Egg and Bacon Pie

When my oldest grandson was a little boy he called quiche "egg pie" and it was one of his favorite meals.  We still call it that, and whenever I smell the aroma of  egg pie baking in the oven I think of that little guy and how much he enjoyed this dish.  I could combine almost any ingredients and he would attack it with gusto.   Here is one of Matt's favorite combinations.

                              

Egg and Bacon Pie

6 slices thick bacon, thinly sliced

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

1 cup mushrooms, thickly sliced

3/4 cup swiss cheese, grated

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup half and half

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

1 9" unbaked pie shell, either homemade or purchased

Saute sliced bacon in a medium skillet until it is nicely browned.  Remove bacon and saute the onion until translucent.  Add onion to reserved bacon and saute sliced mushrooms on medium high heat until they are just barely soft. Combine bacon, onion and mushrooms and put mixture into the unbaked pie shell.  Top with grated cheese.

Combine eggs and half and half, mix until combined.  Add parsley and salt and pepper and mix well.  Pour over bacon mixture.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until the filling is set.  Let cool 10-15 minutes before slicing.

I usually make my pie crusts from scratch, but in a pinch I've found that Marie Callender's 9" deep dish pie shells work great!  They are rich and flakey and as close to homemade as you could hope to find.  I always have some in the freezer and can put together an sweet or savory pie in minutes.  Sometimes we need to be able to save a few minutes here and there.  This is one very easy way to do it.

The beauty of this pie is that you can use whatever you have on hand.  Bits of leftovers that wouldn't ordinarily serve more than one can be transformed into a delicious meal for several people.