Light Breakfast Egg Muffins
I know these don't look that light all smothered in cheese like this but trust me they are! I make these fluffy veggie filled breakfast treats with egg substitute so they are virtually fat free until you add the cheese. You can even use light cheese if you like but I chose to top them with the real thing because there's really very little cheese in this recipe.
In the summer and early fall I was perfecting my Peaches and Greens Smoothie (recipe to come) for our daily morning walk recovery breakfasts. After our 3 mile walk we require a decent follow up breakfast that's fast and healthy. It was just the ticket while the great Southern Oregon Sunshine was still with us.
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Now that the weather has turned gray and cool I find that having a smoothie is not so perfect. I'm freezing after drinking half of it! I needed to come up with something quick to fix and warming. Something light with lots of protein to keep me going for the rest of my morning.
We love eggs and my husband makes a delicious breakfast for us every Sunday morning with lots of scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns and those tiny refrigerator biscuits. We lovingly call it biscuit day because the dogs get to eat up the leftover biscuits. I think I get the best end of this deal!
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Since it's a rather naughty breakfast all together, I wanted to make it a little healthier for us. We tried using egg whites but the texture and lack of color really didn't do it for us so we tried using an egg substitute. It's all real egg whites but there are spices and color added to make them seem more "whole". Without the yolks they are incredibly light and they have the added benefit of being out of the shell and already scrambled! Just shake them up and pour.
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My goal here was to make these so easy I had no excuse not to make up a big batch ahead of time but still fill them with lots of flavor and nutrition.
The less I have to chop, the better, so I opt for dehydrated minced onion to start with. I add this to the eggs first to begin re-hydrating them.
Most of the time I do chop a fresh red bell pepper but these roasted red peppers are the bomb for taste and ease.
A nice big bunch of baby spinach is the thing we really like for the nutritional value so I never leave this out.
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Since I always have some of my Secret Spice Blend on hand, this is what I use to pump up the flavor. With garlic, herbs, salt and red pepper flakes, it's all you need in one place. Just grind some into the eggs and stir.
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This recipe makes 6 large 1 egg muffins filled with veggie goodness and a tiny bit of cheese, just 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese per muffin. That's about 74 calories. Since this is where most of the fat and calories are in this recipe, you could eliminate half or all of it together if you chose to.
I spray a large muffin tin well with cooking spray, then pour in the seasoned egg substitute until they are half full. Next, I drop in the red bell pepper and chopped spinach leaves, evenly distributing them into the egg cups. Then I sprinkle them each with a pinch of cheese.
Bake them in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. The muffins should puff up quite high and the tops will lightly brown. Remove them from the oven and serve immediately if you like or top them with the rest of the cheese and place them back into the oven for 2 minutes to melt it.
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To remove them from the pan, I use a rubber spatula. I allow them to cool completely before storing the breakfast egg muffins in an airtight container for up to 5 days. They re-heat very well individually in the microwave in 30-45 seconds on high. Microwave times may vary some by make and model.
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Egg muffins puff up like crazy when baking but as soon as they are removed from the oven they deflate considerably.
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I think this recipe is my favorite flavor but you could use any number of leftovers or frittata like favorite items you may have handy. Mushrooms, jalapenos and hash browns are definitely up there on my list of breakfast egg muffins adds.
To keep these light, try to stay away from too much meat or cheese, fill them up with your favorite vegetables and don't leave out the greens.
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Cheers!
~Melisa
If you enjoyed this post you might like these!
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Jumbo Apple Granola Sourdough Breakfast Muffins
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Mike's Mad Good Granola
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Jumbo Blueberry Sourdough Muffins
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Greek Yogurt Bread
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Asparagus, Shrimp and Mushroom Skillet
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Light Breakfast Egg Muffins
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Egg Substitute
1/2 a fresh red bell pepper or roasted red pepper coarsely chopped
3/4 cup packed chopped greens, kale, spinach or any kind you like
1 tablespoon dehydrated minced onion
1 teaspoon Mel's Secret Spice Blend or your own
6-12 tablespoons of shredded cheddar/jack or Mexican style cheese (optional)
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Method
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
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Gather your ingredients, stir the onion and seasonings in to the eggs then chop up the bell pepper and greens.
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Coat a large muffin pan with spray oil then fill each cup half full with the egg mixture.
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Sprinkle the vegetables and half of the cheese evenly into the egg filled cups.
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Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. The muffins should puff up quite high and the tops will lightly brown.
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Remove them from the oven and serve immediately if you like or top them with the rest of the cheese and place them back into the oven for 2 minutes to melt it.
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Remove them from the pan with a rubber spatula and allow them to cool completely before storing in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
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Re-heat individually in the microwave for 30-45 seconds. Microwave times may vary by model.
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