Bacon Cheeseburger Quiche

A new family favorite recipe that you might enjoy:

Bacon Cheeseburger Quiche

• 1 lb very lean hamburger
• 1 small chopped onion
• 4 slices crisp-cooked bacon, chopped in bits
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup half-n-half
• 8 oz shredded cheddar or swiss cheese
• Garlic powder to taste (optional)
• White pepper

Brown hamburger in skillet with onion. Remove and mix in bowl with bacon pieces, breaking up any larger clumps until you have a fine mix. Drain well of any excess grease and press into the bottom of a deep-dish pie pan. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine remaining ingredients in mixing bowl and whip well. Pour mixture over beef "crust" and bake 40-45 minutes until top is browned and "set". Cool 15-20 minutes before slicing. Does not freeze well.

I must confess that I take a few liberties with my recipes for the sake of convenience. I often take shortcuts and use products that I have on hand. The observant reader will notice that, rather than frying bacon, I used bacon pieces purchased in a bottle on the salad fixings aisle. Can't tell the difference, and it's much less mess!

I also use whatever type of cheese we have in the refrigerator. In this case it was colby and monterey jack. White pepper isn't exactly a staple at our house, but the plain ole black stuff seasons this quiche just fine. Oh, and I NEVER chop onions. The pre-chopped frozen ones do quite nicely, thank you.

Since this recipe doesn't make quite enough for us, I added about 1/3 more of each ingredient, although for the sake of full disclosure I will tell you that I didn't measure the extra ingredients. Apparently this is a very forgiving dish. And it's yummy! The bacon adds a really great twist to an otherwise ordinary recipe.

If you are looking for an easy new dish, give this one a shot. I think you'll love it!