Make-ahead Egg Bites: Egg Muffins for Busy Mornings
Breakfast is important, no matter your age. So whether you’re late to the office or your kids take too long finding their shoes for school, a quick bite that you can eat on the go is good to have on hand. These protein-packed egglets are perfect for just that. They’re delicious enough to be craveable and will keep your stomach from rumbling until lunch. Make a batch or two this weekend and have them at the ready throughout the coming week.
Egg Muffins? What?
Egg bites, egg muffins, eggs-on-the-go…whatever you want to call it. In essence, though, these are tiny frittatas. A frittata is like a quiche, but without a pastry-crust base, and without any milk or cream in the egg mixture. So, it resembles a custard, but it isn’t one.
Frittatas can be filled with anything you like, but it’s best to precook larger, harder-to-cook bits. In this recipe, for instance, we don’t cook the peppers. But if we were using chunks of potato, we’d boil them to cook them first. The same goes for sausage or bacon—cook them first to ensure both quality and safety.
Egg doneness temps
These muffin-tin frittatas consist of tasty toppings suspended in a beaten egg mixture. That egg mixture has to be perfectly cooked for these to be as tasty as we want them to be, so what temperature should they be cooked to?
As with all egg dishes like this, we need to balance safety and texture. We don’t want them dry and chalky, nor do we want a “cream-filled” center of uncooked egg! Frittatas like this don’t have any added cream or milk in them—they’re just egg. That means they cook to about 175°F (79°C). You can go higher, but once you pass 200°F (93°C), things will start to get rubbery and chalky. Use your Thermapen® ONE to temp them when the timer sounds. If you find that this batch is slightly overcooked, check them a minute sooner next time. (How your oven behaves will change the cook time somewhat.)
Let them cool fully on the counter, then store them in a container in the fridge. Now you can grab one as you leave the house. Of course, you can warm them in the microwave, but we find they’re actually still good when cold.
Give these easy, make-ahead breakfast treats a try and we think you’ll love them. Use your Thermapen ONE to ensure they cook up just right, and enjoy a fun breakfast, even with your hectic life. Happy cooking!
Muffin-tin Frittatas
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 large eggs
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp garlic powder optional
- ¾ C diced ham
- ½ red bell pepper diced
- 2 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 C shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ C shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C).
- In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt, pepper, and garlic powder (if using) until well combined. (Use an immersion blender if you have one.)
- Grease a muffin pan very well with cooking spray or butter, or line with silicone or parchment liners.
- Divide the pepper, green onion, ham, and cheeses into the muffin tin wells.
- Carefully ladle or pour the egg mixture over the fillings. Let the egg settle and top off the ones that have less egg.
- Bake for 20–23 minutes, until a Thermapen ONE reads no lower than 170°F (77°C). (There will be a little carryover cooking.)
- Let them rest for a few minutes. Run a knife along the edges to release the frittatas and remove them from the pan.
- Serve for a hot breakfast now, or let cool completely and refrigerate or freeze.
