cm x 30 cm
- Sharp Knife
- Chopping Board
- Balloon whisk
- Spatula
Ingredients
Filling
- 4 bockwurst chopped into small dice (this is about 2 cups)
- 4 hard-boiled eggs peeled and coarsely chopped
- ½ cup / 60 grams cheddar cheese grated
Custard
- ¾ cup / 105 grams flour plain/all-purpose or self-raising
- 1 teaspoon baking powder only use if not using self-raising flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 large fresh eggs
- ½ cup / 120 ml cream either heavy/double or single/pouring cream
- ½ cup / 120 ml milk or omit the cream and use 1 cup (240 ml) of milk
Topping
- ½ cup / 60 grams grated cheddar cheese
Instructions
Pre-prep
- Bring a pan of cold water to a boil and use a tablespoon to add 4 eggs. Boil for 10 minutes, then transfer the eggs to a bowl of cold water until they are cool enough for you to remove the shells.
- Grate 120 grams (about 4 ounces) of cheese and set aside.
Assemble and bake
- Peel the eggs and slice them into approximately 1 cm pieces. Cut the sausages lengthwise into quarters, then slice them into small dice. Set aside.4 hard-boiled eggs, 4 bockwurst
- Place the milk and cream into a mixing bowl and break in the eggs. Add the flour, baking powder (if using), salt and black pepper. Whisk to a smooth paste with no lumps.¾ cup / 105 grams flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 large fresh eggs, ½ cup / 120 ml cream, ½ cup / 120 ml milk, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Stir in the grated cheese, the previously chopped egg and sausage.½ cup / 60 grams cheddar cheese
- Pour the mixture into a greased 8" x 12" (20 x 30 cm) baking dish and sprinkle with grated cheese.½ cup / 60 grams grated cheddar cheese
- Bake in a preheated oven (190C / 375F (conventional) or 170C / 340F (Fan) for 30 to 35 minutes or until firm to the touch.
Notes
- Cut the eggs and sausages into similar-sized, reasonably small pieces so that you get both egg and sausage pieces in one mouthful.
- Make sure you whisk all the lumps out of the flour and milk mixture before stirring in the chopped egg and sausages.
- Preheat the oven so it's at the correct temperature before you place the quiche in the oven. If you don't, you might need to add a few extra minutes to the cooking time.
- The quiche will be cooked when it feels firm to the touch and doesn't 'jiggle' in the centre.
- This shouldn't happen, but if your quiche seems to be browning too quickly, lay a sheet of tinfoil over the dish to prevent further browning.
- Refrigerator. Allow the quiche to cool completely, then cover and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezer. You can freeze this quiche, although for optimal results, it is best enjoyed fresh. Wrap individual slices in plastic wrap or foil so you can defrost them easily. Place them in a ziploc bag or freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2 months.
- Defrosting. Defrost in the refrigerator for best results. This helps prevent excess moisture from forming.
- Reheating. Reheating the quiche is not recommended as it would be inclined to turn overcooked and rubbery if you reheat it for any length of time in the oven. It is best served at room temperature. However, that said, a few seconds in the microwave would bring it to room temperature quickly. Just don't leave it in the microwave for too long!
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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