I first caught sight of this cheesy, chewy brunch dish on Pinterest, and because of our love for easy crowd-pleasing breakfasts (like Sheet Pan Egg Sandwiches), I knew we had to try it. The premise is simple: scoop out the insides of a bagel, fill each half with an eggy mixture, and bake until set. Although the original version serves just one person, my variation can feed a family of four. My first attempt at making bagel quiche was mostly successful, but messy. Taking the “quiche” component very literally, I whisked together eggs, sour cream, and a cup of whole milk, and poured it into my hollowed out bagel halves. Delicious, but the tiniest crack in the bagel meant I had a river of egg mixture spilling down the sheet tray. Not ideal. To combat this, I wrapped one of the cracked shells in foil to secure it. Although it helped prevent spillage, it baked up soft—and I wanted crispy. The solution is a slightly thicker filling. Losing the milk altogether makes for a crispy bagel shell with a fluffy egg filling, complete with mix-ins of your choosing and topped with plenty of cheese. Think of it as a single-serve quiche, an all-in-one bacon, egg, and cheese, or a frittata with a crunchy edge. Here it is, our bagel quiche recipe, with how-to instructions:

How to Make a Bagel Quiche

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Carefully slice four bagels in half. The bigger the bagels, the better (more room for filling). Try to make a clean cut through the bagel to keep the sides intact.
  2. Using your fingers, scoop out the insides of the bagels, being sure not to tear through the crust. Set the fluffy insides aside—you’ll be use it later for something else. Transfer bagel halves to a rimmed baking sheet.
  3. Sauté veggies of your choice (sliced bell pepper, shallots, scallions, mushrooms, etc.) and cook some bacon or crumbled sausage. Divide amongst bagels, or let everyone customize their own. Toss in the scallion greens and fresh herbs, such as chopped chives or dill sprigs.
  4. In a large bowl, whisk together 8 large eggs, 1/2 to 1 cup sour cream, a generous pinch of kosher salt and several grinds black pepper. Transfer to a liquid measuring cup and carefully pour into bagel shells until almost full. Top generously with shredded cheese, such as sharp cheddar or fontina.
  5. Bake, rotating sheet tray halfway through, until egg mixture is puffed and just set, 23 to 28 minutes (depending on size of bagel). Heat broiler to high, transfer tray to top oven rack, and broil until cheese begins to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve warm. Oh, and remember that bagel filling? Tear into crouton-sized pieces, toss with olive oil and salt and pepper, and bake at 400°F until crispy, 12 to 14 minutes. We highly recommend pumpernickel.