Mini Quiches

Mini Quiches

Okay, I’ve got more lunch ideas coming your way soon but I wanted to share this with you again. These mini quiches are by far Esme’s favourite lunch item and I live in fear of her getting sick of them. I’ll really be in deep water then. Until then… C.M.

I’m just going to get this out of the way right now. I don’t make school lunches. My kids are small and go to a daycare where their lunch is made for them every day. The food is healthy and varied and they try things there they’d refuse at home. But the best part? Obviously. I don’t make it. I know – don’t throw things at me! Soon enough it will be my job, too. Just because I’m not making school lunch every day like so many of you doesn’t mean that I’m not thinking about it for you. All the time! Doesn’t that make you feel better? Come on…

I think the main thing in avoiding the lunch rut is to get out of the mind set of sandwich as lunch king. I mean, honestly, who died and made him the boss of lunch? If you’ve got some good containers then leftovers are the perfect lunch – mostly because it’s already done. But in an effort to come up with an option that didn’t involve tuna salad or pbj (not that I don’t love both) I came up with these little guys. Well, you can hardly say I came up with them. This is the simplest thing I’ve made in a long time. You could stack three of them in a lunch box or keep them handy for breakfast on the fly. Or both. Feel free to experiment with ingredients – I was thinking that tinned salmon and chopped steamed asparagus would be a great combo, too.

If you’re still talking to me, let me know what you like to pack in your kids’ lunches.

photos by Stacey Boag

Mini Quiches

Ingredients

  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/3 cup ham, chopped
  • 1/3 green onion, sliced
  • 1/3 cup cheddar cheese, grated
  • 2 cherry tomatoes, chopped
  • 18 pre-made mini pastry shells

Method

Preheat the oven to 375

Toss together ham, onion, cheese and tomato in a bowl

Whisk eggs and milk in another bowl

Place the shells - in their little metal wrappers - on a cookie sheet. 

Place about a tablespoon of the ham and cheese mixture in each of the shells.

Gently pour egg mixture into each, leaving just a bit of space at the top as they will puff up.

Bake for 15 minutes until they are just set.

Allow to cool before serving.

Once they are completely cool you can stack them in small containers for lunches.

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12 Comments

  1. Sybille
    September 08, 08:03 Reply

    Best photo ever of Julian! If he loves it, then surely my monkeys will love it too. Here’s hope for lunch-makers: eventually kids can make their own lunches. It only took us a decade or so to get to that point. And as I’m an “at home Mom” again through sheer and temporary serendipity, I can pop off one or two a week quite happily. Will try this…thanks.

  2. Ceri Marsh
    September 08, 08:14 Reply

    Ah, yes, the free woman! I’m sure they’re all loving having you around so much. Well, what a perfect time for a guest post from you and the girls, don’t you think? We’d love to have you…. Maybe one of your fabulous curries?

  3. Robin
    September 08, 09:00 Reply

    Forgot about those little pastry shells. Will try these next week. My girl will not take sandwiches to school. We are in a constant rotation of soup in a thermos, wraps and crackers with cream cheese.

  4. Liane
    September 08, 09:49 Reply

    If packed for school lunch – is the expectation that it will be eaten room temp?? or do kids warm it up? Love this idea!!

  5. Carmen
    September 08, 09:54 Reply

    3 little mini-quiches would not be enough for my 9-year old, though they would be a great novelty. I might try a personal-sized quiche though — thanks for the idea. I made quinoa banana-berry muffins and gave her two of those with cheese slices for the first day of school. She has never ever eaten sandwiches. Also did the flourless quinoa chocolate cake but mixed in a cup of zucchini for extra moistness/nutrients & fibre and that was a hit — the kids got a slice of that in their lunches today too.

  6. Ceri Marsh
    September 08, 11:17 Reply

    Glad you all like this idea! Liane, we ate them at room temp. And because the eggs are completely cooked you don’t have to worry about food poisoning (my personal obsession). Carmen, these wold work in a bigger size, for sure! And really, you could put anything in them. They’re a great way to use up leftovers.

  7. Kirstin
    September 08, 15:55 Reply

    These mini quiches are great! I think I would have to give my 10 yr old something else as well, but he really resists sandwiches so this is really helpful! Is that quinoa cake a recipe from this site? It sounds amazing!

  8. DavetteB
    December 18, 07:18 Reply

    You could also do this without the crust in a muffin tin, regular or mini. You can use the muffin liners for portability.

  9. Jen
    April 22, 15:08 Reply

    i know this is an older recipe but i made them about a week ago for my 6- year old with a good appetite. Really super easy and my girl LOVED them and kept obsessively asking for them – i have a few shells to use so i’ll make some more. Love how you can easily swap in different filling items as well.

    • Laura
      April 24, 19:19 Reply

      Hi Jen,

      This just note absolutely makes our week! So happy to hear your kids loved them! We try our best to create recipes that are easy and versatile for our sanity and everyone else’s too! Thanks so much for taking the time to write. I guess we can call this a true oldie but goodie!
      Best, Laura

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