Ham and Cheese Quiche Recipe — The Easter Table That Held Us

This is Holy Week. Palm Sunday last week, Good Friday this week, Easter coming Sunday. The holiest week in the Christian calendar, and in a year when I have been sitting with the question of resurrection not as theology but as lived experience, Holy Week has a weight it's never had before. I sat through the Good Friday service—the darkness, the stripping of the altar, the silence—and I let myself go to the place where Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother stood at the cross and watched. I let myself stand there with them. I let myself be in the place of the unacceptable loss, the death that should not have happened, the end that was not supposed to be an end. And I did not look away. This is what Marcus's death has given me: the ability to stay in the grief without looking away. I can stand at the cross now. I know this territory. It does not own me. But I know it.

Easter dinner is a production. Full Simms household production: the ham, the deviled eggs, the potato salad, the yeast rolls, the green beans, the pound cake with the white glaze because Easter cake should be white. Destiny came—she drove over Saturday afternoon and helped with the prep, her hands more confident in the kitchen every visit, her technique developing, the way technique develops when someone is paying attention and caring about the work. CJ called. He didn't drive down this Easter—he's coming for Destiny's graduation in May—but he called on Easter morning and said, "Happy Easter, Mama," and I said, "Happy Easter, baby," and we talked for fifteen minutes about nothing important and everything necessary.

After Easter dinner—just Calvin and me this year, with Destiny, the three of us at the table—I set Marcus's candle and we said grace and Calvin said "Christ is risen" at the end of the grace the way he always does and I said "He is risen indeed" the way I always do, and this year I said it meaning more than the liturgy, meaning it personally, meaning it about the thing that has risen in me since the dream about mac and cheese, since the 4 AM kitchen, since the month when the stove came back on. Something has risen. Something always rises. This is the promise. Amen.

The ham is always the centerpiece—that’s non-negotiable at our Easter table—and this Ham and Cheese Quiche is the dish that carries those same flavors into the quieter morning after, when it’s just you and the leftover gratitude and a kitchen that still smells like the holiday. I made it the Monday after Easter with the last of the ham, Destiny’s voice still in the room somehow, Calvin’s “Christ is risen” still in my chest. It’s the kind of recipe that doesn’t ask much of you—and on the Monday after Holy Week, that is exactly right.

Ham and Cheese Quiche

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust (store-bought or homemade)
• 1 1/2 cups diced cooked ham
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Gruyère or Swiss cheese
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped (optional, for garnish)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Place the unbaked pie crust into a 9-inch pie dish, crimping the edges as desired. Set aside.
2. Layer the filling. Spread the diced ham evenly across the bottom of the pie crust. Sprinkle the cheddar and Gruyère cheeses over the ham in an even layer.
3. Make the custard. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder until smooth and fully combined.
4. Fill the crust. Slowly pour the egg and cream mixture over the ham and cheese, allowing it to settle evenly. Do not overfill—leave a small margin at the top of the crust.
5. Bake. Place the quiche on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 40–45 minutes, until the center is just set and the top is lightly golden. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
6. Rest and serve. Let the quiche rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Garnish with fresh chives if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 380 | Protein: 17g | Fat: 28g | Carbs: 14g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 620mg