Ingredients:
1 Pillsbury pie crust (the kind in the refrigerated section that comes in a box of 2, not a frozen shell)2 heads of raw broccoli trimmed into florets.
4~5 oz shredded cheese (cheddar and pepper jack usually but I also like smoked gouda)
3~4 oz cubed cheese (usually less pepper jack than cheddar) (cubes should be about 1/4")
1 small red onion, diced
3 large eggs
1 cup half and half (but you can substitute some whole milk if you are low on half and half)
kosher salt
pepper grinder
Directions:
Place rack in middle of oven. Preheat oven to 350F degreesFollow directions on pie crust box to prepare dough into a 9" pyrex pie dish.
Layer ingredients;
Spread a layer of shredded cheese on bottom (about half of the shreds).
Arrange broccoli florets evenly on top of shredded cheese.
Sprinkle most of the red onion evenly over broccoli. Don't be shy. Admire the colors.
Add cubed cheese evenly.
Sprinkle any remaining onion.
Spread remaining shredded cheese on top.
(I also added parsley on top per the hubs request... for color)
Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl. If you are me, dig out any shells.
Add salt and pepper to taste (consider the salt content of the cheese... don't over do the salt. I usually use a heavy pinch). **you could add sriracha or red pepper flakes here if you where so inclined**
Whisk in the half and half with a fork. My hub says this makes it fluffy so do whisk it!
Pour gently and evenly into pie. It won't look like it fills it up and the broccoli will look like it's too much, but have faith that the eggs mixture will puff up.
Let sit for 8~10 minutes before cutting with a pizza cutter.
Enjoy!
** The original recipe was printed in either the Metro or AM as a Mother's Day Brunch idea and had sauteed mushrooms and onions and some malarky about pre toasting the pie crust. The recipe was via Chow.com