Hatch chile and sausage quiche is a New Mexican spin on a green chile quiche recipe by incorporating their beloved Hatch green chiles. A sausage quiche is great on its own, but adding in some roasted Hatch green chiles gives the dish a slightly sweet, earthy, and smoky flavor that can’t be beat with other chiles.
Updated 1/2/24: Slightly modified the ingredients to better fit a deep-dish pie crust without leftover fillings.
Green chile quiche is a great version of quiche that typically contains some flavors of the Southwest. Replacing poblanos, jalapenos, Anaheim or other green chiles, Hatch chiles bring some New Mexican flavor to the party. Good protein choices for a quiche include ham and bacon, but I love a mild breakfast sausage in this version.
Hatch chile and sausage quiche make a great meal any time of day, but a solid quiche is a great breakfast or brunch recipe. My own family loves quiche for brunch holidays too, like Mother’s Day or Easter. This version of green chile quiche is perfect for the late summer as well, since it uses fresh Hatch chiles, but can be made any time of year as well.
While Hatch green chiles canned or jarred can be found year-round, there’s something to be said for buying fresh chiles and roasting them at home when they become available around the country in August. It’s easy to do, gives dishes a great flavor, and if you need another reason, it’s about ¼ the price compared to buying jarred chiles that were roasted and skinned for you. They also freeze well if you want to buy and roast in bulk for Hatch chiles any time you want them.
I love using Hatch chiles in place of other green chiles in recipes like my Hatch green chile chicken enchiladas, Hatch salsa verde, and even Hatch chile cheddar biscuits. Replacing or adding to traditional chiles like Poblanos and jalapenos with Hatch chiles brings a unique New Mexican flavor to recipes.
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🥘 Ingredients
Green chile quiche with sausage has a few variations I’ll mention later, but these are the base ingredients you’ll want to pick up if making a fresh Hatch chile sausage quiche.
Hatch Chiles – This version of green chile quiche uses fresh, roasted Hatch chiles. 5-6 Hatch chiles should be enough to get you at least ¾ of a cup once roasted and diced. You could also use an 8-ounce jar of roasted Hatch chiles.
Pie Crust – To make things easier, I used a pre-made, refrigerated pie crust for this recipe, but you could make your own flaky, all-butter pie crust as well, which would probably work better for a deep-dish pie pan.
Sausage – I prefer a good breakfast sausage here. Regular, mild, or hot, the choice is yours. I used half of 1-pound mild country breakfast sausage here.
Onion – Any onion or even shallot would probably be fine here, but I prefer using half of a yellow or sweet onion for quiche.
Red Pepper – Optional, but a little bit of crushed red pepper adds a nice bite to the quiche.
Cheese – A typically Southwestern style quiche will use Monterey Jack cheese, but other options include half Monterey Jack and half cheddar. I used Colby Jack here mostly for the color. It has the same flavor as Monterey Jack but with the added orange color of some cheddars.
Eggs – For the custard-like filling, use 3 large eggs.
Milk/Cream – A mix of whole milk and heavy cream works great for quiche recipes, but you can also keep things simple and cheaper by using just half-and-half, which is what I use here.
Cilantro – Keeping with the Southwestern flavors, use some fresh cilantro for both flavor and color here. A couple of stems minced into the custard filling works well.
🌶 What Are Hatch Chiles?
Hatch chiles are New Mexican chiles specifically grown in the Hatch Valley area of New Mexico. There’s a large set of land that runs up and down the Rio Grande where this chile is grown and gives it it’s unique flavor. They’re a big deal in New Mexico and they celebrate with a Hatch Chile Festival every Labor Day weekend each year. They have a short season as well, usually starting in August and ending in September.
Almost identical in look, the Anaheim, or California chile, was cultivated as an offshoot from Hatch chiles and bred to be milder in heat. While the Anaheim can vary between 500-2500 on the Scoville scale, Hatch chiles can vary between 1,000-8,000 SHU depending on the exact variety. This places their heat somewhere between a poblano and a hot jalapeno. Recognized around the world for their earthy taste, Hatch chiles really shine when roasted and have an earthy, smoky, buttery flavor that’s very unique.
🔪 How to Make
If making with fresh Hatch chiles, start with them. Turn your broiler to high and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the Hatch chiles on the baking sheet and drizzle with some oil. Set on the highest rack, closest to the broiler element, and roast for 5 minutes, rotate, and roast another 5 minutes until the skin is blackened. Place the chiles into a gallon zipper locked back and seal, or place into a mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow them to steam for 10 minutes, then remove and peel off the papery skin, remove the seeds, and chop into a rough dice.
Preheat your oven to 450°F / 230°C. Add the pie dough to a deep-dish pie plate. Crumple some parchment paper 2-3 times and set over the pie dough. Add pie weights and par bake the dough on the center rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and take out the weights and parchment paper. Return to the oven and bake another 2 minutes. Set the parbaked pie to the side and lower the oven temperature to 350°F / 180°C.
In the meantime, set a large skillet over medium heat and add the breakfast sausage. Break it up into small pieces and then add the diced onion, cooking until no more pink spots remain, about 10 minutes. When the sausage is almost cooked, add the diced Hatch chiles and crushed red pepper, if using.
In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and whisk until no white streaks remain. Add the half-and-half and minced cilantro and whisk together until fully combined.
Place the pie dish onto a baking sheet and spoon in the sausage mixture and most of the cheese. Pour the egg mixture over top of the filling and add the rest of the cheese on top. Place into the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes, until the filling no longer or just barely jiggles. Allow to cool and set for at least 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving.
📖 Variations
While Hatch chile sausage quiche is great as it is, there’s a few variations that are worth mentioning for sure.
Vegetarian – If you’re looking for a vegetarian version of green chile quiche, you can simply omit the sausage. If you want to replace the sausage with some more vegetables though, asparagus tips, spinach, and kale are all great options.
Other Proteins – Breakfast sausage is a popular choice and goes well with the eggy filling, but diced ham and crumbled bacon are also great choices. If you want to move away from pork, shredded chicken or ground beef could also be used.
Gluten-Free – If you’re looking to cut some of the carbs or need a GF option, you can also make a crustless sausage quiche. Make it the same way, simply remove the pie dough from the pie dish.
Cheese – While Monterey jack is a typical choice in green chile quiches and other Southwestern style quiches, you can switch this up as well. A mix of Monterey jack and sharp cheddar works well. I used Colby jack here because the flavor is almost identical to Monterey jack, but I liked the added color. If you’re looking for a bit more kick, try pepper jack cheese instead.
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
The best texture and flavor come from mixing whole milk with heavy cream, but if you don’t typically keep both on-hand, half-and-half works well with almost no noticeable difference, and it’s cheaper.
Par baking the crust helps to give it a jumpstart and keeps the bottom from getting too soggy when adding in the custard filling. Glass dishes can also help.
Letting eggs come to room temperature first and beating them thoroughly before adding milk or cream helps them emulsify better with the milk and gives the quiche a smoother texture.
When you remove quiche from the oven, it will continue to cook and set as it cools. Waiting at least 10-20 minutes is usually enough. The longer you wait, the more the quiche will set.
🍽 Equipment
Making Hatch chile sausage quiche doesn’t require any specialized equipment other than a pie dish, but here’s a few things I’ll mention are good to have.
Meat Chopper – When breaking up ground meats in a pan while cooking, a decent plastic or nylon meat chopper comes in handy. While you could just use a fork instead, it could scratch the coating and mess up your pan if cooking on non-stick cookware.
Deep-Dish Pie Dish – While I made this dish in my favorite glass pie dish by OXO, it’s not quite deep enough for all the filling. I recommend using a deeper pie dish like this ceramic pie dish by Emile Henry.
❄️ Storage
Once cooked and cooled, quiche can sit at room temperature for a little while, but because of the egg and dairy content, it needs to be refrigerated for storage once you’re done eating. Transfer to an airtight container or cover the pie dish with plastic wrap and it will be good for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
For longer storage, quiche can also be frozen. Transfer to another container or cover with plastic wrap and again with foil. Can be frozen for 3-4 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in a 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes until the center reaches 165°F. Can also be reheated from frozen. Cover with foil and heat for 35-45 minutes until the center reaches 165°F.
📋 Recipe
Hatch Chile Sausage Quiche
Ingredients
- 5-6 Hatch chiles roasted and diced, about ¾ cup
- 1 pie crust
- ½ pound breakfast sausage, about 1 cup cooked
- ½ large sweet onion, diced
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper, optional
- 1 cup shredded Colby jack cheese, see note
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups half-and-half
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
Directions
- If making with fresh Hatch chiles, start with them. Turn your broiler to high and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place 5-6 Hatch chiles on the baking sheet and drizzle with some oil. Set on the highest rack, closest to the broiler element, and roast for 5 minutes, rotate, and roast another 5 minutes until the skin is blackened. Place the roasted chiles into a gallon zipper locked back and seal, or place into a mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow them to steam for 10 minutes, then remove and peel off the papery skin, remove the seeds, and chop into a rough dice.
- Preheat your oven to 450°F / 230°C. Add the pie dough to a deep-dish pie plate. Crumple some parchment paper 2-3 times and set over the pie dough. Add pie weights and par bake the dough on the center rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and take out the weights and parchment paper. Return to the oven and bake another 2 minutes. Set the parbaked pie to the side and lower the oven temperature to 350°F / 180°C.
- In the meantime, set a large skillet over medium heat and add a ½-pound of breakfast sausage. Break it up into small pieces and then add the diced onion, cooking until no more pink spots remain, about 10 minutes. When the sausage is almost cooked, add the diced Hatch chiles and ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper, if using.
- In a large mixing bowl, add 3 large eggs and whisk until no white streaks remain. Add 1 ¼ cups half-and-half and 2 teaspoons of minced cilantro and whisk together until fully combined.
- Place the pie dish onto a baking sheet and spoon in the sausage mixture and most of the cup of cheese. Pour the egg mixture over top of the filling and add the rest of the cheese on top. Place into the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes, until the filling no longer or just barely jiggles. Allow to cool and set for at least 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Danielle
I went hunting for Hatch today in Rochester NY. Got myself 7lbs of medium Chile and roasted it all. I've been on a quiche kick lately and came across this recipe in a Google search. It seemed easy enough and so I made a double batch with pork breakfast sausage, crustless though. I used a Vidalia onion, 2tsp of dried cilantro, added some salt and pepper, and opted for Monterey Jack instead of Colby. I kept it in the oven a bit longer to brown the top. I was skeptical because cilantro can make or break a recipe for me but my husband and I were blown away with the first bite. This recipe is so simple and FANTASTIC!!! The flavor is unreal! Definitely keeping this recipe in the rotation.
Danielle N Clabeaux
I forgot to add that I used 1 cup of diced roasted Chile, about 6 peppers.
Chris Pezzana
So glad that you enjoyed this recipe! I love Hatch chiles and always make sure to buy a bunch every August when my local store stocks them. I have a few other Hatch recipes I want to share as well but need to keep tweaking them until I'm happy with them.
Terri Barclay
I made this quiche today. My husband thought it was delicious. I used hatch sausage, along with the fresh roasted peppers, and my grocery store also had hatch cheese. I will be making again for company.
Chris Pezzana
So glad it came out well and that you enjoyed it enough to want to make it again! I just made it again myself last weekend since one of my local stores sells fresh Hatch chiles every August. Using the Hatch sausage sounds like it would be really good too, I'll have to try that out.