Here’s a customizable make-ahead recipe that works for healthy breakfast, lunch and snack: Egg Muffins! Bake up scrambled eggs in muffin tin cups with healthy veggies, then refrigerate them for meals all week! This works as a grab-and-go breakfast, and it’s perfect for kid lunch boxes. We also find ourselves sneaking them out of the refrigerator for a quick snack. The filling is packed with good stuff: loads of spinach, cottage cheese for healthy protein, and jarred red pepper. They’re easy to whip up and so full of flavor!
Ingredients in breakfast egg muffins
Egg muffins are scrambled eggs that are baked in muffin tin cups, often with added vegetables or meat. Our spin on an egg muffin recipe loads up on healthy vegetables: spinach and red pepper. Because why not pack in healthy veggies? This makes them perfect for a healthy breakfast or lunch boxes. Our son loves these (and he’s wary of spinach: go figure!). Here’s what you’ll need:
EggsOregano, garlic powder, salt and pepperFrozen spinach: don’t substitute fresh; frozen spinach has a specific texture you’ll want herCottage cheese: bold, savory flavor and velvety texture and adds proteinParmesan cheeseJarred roasted red peppers: substitute sundried tomatoes if desired
Bake the eggs in muffin cups
This egg muffin cups recipe is simple: whisk up the eggs, add the cheese and veggies, and bake it up! Head to the recipe below. But here are a few notes on the baking process:
Important: squeeze out as much water as possible from the spinach! The spinach should feel like dry crumbles when you are done. This makes sure the egg muffins will hold together when baking and won’t be too watery. Spray or grease the muffin tin well. You’ll want to be able to pop the egg muffins right out after baking! Bake until puffed and golden, 22 to 24 minutes. They’ll deflate a bit after you let them cool: that’s expected!
Variations on egg muffins
These healthy breakfast egg muffins are exactly what we love in the morning: they’re packed with vegetables and healthy protein! But if you like, you can customize egg muffins to have different variations. Add ½ cup additional mix-ins to the recipe below, or remove the spinach entirely and substitute about 1 to 1 ½ cups mix-ins. Here are some ideas (make sure they are finely chopped):
Sauteed broccoli Caramelized onionsRoasted peppers and onionsSautéed peppersSauteed mushroomsHam or cooked baconFeta cheese, smoked mozzarella, gouda or goat cheese
Important notes: You’ll want the veggies on the done side when you sauté them, so they don’t release too much moisture while baking. They should be finely chopped for good distribution. Also, make sure to keep the cottage cheese in the base recipe; or you can replace it with milk.
Storage info
The great part about these egg muffins? They keep very well! They’re perfect for storing in the refrigerator for meals all week.
Store refrigerated for up to 5 days: you can eat them cold, room temp, or re-warmed. Personally we like them room temp! You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. Defrost by placing in the refrigerator overnight.
Another spin: crustless quiche!
This egg muffin recipe is a spin on our Crustless Spinach Quiche. So if you prefer, you can make this recipe in a pie pan and slice into wedges. Simply bake it for 25 to 30 minutes until puffed and golden. Head to the linked recipe for more details!
More healthy breakfast and lunch ideas
You can never have enough healthy breakfast or lunch ideas, in our opinion at least! Here are some more of our favorite resources:
Try 25 Healthy Breakfast Ideas or 35 Easy Breakfast IdeasMake deliciously healthy Magic Breakfast Cookies Try 5 minute Cottage Cheese Breakfast BowlsGo for 30 Best Lunch Ideas, Vegetarian Lunch Ideas, Gluten Free Lunch Ideas or Vegan Lunch Ideas
This egg muffin cups recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten-free. 5 from 4 reviews
