One of my favorite things in the WORLD is Caprese Salad.  What?  You don’t know what that is?  It is a party in your mouth!  That’s what it is!  caprese is the combination of fresh mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and basil.  So tasty!

Today, to celebrate the birth of one of my best friends babies (oh who am I kidding, it’s another excuse to go get my baby fix), I made a quiche to take over to the hospital for new mommy and daddy to enjoy.  It just so happens that the mommy is also very fond of caprese too, hence the Caprese Quiche!  (I’m salivating as I type)

 

What you need:

1 Pre-made pie crust (I cheated and used a pre-made pie crust from Whole Foods)

4 Large eggs

2 Cups of half & half

2 Cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

1 Cup tomatoes cut the way you would like

1/4 Teaspoon salt

1/4 Teaspoon pepper

 

What to do:

Heat oven to 425*

First, place the pie crust into the pie plate and softly press it to all edges. Cut off or fold over any that goes over the rim of the plate.  Place some aluminum foil over the crust. Make sure to cover all the crust.  DO NOT POKE HOLES IN THE CRUST!

Place the pie plate in the oven for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, remove the foil and leave the plate and crust in for an additional 2 or 3 minutes.  The crust will look light golden brown.

 

Turn the oven heat down to 325*.

In a bowl, gently beat the 4 large eggs with a fork, then add 2 cups half & half, 2 cups of shredded mozzarella (the recipe I found called for 1 cup but I like a lot of cheese in mine.  Actually, next time I will use 3 cups), 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and depending how much basil you would like.  I really love basil and used all the leaves from about 3 or 4 sprigs.  The smaller leaves I left whole, the larger leaves I tore into smaller pieces.  Stir everything together gently.  You don’t want to over beat the eggs.

Next, depending on how you would like the tomatoes, add them.  I waited till the end and sliced in half my yellow pear cherry tomatoes and carefully placed them on top of the egg mixture after I poured it on the crust.

So with that, pour the egg mixture onto the crust and with a steady hand, put the quiche back into the oven.

It should take about 40-50 minutes to bake.  I set the timer for 20 minutes and checked, then another 20 and checked, then another 10 and it was done.  So yummy!

Enjoy!