The Jar Lunch: It’s like a bag lunch or a bento lunch, but the next big thing is lunch packed in a good ol’ mason jar. I have to microwave my lunch at work, so metal containers won’t work and heating up plastic has me worried. We often simply fill mason jars with leftovers, but sometimes it is fun to come up with a clever jar lunch and make a big batch. Lunch for the whole family is already packed.
This week’s Jar Lunch is individual crustless quiches in three flavors so your family won’t get bored: rosemary tomato, broccoli cheddar, and pea & leek.
For this recipe you’ll need my absolute favorite jar, the half-pint wide mouth mason jar.
half-pint wide mouth mason jar
These jars are perfect for preserves like jam, but they truly are versatile as you can use them in place of an 8-ounce ramekin for just about any recipe. The bonus is you can see your food from all sides!
Crustless Quiche in a Jar 3 Ways: Rosemary Tomato, Broccoli Cheddar, and Pea & Leek
Makes 8 individual quiches.
Ingredients:
butter for greasing jars
12 eggs
1 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Filling options (choose one):
Option one: Rosemary Tomato
(this option requires extra prep time)
8 medium tomatoes
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups halved, thinly sliced onions
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, torn into small pieces
4 ounces crumbled feta
OR
Option two: Broccoli Cheddar
20 ounces frozen broccoli florets
6 ounces sharp cheddar, grated
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
OR
Option three: Pea & Leek
2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1 tablespoon butter
4 medium leeks, sliced (white & light green parts only)
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
3/4 cup shredded parmesan
Instructions
1. Prepare chosen quiche fillings according to directions found below.
2. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly butter 8 half-pint wide mouth mason jars and place them on a rimmed baking sheet.
3. Beat together eggs, half-and-half, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Mix in the prepared fillings along with cheese and fresh herbs or spices listed for your chosen quiche flavor. Using a ladle, divide evenly between the eight mason jars. Though not required, a jar funnel makes this job a little easier.
4. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until set and golden on top. Allow to cool completely before putting on lids and refrigerating.
Preparing fillings:
Rosemary tomato: If you opt for the tomato quiches, roasting will take an additional 45 minutes of prep time. Preheat the oven to 450° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats. Slice the tomatoes, and spread evenly over the prepared baking sheets. Roast for 35-45 minutes, until most of the liquid is gone and tomatoes begin to caramelize. Roughly chop the tomatoes after they have cooled.
Meanwhile, heat a medium pan over medium high heat and then melt one tablespoon butter. Sauté the onions until soft and golden, 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Broccoli Cheddar: Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the broccoli florets, and cook for one minute. Drain well and remove excess water with paper towels. Roughly chop.
Pea & Leek: Heat a medium pan over medium-high heat and then melt one tablespoon butter. Sauté the leeks until soft, 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.
Show us your jar lunches! We have created a Flickr pool for everyone to share. What are you packing in your mason jars? Go here to join the Flickr Group and add your photos!
YUM!!! I can’t wait to try these! I love the no crust option.
I have been oggling the short mason jars in the stores. Now I am definitely going to by a dozen!
I love this breakfast/lunch idea (and the deconstructed sushi)!
Bet you could do mini lasagnas…
Move over bento box, here come the mason jar!
You are not going to regret buying those jars! I love them so much.
Oh my gosh – yum. I had no idea they had short mason jars – I’m so out of it. I can’t wait to try this. I bring my lunch to work everyday and these are perfection.
This is just flat-out brilliant. How long do they keep in the fridge (say, if you wanted to make a batch and eat them throughout the week)?
3-4 days in the fridge and 2-3 months in the freezer. I haven’t tried freezing them yet, although quiche is supposed to freeze fine.
Stop, you are making me so hungry. For some reason I craves eggs, weird I know:) Thanks for sharing & Have a Great Day!
Fantastic idea! I’ll definitely be giving this a try. It could also be a cute idea for a bridal shower or baby shower. Ribbons could be wrapped around the cooked quiches or they could get cute stickers. So inspired!
I love these! Thanks for the wonderful ideas.
I am in LOVE LOVE LOVE with this idea!!
What a great idea! And so pretty, too.
I love this idea for making breakfasts to take on the go! Do you reheat yours? If so, how and for how long? This is something I’ve been doing with eggs in your favorite mason jar: http://emmycooks.com/2012/02/01/celebrate-spring-with-a-canning-jar-coddled-egg/
I have been microwaving them on medium for 45 seconds. They are pretty good cold, too.
Thanks!
Ooh, and I’ve never made coddled eggs. I’m going to need to try that!
You could do ANYTHING with this! This will be apprearing on our table soon!
(And aren’t those half-pints just the CUTEST!)
Reblogged this on Adventures in food and commented:
Such a great idea!
Got my jars…. then noticed the silpat mats around the corner!
Droooool!
OMG those are expensive, but looks like a good investment.
Nice! I use my silpat mats for almost everything. They will be worth it!
i wish I could buy mason jars here :( I’ll keep looking, but…
Fantastic idea! Saw this on Pinterest and followed here.
I had my first go round today. Guessing I overfilled my 8 jars. They are currently bubbling up and over. I’m hoping that as they set they’ll shrink back down but it doesn’t look hopeful. The only thing I really changed on the broccoli cheddar quiche was that I used Kerrygold Garlic and Herb butter to line my jars.
Did it actually roll out of the jar like lava, or did they puff up and up on top? They do shrink down when they cool. Our best guess at troubleshooting is that it is sometimes hard to measure vegetables exactly so our amount may have been a little less. We’ve made them about a dozen times, though, and they fit into the jars pretty well each time. Ah, cooking is such an adventure. Which flavor did you make?
They bubbled over like lava on 2-3 but rose up on the rest. It looks like they’ll be okay. I made the broccoli ones with extra sharp cheddar.
Oh – I am TOTALLY ALL OVER THIS!!
for the big eaters in my family i would need to use the bigger jars, that size would never do.
Would you mind sharing to foreigners what “half-and-half” would be? Thank you, also for those beautiful yummie pictures!
Half & Half is dairy product sold in the U.S. that is half milk and half cream. Here’s a link to one brand: http://www.landolakes.com/product/15101/half-half
Thank you! Just gettin all the ingredients out to start …
Genius!
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Did you use 12 eggs for each filling option? Or is it 6 eggs with each for two options (making 4 of one option and 4 of another)?
Thanks!
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Reblogged this on General Brain Dump and commented:
Oh my lord, I’m in heaven!
I might make these individually, leave ingredients uncooked, and cook in microwave at work!
This is a wonderful idea! I already have regular half-pint jars. Will they work? I want to get the wide mouth jars because they are so cute, but if my current jars will work, I will go ahead and do this. Thanks.
It should work, but we haven’t tested it. I would start with a small batch first and make sure that they set up all the way through. Would you mind reporting back and letting me know how it goes? :D
I will try it soon and let you know. :)
Yes, the regular half-pint canning jars work. They were done in 35 min.
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