Green Chile and Red Onion Quiche

This is one of the quickest dinners I make as far as hands-on time goes. I think today I started it and then had it in the oven eight minutes later. That's pretty great when you have two young kids that need oh so much of my time for one thing or another. I got this recipe from a bon appetit issue shortly after Camille was born. I found the heavy cream in it a little too rich for my liking, so I first used half-and-half instead and now I just use whole milk.

For many years I was such a purist about cooking. I hated making anything from a mix or using anything that was already prepared, such as a pie crust. It will be hard to convince me that any purchased frozen pie crust is as good as my homemade pie crust, but by being so rigid I almost never made quiche, something I really like that is otherwise fast to make. I also found that my grocery store sells organic pie crusts and the organic aspect doesn't matter too much to me. What I like is that it doesn't have any lard in it. So now that I have relaxed about not making every bit of a dinner and I found a frozen pie crust I feel okay about, I get to enjoy quiche way more often.

The original recipe is online. Here's my version:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 red onion, chopped

3/4 cup whole milk

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon tabasco sauce

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 7-ounce can diced mild green chiles

1 purchased frozen 9-inch diameter pie crust (do not thaw)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat the oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion. Saute for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until just tender. Cool briefly.

Whisk milk and next 4 ingredients in a bowl to blend. mix in cheese, chiles, and onions. Pour filling into frozen crust. Bake until golden brown and set in the center, about 40 minutes. Makes 6 servings.