Crustless Corn and Bacon Pie

This delicious Crustless Corn and Bacon Pie is one of my favorite dishes to make for brunch packed with everyone's favorite ingredients - corn, eggs, and bacon. It's filling, it's easy to make, and it tastes so good. 

Something special happens when corn, cheese, and bacon come together. I am living in a happy world when I can eat these three things and still not be scared to put on a bathing suit. Who is with me on this?

Inspired by a classic Southern Corn and Bacon Pie, I saved calories by eliminating the crust and using skim milk instead of half-and-half. It still tastes super rich and decadent with the bacon and the cheese and no one will ever believe it’s healthy.

I like to serve this dish with a little salad for a perfect meal, but read on for more ideas of what sides would go great with this corn and bacon pie.

How do you make Crustless Corn and Bacon Pie?

Get the oven preheated to 400 degrees. Start by cooking the bacon in an oven-safe skillet until it is nice and crispy. Reserve 1,5 tablespoons of the bacon grease (flavor central!) and discard the rest. This gives us all that bacon flavor without all the grease. It's just enough to add that delicious bacon flavor to the rest of the dish.

Now it's time to cook the onions and peppers in that leftover bacon grease. Cook them for about 8 minutes, or until the onions start to become translucent and the peppers slightly soften. Then add the corn and cook for about three minutes. It should still have a little texture and crunch.

While the bacon and veggies cook, whisk together the eggs, milk, Worcestershire sauce, chives, cheese, salt and pepper to create the egg base for the dish. Although, I am calling this a pie since it is inspired by a classic pie dish, this is basically the same way you would prep a frittata.

Now add the eggs to the veggies and bacon. Let everything begin to set and then pop it in the oven until it is cooked through and the eggs aren't wobbly. Serve it hot, room temperature, or cold. This dish also works for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Recipe Ideas and Tips

• If you do decide to add a crust, I would recommend one with cornmeal, as that would be delicious. No cornmeal? Use a refrigerated pie crust like I did for this Asparagus Quiche.
• Like a little spice? Replace the red pepper with a poblano, add a teaspoon of red pepper flakes, some finely chopped jalapenos, or top with your favorite hot sauce. Or add jalapenos and tomatoes like in these Mexican Scrambled Eggs.
• Add a cup and a half of frozen or drained canned corn if you don't have fresh.
• You can also substitute turkey bacon or vegetarian bacon if you prefer to regular bacon.
• Substitute whites for some of the whole eggs if you prefer (I would use 3 whole eggs and 4-5 whites in this case).
• If you are worried about the eggs sticking to the side of the pan, make sure to rub the 1.5 tablespoons of bacon grease around the sides or use cooking spray on the sides before adding the eggs and milk mixture.

What sides go with Crustless Corn and Bacon Pie?

If you are eating this pie as a main dinner dish, then I love to serve this with a side salad or some roasted veggies. Asparagus and zucchini are favorites.

Sometimes I make this crustless pie and serve it for breakfast or brunch, it's basically a crustless quiche. In that case, consider adding sides like yogurt with fresh berries, a fruit salad, all bran muffins, roasted vegetables, or some turkey sausage for a well-rounded brunch spread.

In the winter, a slice of this pie goes wonderfully with a warm bowl of homemade tomato soup or minestrone.

Since this pie is crustless, I like to sometimes add my carbs on the side, with something light like a low carb roll, focaccia or cauliflower breadsticks.

Ideas for Crustless Pie Mix-Ins

What's great about crustless pies and quiches, in general, is that you can easily add or subtract ingredients like veggies and protein. Some ideas to get you started:

• Crumble in some sweet Italian sausage if you'd prefer that over bacon.
• Add small pieces of diced broccoli or cauliflower to the pie when you're cooking the onions and pepper.
• Sun-dried tomatoes and black olive slices are also delicious in this crustless pie.
• Consider changing up the cheese and use Parmesan or mozzarella if you prefer over gruyere.
• Herbs make for great mix-ins as well as garnishes. Consider adding chopped basil, thyme, or rosemary.

What can I substitute for Worcestershire?

I can't tell you how many times I've been halfway through a dish and realized I didn't have all the ingredients I needed to complete it! Not everyone has Worcestershire on hand. Some good substitutes include:

• Soy sauce
• Soy sauce and apple juice
• Soy sauce and apple cider vinegar
• Miso paste and water
• Fish sauce
• A1 sauce

I hope you all enjoy this dish as much as I do! Happy (healthy) eating!

More healthy egg recipes

• Sweet Potato Hash
• Southwest Black Bean Egg Muffins
• Vegetable and Hash Brown Egg Casserole
• Pizza Frittata