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    Home » Breakfast + brunch

    Published: Aug 29, 2023 · Modified: Mar 4, 2024 by Katie Beck · 9 Comments

    Tomato quiche with balsamic caramelized onions

    A simple, but incredibly flavorful tomato quiche is one of the best things you can make with the abundance of end of summer tomatoes that are everywhere right now. Combine a creamy egg base with fresh tomatoes, a thick layer of caramelized balsamic onions, some herbs and parmesan cheese, and you've got a savory pie that is great for any time of the day.

    Whole tomato quiche with a slice removed, tomatoes and basil.

    There is just something about a quiche. I don't know if it is because pies are so often sweet, that a savory one comes along and you just love it extra, or what the deal is, but I love them. I love them so much in fact, that we eat a bacon, onion and cheddar quiche every Christmas morning. And it is amazing.

    This quiche recipe is built around summer tomatoes. I have a million of them and am always using them in fun ways. They are super sweet and have a great texture during peak season and hold up so well to the custardy egg base. The balsamic caramelized onions, layered at the bottom of the quiche are like the best bonus you could ever get. Sweet, salty and savory balsamic caramelized onions are a perfect compliment to the sweet fresh tomatoes in the quiche.

    Jump to:
    • Why you'll love this recipe
    • What is the difference between a quiche and a frittata?
    • Ingredients
    • How to make balsamic caramelized onions
    • Do I have to make my own pie crust?
    • How to make and assemble the quiche
    • Ingredient swaps and variations
    • Top tips
    • Other end of summer seasonal recipes
    • Tomato quiche with balsamic caramelized onions
    • Community

    Why you'll love this recipe

    I mean, if I don't have you at tomato quiche with balsamic caramelized onions, then I guess here is a few other reasons you will love this recipe:

    • It is super easy to make. This tomato quiche is simple with minimal ingredients, most of which you probably already have on hand. You just need to prep your crust (or better yet use store-bought), caramelize the onions and tomato slices, whisk the egg mixture, assemble the quiche, and bake it.
    • It is a super adaptable. You can customize it with different cheeses, extra veggies, meats, or herbs .
    • It's a dish you can eat any time of day. Quiche makes a great breakfast or brunch it also makes a great lunch or dinner.
    • It can totally be made ahead. In fact, you don't even need to eat this warm. Quiche is great served at room temperature.
    Slice tomato quiche served out of pie plate.

    What is the difference between a quiche and a frittata?

    Main difference is a crust. Quiche has one, frittata doesn't. Quiche recipes also most commonly including cream or half and half in the egg base mixture, creating more of a custard-like filling, whereas frittata recipes usually do not, have only eggs in the base.

    Front view of a slice of tomato quiche.

    Ingredients

    Here's what you need for the filling:

    Tomato quiche with balsamic caramelized onions ingredients.
    • Fresh tomatoes. You should use your favorite, ripe, slicing tomato. I used a mix of tomatoes that came out of my garden.
    • Onions. Yellow, Vidalia or Red onions are just fine.
    • Balsamic Vinegar
    • Thyme
    • Butter
    • Eggs
    • Cream
    • Basil and/or sage
    • Parmesan cheese
    • Salt and pepper

    How to make balsamic caramelized onions

    Caramelizing onions is one of the easiest things that gives you maximum flavor. They take a long time, but are cooked at a low temperature and are largely hands off. These are made by slow cooking the onions in a saute pan with butter, thyme and salt, covered, over low heat for about 30-45 minutes, use your best judgement when cooking to see that they are done. They will cook down to be soft, sweet, salty and savory all at the same time. At the very end I turn up the heat and splash them with a bit of balsamic vinegar that adds sweetness and a gorgeous color. Then they are cooled to room temp (or refrigerated) before layering at the bottom of the quiche. Tomatoes and balsamic is kind of a no-brainer, goes-together thing, so it is the perfect addition to the caramelized onions.

    Onions, thyme and butter in a saute pan.
    Onions caramelizing in a pan.
    Onions and balsamic vinegar in a saute pan.
    Closeup of balsamic caramelized onions on a wooden spoon.

    Do I have to make my own pie crust?

    So I will probably get roasted for this by some, but I don't care. I have four kids, three dogs, one husband and full time jobs...sometimes convenience wins the day and I am NEVER sorry about it. You shouldn't be either.

    You absolutely do not have to make your own pie crust. While it isn't hard, and I sometimes make one for quiche, it is absolutely not necessary and I know that the idea of making pie crust is intimidating to a lot of people. SO I am here to tell you once and for that no matter what you are making, this tomato quiche or a dessert pie, USE STORE BOUGHT CRUST IF YOU LIKE.

    Unbaked pie crust in a pie plate.

    All that being said, if you want to make one, here is the go to recipe I use for pie crust when making it, and here is the store bought I buy and use all the time. Any store bought will do. This quiche is about the tomatoes and balsamic caramelized onions, not so much the crust.

    How to make and assemble the quiche

    Once you have your crust pressed into the pie dish, making your filling is very simple. All the filling ingredients - minus the tomatoes - goes into a bowl and get whisked together to combine. Pro tip - blending the ingredients in a blender or with an immersion blender is WAY EASIER and creates a super light and creamy filling; however if you don't have either of those a whisk does the job or a stand or hand mixer.

    Quiche filling in a bowl with an immersion blender.
    Quiche ingredients blended in a bowl with immersion blender.

    The cooled onions get layered on the bottom followed by the sliced tomatoes and then the herbs. Pour the egg mixture over everything and bake it up.

    Unbaked pie crust with balsamic caramelized onions.
    Unbaked pie crust with tomatoes and herbs.
    Unbaked tomato quiche in pie plate.

    You end up with a perfectly cooked gorgeous and delicious summer tomato quiche with the surprise balsamic caramelized onions on the bottom.

    Fully baked tomato quiche.

    Ingredient swaps and variations

    Quiche recipes are incredibly versatile and there is lots of additions and quick swaps to this recipe to mix it up every time you make it.

    • Add meat. Cooked bacon or Italian sausage would be a really good addition to to tomato quiche.
    • Use additional or different cheeses. A fresh mozzarella, swiss or sharp white cheddar would also be great in this quiche.
    • Add an extra veggie like spinach. I love adding spinach to quiches, just a few leaves for color and extra veggie goodness.
    Slice of tomato quiche on a plate.

    Top tips

    • This tomato quiche recipe works best with heavy cream, not milk. The water content in milk to higher and results in a watery egg base that doesn't have that thick velvety texture that makes quiche so irresistible.
    • Be sure to cook the onions low and slow to properly caramelize them before adding the balsamic. Onions cooked low and slow will release their natural sugars and they will caramelize slowly. If you try to expedite this process the sugar will release and immediately burn. Covering them is what helps them sweat it out and release the sugar, so also make sure to do this.

    Other end of summer seasonal recipes

    There is so much great produce to be had at the end of summer, be sure to try some of these great recipe ideas:

    • Buttermilk blueberry muffins with streusel topping on a cooling rack with blueberries on side.
      Buttermilk blueberry muffins with streusel topping
    • A homemade shortbread bars recipe with blueberry peach jam
      Shortbread bars with blueberry peach jam
    • Upside cake with plum
    • Front view of low carb yogurt parfait in a mason jar.
      Low carb yogurt parfait
    Whole tomato quiche in a pie plate with tomatoes and basil.

    Tomato quiche with balsamic caramelized onions

    A simple, but flavorful tomato quiche is one of the best things you can make with the abundance of end of summer tomatoes.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save to collection
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
    Course: Breakfast, Dinner, Main Course, Snack
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: balsamic caramelized onions, tomato quiche
    Servings: 8 slices
    Author: Katie Beck

    Equipment

    • pie dish

    Ingredients

    • 1 pie crust homemade or store bought

    For the balsamic caramelized onions

    • 2 onions halved and sliced thin
    • 3 tablespoon butter
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 2-4 sprigs of fresh thyme use 1tsp of dry thyme if you don't have fresh
    • 3 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

    For the tomato quiche filling

    • 2-3 tomatoes depending on their size; sliced. I used one large heirloom and one regular sized yellow gold tomato.
    • 8 eggs
    • ¾ cup heavy cream
    • 1 ½ teaspoon salt
    • Black pepper to taste
    • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
    • ½ cup parmesan cheese use a real parmesan if you can, not Kraft
    • 2 tablespoon fresh basil chopped
    • 2 tablespoon fresh sage chopped

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 375 with a wrack mid to bottom of the oven. Prepare your crust in your pie dish and crimp the edges (however you crimp the edges is fine, see mine for an idea).

    For the balsamic caramelized onions

    • In a large sauté pan melt the butter. Add the onions and sprinkle with the salt. Stir to move around a bit, getting as much of the onions to have direct contact with the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat to low and cover for about 30-45 minutes, using your best judgement on when you think they are cooked down enough, stirring only three times throughout. Keep it covered the rest of the time. The onions should be deep golden brown and almost jammy. Turn the heat up to high and immediately add the balsamic vinegar to the pan. It should bubble up right away and reduce to glaze the onions. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl to cook completely.

    For the quiche filling

    • In a large bowl or blender pitcher, combine the eggs, cream salt, pepper, cayenne (if using) and parmesan cheese. Blend together with either a blender, immersion blender, hand mixer or whisk until totally combined and a little fluffy.
    • To assemble the quiche layer the cooled balsamic caramelized onions on the bottom of the crust followed by a layer of the sliced tomatoes, and then a layer of the basil and sage.
    • Slowly pour the custard base over the tomatoes, herbs and onions until it filled. Bake the quiche on a cookie sheet on the lower third of the oven for 45-55 minutes. The egg filling should be set in the center of the quiche, it can be jiggly but should not be runny at all.
    • Place on a cooling rack and cool completely before slicing…this is important, DO NOT CUT RIGHT OUT OF THE OVEN. The custard base need to set and it does this while cooling. You can gently rewarm each slice or slice it and rewarm them to eat, however quiche is delicious at room temperature or right out of the fridge.

    Notes

    You can keep this for up to four days covered or wrapped in the fridge.
    Alternatively, after cooling completely to room temperature, you can wrap tightly and freeze the tomato quiche for up to three months. Thaw before enjoying.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 322kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Fat: 24g
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Dale Hobson says

      August 29, 2023 at 8:07 pm

      Wanna try it

      Reply
    2. Jan says

      September 02, 2023 at 9:32 pm

      5 stars
      I made this quiche last night because the flavors intrigued me and I was beginning to have an excess of eggs from my hens. It turned out beautifully and was very easy.

      Reply
      • Katie Beck says

        September 05, 2023 at 7:50 am

        I am so glad you liked it!

        Reply
    3. Kate Bailey says

      September 05, 2023 at 7:52 am

      5 stars
      I served this for breakfast yesterday and it was a huge hit. I am putting thos onions on everything!

      Reply
    4. Cooper W says

      September 15, 2023 at 12:23 pm

      5 stars
      The onions really set this apart, so good

      Reply
    5. Debra says

      September 26, 2023 at 6:44 am

      5 stars
      Delicious!

      Reply
    6. Alice says

      March 03, 2024 at 2:58 pm

      Wish the description of the recipe and the recipe itself matched a little better. The carmelized onion part specifically says to cook them for only 25 minutes in the detailed description, but 45 minutes in the recipe below. The above-detailed description has the inclusion of thyme which sounds nice to add in but omits in the below recipe.

      Reply
      • Katie Beck says

        March 04, 2024 at 11:58 am

        Hi Alice - you are correct and I apologize. Timing should be really anywhere from 25 or 30 minutes to 45 minutes on caramelizing the onions, using your best judgement as stovetops are different for everyone, as well as the pan they use to saute. Thyme is a lovely addition and should be in the gredient list. I have updated accordingly, and you should use thyme with the onions if you can.
        Someday when this isn't a free blog, and I can monetize, I can afford a proofreader 🙂

        Reply
    7. Lauryn says

      April 01, 2024 at 10:21 pm

      Delicious, the caramelised onions were spot on

      Reply
    4.28 from 11 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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