Egg Muffins

Yumi found this recipe and asked me to make it. They’re most assuredly NOT muffins in the traditional sense, but they’re actually really good. The recipe does need a makeover, but to be fair, the author is a registered dietitian, so the original version is meant to be good for you. I get the sentiment, but where’s the fun in that?

One thing to note is that you need to very well lubricate the inside of the muffin compartments in your muffin pan, or the egg will stick. I had sprayed the pan I used with cooking spray, but it was NOT enough.

I’ve listed the recipe here, as posted on delish.com, with suggestions added to some of the ingredients.

These are really good for making a quick breakfast for a few people.

What you’ll need:

• Cooking spray—use a ton of this to ensure the egg doesn’t stick
• 3 slices turkey bacon—turkey bacon is an abomination! Use 3 or 4 slices of pig bacon or don’t waste your time making these. Actually, cooked and crumbled breakfast sausage or chopped ham would work just as well.
• 1 small onion, chopped—red onion would be a great alternative, also shallots.
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped—meh, take it or leave it. Other mild peppers would work, too.
• 450 g chopped baby spinach—I used about 0.75 of this amount.
• 6 large eggs—7, 8 or 9 would be better.
• 3 tbsp. milk—I used cashew milk to good effect.
• 0.25t paprika—use twice this much.
• 0.5t garlic powder—use twice this much, or add some garlic paste.
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 oz grated mozzarella—use 1.5 times this much, and add some Parmesan for good measure, or even asiago.

What to do:

Heat your oven to 325 degrees F, and grease a 12-cup muffin pan with avocado or coconut oil cooking spray or coconut oil. Face it, any oil will do. It doesn’t need to be some ridiculously  expensive oil.

Cook the bacon in a frypan, until crispy. Drain and crumble. If using chopped ham, give it a quick fry to add some extra flavor.

Drain most of the bacon grease out of the pan and add the onion and bell pepper. Sauté over medium heat until soft. Depending on the pan, this may take from 5-10 minutes. When the onion has softened and gotten translucent, add the spinach and cook for a few minutes, until wilted.

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl while adding the milk, paprika and garlic powder. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Adding a tablespoon of Korean barbecue sauce instead of salt, gives it a nice flavor. Whisk everything again, then stir in the veggies, bacon and cheese, thoroughly mixing everything.

Pour the mixture into your prepared muffin pan. A small ladle works well for this to get even portions.

Bake until cooked through and golden, 30 to 35 minutes. These will rise when cooking, deflating as they cool.

Serve hot with extra pig bacon, breakfast sausage and this bread, toasted!