Asparagus Bacon (or Ham) Quiche

I had a single store-bought refrigerated pie crust I needed to get out of the freezer, so thought I'd do this quiche. It's a recipe from an April 1997 Taste of Home magazine intially calling for bacon, but I used ham and added sauteed mushrooms. Either way, this is a great recipe. Jim really liked it. I think we could have easily eaten the entire pie, but we were able to save half of it for tomorrow. I served this with a cucumber salad and fresh fruit.

ASPARAGUS BACON (or ham) QUICHE

1 unbaked pastry shell
1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled (or about 3 ounces diced ham)
4-8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced, and sauteed (optional)
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup half-and-half
1 cup Parmesan, divided
1 green onion, sliced
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Pinch ground nutmeg

DIRECTIONS

Line the unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Bake at 450 for 5 minutes; remove foil. Bake 5 minutes more; remove from oven.

Cook asparagus in a small amount of water until crisp-tender, just a few minutes. (I steamed mine in the microwave) Drain well.

Arrange bacon or ham and asparagus (and mushrooms if adding) in the crust. In a bowl, beat eggs, add cream, 1/2 cup cheese, onions, sugar, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Pour over asparagus. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350; bake 23-25 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes about clean.