It’s a large pie that serves 4 (or 6 with a side salad), and it’s one of my favorite weekend breakfast and brunch recipes, perfect for the whole family! There’s nothing quite like a great bacon and egg pie for this Kiwi girl! This breakfast pie is a New Zealand classic, just as much as a pavlova! I’ve previously shared a variation of a Kiwi breakfast and egg pie in this mushroom, bacon and egg pie. But this right here, is the ultimate bacon and egg pie! 🙂 It only needs 3 ingredients; bacon, egg, and pastry. Give me those three, and I’ll be a happy camper making these bacon and egg pies till the end of my days. But, to make this version of my Ultimate Bacon and Egg Pie, you will need a little more than 3 ingredients. However, you can switch up those ingredients to make your own version of this breakfast pie. But this is my favorite cheesy, spicy bacon and egg pie version.
Why this is the BEST bacon and egg pie (breakfast pie)!
Smoked bacon
Make sure to get some good quality bacon. I bought nitrate-free, smoked, thick cut bacon. It’s so good that my hands smelt like applewood smoke for a while after slicing them up. Good quality fresh bacon goes a long way toward making these the ultimate bacon and egg pie! However, regular smoked bacon is no slouch either! I’d recommend thick cut bacon so that you get nice thick chunks of bacon in this pie. Another option is to add a couple of drops of liquid smoke to the leek mixture so that you still get a subtle smoky taste, but that’s completely optional of course.
Eggs
Some bacon and egg pies call for scrambled eggs, but I prefer whole eggs. However, scrambled eggs are good at absorbing flavor and juices from the bacon and leeks in this pie, so I made a compromise and added both whole eggs and scrambles eggs into these breakfast pies. So out of the 8 eggs used for this recipe, 6 were whole, and the yolks of the remaining two were broken. This gave 2 “scrambled eggs” that spread through the pie and the other whole eggs were evenly placed throughout the pie. And I do recommend free-range eggs for this breakfast pie.
Leeks
Yes, I add leeks to this pie! I added leeks instead of onions because leeks have a milder, sweeter taste than onions, and has a herby-vibe too. The leeks were softened with butter, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and chili flakes to add plenty more flavor. So the leeks are great way to deliver more flavors like garlic, chili and herbs in this bacon and egg pie.
Cheese
Just a sprinkling of cheese adds more flavor. I used Monterey Jack which melts well and has a milder taste than cheddar. If you can’t find Monterey Jack (if you live outside the US), use a young, unsmoked gouda instead (smoked gouda has a stronger flavor). The cheese adds a delightful creaminess to the pie without making it too soggy – so I really love this addition. Now here’s another serving tip. TOMATO KETCHUP! You just have to serve this with tomato ketchup, because that’s as Kiwi as it gets. It’s just not the same without it. So whether you make your own, or prefer store-bought tomato ketchup, make sure it accompanies this ultimate bacon and egg pie! 🙂
Tips for handling puff pastry and for this bacon and egg pie recipe
I also made my own puff pastry for this pie, using my recipe for rough puff pastry here. It’s a quick and easy, fantastic recipe that a lot of my readers have tried and loved, but if you’re looking to cut down on time, then I would recommend buying pre-made puff pastry instead. For this recipe you will need 3 frozen puff pastry sheets (about 1.5 lbs / 680 g). If you want to decorate the top of the pie (like I have here), you will need extra puff pastry (1 sheet or less) to cut out the shapes, but that’s completely optional. For the bottom layer, I roll out the puff pastry to about 2 mm in thickness. Since the pastry layer at the bottom only cooks with the heat of the pan, it is important to keep this layer fairly thin, so that it browns on the outside and cooks properly. For the top layer, I rolled out my puff pastry to about 3 – 4 mm in thickness. It’s better to keep it on the thin side as well, so that it cooks properly all the way to the center. But this layer does cook faster than the bottom layer (which is pretty obvious). But if the top browns too much, simply cover the top with foil and let it cook the rest of the way. To help the bottom cook evenly, what I like to do is to keep a metal sheet pan in the oven while it’s preheating. This way the pan heats up and retains heat before you place your pie in the oven. I place the pie dish directly on this preheated pan, so that it can directly heat up the dish from the bottom (like a pizza stone).
What size is this bacon and egg pie?
This is a family style bacon and egg pie that you can make as a slab. I used a 1.5 qt casserole dish, but you can use an equivalent pie dish too. This will generously serve 4 people. It is quite filling, but if necessary you can serve 6 people with a side salad to make it a complete meal. My casserole dish was about 10 x 7 inches and 1.5 inches deep. If your casserole dish is similar and has a volume of 1.5 qt, then this can easily be made in it. You can use an 8.5 inch or 9 inch pie dish as well. This breakfast pie really is the ultimate bacon and egg pie to me! I shared another breakfast pie on the blog before, my mushroom, bacon and egg pie. This pie is even better because,
Why I love this breakfast pie recipe
You get the best of both egg worlds – hearty full-boiled eggs, and juicy scrambled eggs. Delicious, smoky chunks of bacon in every single bite. Lightly spiced, flavorful soft leeks adding another layer of flavor along with a mild onion taste and Worcestershire sauce. Gooey cheese that adds a delicious creaminess to the bacon and egg pie. Perfectly flaky, buttery puff pastry layers.
Who wouldn’t want a slice of this for breakfast? This is a New Zealand staple and classic. One bite of this ultimate breakfast pie, and you’ll know why! 🙂
More delicious recipes using puff pastry
Caramelized Apple and Fennel, Pork Sausage rolls Pear, Prosciutto, Goat Cheese honey tarts Easy Vegetarian Curry Puffs Easy 3 ingredient Sausage Rolls Mini Cheesy French Onion Pies Mini Creamy Cheesy Chicken Pies Caponata and Cheese Hand Pies Chocolate Stuffed Poached Pear Tarts
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