Quiche, frittata, eggbake, egg muffin, egg cupcake? I don't know what to call these.
Quiche and frittata sound so fancy-pantsy European gourmet... and difficult. Eggbake sounds easy, but a little too school-cafeteria sketchy. Egg muffins and egg cupcakes sound like hopeful euphemisms or worse, like desserts gone really, really wrong.
If you call these "egg cupcakes," even suspicious husbands + kids might try them. Although, admittedly, "cupcake" is a wee be a bit of a stretch... so take your chances.
Naming problem aside, these little...uhhh... herb-veggie-egg rounds are still pretty tasty. They've got the gourmet flavor and presentation, but are easy enough for any home chef to make.
I've made variations for Easter, baby/bridal showers, Mother's Day, brunches, etc. They're super versatile, so you can play around with the veggie/herb ingredients you like or have on hand. Plus, the mixture can be prepped the night before and baked fresh 20 mins before you need to serve them.
If you find the perfect name, please oh please let me know! :)
Easy Herb + Veggie Mini Quiche
(Vegetarian, Paleo, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Low Carb)
makes 12
30 min prep time*
15-20 mins bake time
*can be made night before + baked fresh day of serving
INGREDIENTS
Staple ingredients:
- FAT/OIL, 2 tbsp - for sauteeing veggies. (butter, avocado oil, bacon grease, ghee or coconut oil work well as they have higher smoke points)
- EGGS, 8 large
- MILK or CREAM, 4 tbsp - it can be real dairy, coconut, almond or hemp
- DICED VEGGIES, 4 cups, raw - we love zucchini, bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, spinach, jalapenos, tomatoes, etc
- GARLIC, 2 tbsp, minced
- FRESH HERBS, 1/2 to 1 bunch, chopped - dill, cilantro or basil are our favs
- SEA SALT + PEPPER, to taste
Optional ingredients:
- CHEESE, 4 oz - blue cheese, gorgonzola or chevre (goat cheese) are amazing
- CURRY, 1 tsp
- BACON, 12 strips - if you'd like to wrap bacon around the quiche!
- HOT SAUCE
EQUIPMENT
- OVEN + STOVETOP
- KNIFE
- FRY PAN, we pretty much only use good ol' school cast iron
- SPATULA, metal
- SPOON, large
- MUFFIN PAN(S), 12+ muffin cups/slots
- MIXING BOWL, spouted useful
- FORK or WHISK
INSTRUCTIONS
- If you're wrapping BACON around the quiche, you'll need to partially cook it before it goes in the muffin pan around the raw egg + veggie mixture. Fry over medium-low heat just until it starts to firm up, but is still floppy (highly technical term). Line the muffin tins with the bacon strips while they're still hot.
- Dice + chop VEGGIES.
- Fry stiffer VEGGIES (like onions, peppers), GARLIC + FAT/OIL on medium-low heat till they start to soften, 5-ish minutes.
- Add softer VEGGIES (like zucchini, tomatoes, mushroom, etc) and HERBS, cooking 3-5 additional minutes on low.
- Take veggie mixture off stove and spoon into (bacon-lined) muffin pan, filling slots loosely 1/2 full. Cover + refrigerate overnight if baking fresh the next day or just refrigerate until the mixture is not hot (so it won't cook the eggs when you add them).
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Whisk together EGGS, MILK, and SALT + PEPPER in mixing bowl.
- If using CHEESE, drop a couple crumbles on top of veggie mixture in each cup.
- Pour/spoon egg mixture into cups till full.
- Bake 15 – 20 minutes, or until fluffed + golden brown.
Enjoy!