These Mini Butternut Squash, Bacon & Cheddar Quiches are such a handy recipe to have in your meal prep rotation! Made with buttery shortcrust pastry and filled with sweet roasted Irish butternut squash, crispy bacon, mature cheddar and a creamy egg filling, they are absolutely delicious served warm or cold.
Can you believe midterm is just around the corner? I honestly cannot believe how quickly it has come around! With the kids off school for the week, I’m trying to get a few extra bits and pieces prepped for the freezer so we have plenty of easy lunches and snacks ready to go.
These mini quiches are perfect for exactly that. They’re ideal for popping into lunchboxes, serving up for a quick lunch or bringing along on a family day out. We’re hoping to fit in a few road trips over midterm, and I love the idea of packing a little picnic for the car. These are just the sort of thing that travel well and are delicious eaten cold, making them perfect for a car picnic or a stop somewhere lovely along the way.
Seasonal Vegetables
I also love using seasonal Irish vegetables in everyday family cooking, and butternut squash is one of my favourites at this time of year. Roasting it brings out its natural sweetness, which works beautifully with the salty bacon and the rich, mature cheddar. The egg filling holds everything together, while the cottage cheese or thick Greek yoghurt adds a lovely creamy texture.
The best thing about these mini quiches is how versatile they are. You can make a batch at the weekend and keep them in the fridge for easy lunches during the week, or freeze them for those busy days when you need something quick and homemade. They’re also a brilliant way to use up leftover roasted vegetables or whatever odds and ends you have in the fridge.
And, of course, making them mini means they’re just the right size for little hands! They’re great for school lunchboxes, after-school snacks, picnics or even a light dinner served with a fresh salad.
If you’re looking for an easy, family-friendly recipe to get ahead with your meal prep before midterm, these Mini Butternut Squash, Bacon & Cheddar Quiches are definitely worth adding to your list.
Why You’ll Love These Mini Quiches
- Perfect for meal prep: Make a batch ahead of time for easy lunches and snacks.
- Freezer-friendly: Ideal for getting organised before busy school holidays.
- Great for picnics: Delicious warm or cold, making them perfect for road trips and family days out.
- A lovely way to use seasonal vegetables: Sweet roasted Irish butternut squash adds plenty of flavour.
- Family-friendly: A tasty combination of bacon, cheddar and creamy egg that children and adults will enjoy.
- Easy to customise: Add spinach, swap the cheese or use up leftover roasted vegetables.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Ready-rolled shortcrust pastry: A handy shortcut that makes preparing these mini quiches quick and easy.
- Eggs: The base of the creamy quiche filling.
- Butternut squash : Peeled, diced and roasted until tender and sweet.
- Unsmoked bacon lardons: For a delicious savoury flavour.
- Mature cheddar, grated: Adds a rich, cheesy flavour that pairs beautifully with the squash.
- Cottage cheese or thick Greek yoghurt: Helps create a lovely creamy filling.
- Baby spinach, finely chopped (optional): A simple way to add some extra greens.
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper: To season.
With midterm fast approaching, I’m all about getting a few extra meals and snacks ready so we can spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying the school holidays.
The combination of sweet roasted butternut squash, crispy bacon and mature cheddar is a real winner, and the mini size makes them ideal for the whole family.
If you’re doing a little meal prep before midterm, give these a try. Make a batch, pop some in the freezer and you’ll have a delicious homemade option ready whenever you need it! Don’t forget to tag @littleloucooks if you make these mini quiche or even better tag me with you car picnic photos, seeing your photos always makes my day!
Mini Butternut Squash, Bacon & Cheddar Quiches
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 × 320g sheet ready-rolled shortcrust pastry
- 5 large eggs
- ½ butternut squash peeled, diced, 300g approx
- 50 g unsmoked bacon lardons
- 100 g mature cheddar grated
- 100 g cottage cheese or thick Greek yoghurt
- 50 g baby spinach finely chopped, optional
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the bacon lardons on a frying pan until cooked through, 5 minutes, leave to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 180ºc fan. Peel and finely dice the butternut squash, add oil and salt and roast for 30 minutes until tender.
- Lightly grease a 12-hole muffin tin.
- Unroll the shortcrust pastry, roll to make it slightly bigger and cut out 12 circles, approximately 10cm in diameter, rerolling the trimmings as needed.
- Gently press the pastry circles into the muffin tin, making sure they fit snugly.
- In a large bowl, whisk or blend together the eggs and cottage cheese or yoghurt. Season with salt and pepper.
- Divide the roasted butternut squash, chopped spinach and bacon bits between the pastry cases.
- Carefully pour the egg mixture into each pastry case, filling just below the rim. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the tops.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the filling is completely set.
- Allow to cool in the tin for 5–10 minutes before carefully removing.
- Fridge: Allow the quiches to cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Freeze the cooked and cooled mini quiches in a single layer before transferring to a freezer-safe container or reusable food bag. Freeze for up to 2 months.
- Defrosting & Reheating: Defrost overnight in the fridge. Reheat in the oven or air fryer at 160°C until piping hot throughout. This will help crisp up the pastry again.
- Lunchbox Tip: These are delicious cold, making them perfect for school lunches. Pack chilled with an ice pack to keep them cool until lunchtime.
- Meal Prep Tip: Roast the butternut squash while preparing the soup, then set aside 300g for the quiches. It's a great way to save time and make the most of your ingredients.
