Preheat your oven to 375°F. Remove the refrigerated pie crust from its packaging and place it in a 9-inch pie dish, gently pressing it into the corners and up the sides. Prick the bottom with a fork several times to prevent puffing during baking. Bake for 8-10 minutes until it's just set and lightly golden but not fully cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside while you prepare the filling. This partial bake prevents a soggy crust since we'll be pouring a wet custard mixture into it.

While the crust is baking, allow your eggs to come to room temperature if they haven't already—this helps them incorporate smoothly into the mixture. Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crispy, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and crumble into 1/2-inch pieces once cooled. Slice the scallions thinly, keeping the white and green parts separate for now (add white parts to the filling, reserve green for garnish). Shred the cheddar cheese fresh if you haven't already, as it melts much more evenly than pre-shredded varieties. I find fresh-shredded cheese creates a much creamier quiche because it contains less anti-caking agent.

In a large bowl, whisk together the room temperature eggs, cottage cheese, milk, salt, pepper, and onion powder until smooth and well combined. The cottage cheese may have some lumps initially, but whisking helps break them down and create a creamier texture. Gently fold in the cooked bacon, white parts of the scallions, and freshly shredded cheddar cheese until evenly distributed throughout the mixture. Don't overmix at this point—you want to maintain the light, airy texture of the whisked eggs.

Pour the custard filling from Step 3 into the pre-baked pie crust, making sure the ingredients are distributed evenly. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and place the quiche in the center of the oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the filling is set but still has a slight jiggle in the very center when you gently shake the pan—this indicates it's cooked through but still creamy rather than rubbery. The edges should be golden and pulling slightly from the crust. I like to tent the edges with foil in the last 10 minutes if they're browning too quickly.

Remove the quiche from the oven and let it rest on the counter for 10-15 minutes before slicing. This resting period allows the custard to set completely and makes the quiche much easier to slice into clean portions. Top with the reserved green scallion parts as a fresh garnish just before serving. Slice into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.