Looking for a high-protein, low carb, totally portable breakfast? Give these easy egg bites a try! Like everyone’s favourite breakfast from the green and white coffee chain, these homemade, healthy egg bites have a custardy texture and savoury flavour, but without the long list of preservatives (or the high price tag!).
Meanwhile, in the mountains….
The saga of the malfunctioning cooktop continues here at the mountain house, so I am still almost entirely reliant on the thankfully-still-functioning oven. Salads and sandwiches (and this amazing Chimichurri Chicken Salad that can get stuffed into a sandwich or served over salad) are taking care of lunches. For dinners, I’m roasting everything in sight and relying heavily on sheet pan dinners, like this delicious Greek Chicken and Vegetable Sheet Pan Dinner. But breakfasts? They’re a bit harder. Fruit and yogurt, and cold cereal are fine to a point, but sometimes you just want to start the day with a hot breakfast, and maybe with something that contains a little protein. I’ve been playing around with making eggs in the oven, and at first the results were not great. I made mini frittatas in metal muffin tins, but the spongey and chewy texture sent me back to the drawing board. I’m not usually one for copycat recipes, but thinking of those coffee shop egg bites, with their creamy custardy texture, I remembered that they are officially labeled “Sous Vide” egg bites. If you’re not familiar with the sous vide cooking technique, it usually involves vacuum sealing food in plastic, then cooking the food in the plastic bag, in a bath full of warm, circulating water. The resulting texture is amazing, but I can’t help but think that cooking food in a plastic bag is not that great for your health. I don’t know how exactly that coffee chain cooks their egg bites, but there had to be another way other than sous vide to make egg bites with a soft, pleasing texture. Plus, I don’t own a sous vide machine anyway, so there’s that. What I do have however is a silicone muffin pan and the ability to assemble a make shift water bath, and guess what? It is possible to make egg bites that I will argue are even better than the coffee chains, at home, in our own ovens! I’ve made these egg bites over and over again to make sure the recipe was just right, and they disappeared every time, just moments after they emerged from the oven – because they’re so darn good! Now I make a bunch of them at once and quickly smuggle them into the freezer so we can have a hot breakfast anytime – whether this cooktop gets fixed at any point soon or not!
What you need for Oven Baked Egg Bites
- Eggs: Eggs form the foundation of this recipe and pack the bites with protein.
- Cottage Cheese: The addition of cottage cheese helps with the creamy texture and adds even more protein
- Cheese: I like to use a combination of cheese for the best flavour. A few tablespoons of Pecorino or Parmesan Cheese give the egg bites a deep, savory flavour. This recipe also calls for cheddar, but any sharp, melty cheese will do the trick.
- Grapeseed oil: This is for sautéing the mushrooms and red peppers. Feel free to use another neutral tasting oil with a high smoke point if you don’t have grapeseed oil.
- Add ins: In this version of egg bites, I’ve added bacon, mushrooms and red peppers and this combination is delicious. That being said, the possibilities are endless! Try smoked salmon, green onions and fresh dill. Or sausage, peppers and onion. Or ham and leftover roasted potatoes. Or spinach, sundried tomato and feta. Or whatever you want!
The Set Up
To create the sous-vide texture, with out any sous-vide equipment, you need just two things: a silicone muffin mould and an oven-safe, water-tight pan large enough to fit the silicone mould. My silicone muffin mould has 6 cups, so a 9 x13″ pyrex pan is the perfect fit. If your muffin pan has 12 cups, a larger roasting pan would work well. You need just enough room between the muffin cups and the pan to add enough boiling water to come half way up the sides of the muffin cups.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Much has been said about making these egg bites for breakfast, and they are the perfect, healthy, on-the-go way to start the day. Given their portable nature, they are also a perfect additions to lunch boxes for a healthy and nutritious lunch. Egg bites also make a filling snack, so set some aside to bridge you through the afternoon, as a healthy after school snack or as a satisfying sporting activity energy boost These egg bites are delicious everyday fare, but they also make a charming addition to your weekend brunch. Pile them up on a footed platter for a beautiful presentation!
Oven Baked Egg Bites with Bacon, Mushrooms and Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 tsp grapeseed oil
- 6 medium mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 cup red pepper, finely chopped
- 8 eggs
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 3 Tbsp freshly grated pecorino (or parmesan)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 5 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
- 1/2 cup grated old cheddar, or other sharp cheese
Instructions
- Place a rack in the centre of the oven and preheat to 325F. Place a silicone muffin pan inside a water tight pan, such as a 9" x13" glass pan or a roasting pan. Grease the muffin cups, then set aside.
- Heat the grapeseed oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and the chopped red pepper and sauté until mushrooms have released their liquid and bell peppers have softened, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
- To a blender, add the eggs, cottage cheese, pecorino, salt and pepper. Blend until just fully blended and no visible pieces of cottage cheese remain. Do not over blend.
- Divide the peppers and mushrooms, the bacon and the cheddar evenly amongst the muffin cups. Pour in the egg mixture, filling each cup nearly to the top. Bring water to a boil. Place the glass pan with the filled muffin pan into the oven. To make a water bath, carefully pour boiling water into the glass pan (between the glass pan and the silicone muffin pan) until it comes half way up the muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until egg bites are set and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes our clean. Remove the muffin pan from the water bath, and allow the egg bites to cool in the muffin pan for 5 minutes. Pop the egg bites out of the pan and serve warm, or set aside to cool. Egg bites can be refrigerated in a covered container for up to 3 days.
RECIPE NOTES
- The recipe says that you should not overland the egg mixture. While it is tempting to flip the blender on and fit in another task while it whirls away, it is important to stay with the blender and turn it off as soon as the ingredients are blended. What’s the worst that can happen if the egg mixture keeps blending while you wipe your counter tops? This recipe is all about achieving that custardy texture. Over blended eggs will loose their oomph, and won’t rise as much in the oven, leaving you with dense egg pucks instead of fluffy, creamy egg bites.
- To prevent sticking, spray the cups of the muffin pan with cooking spray. The eggs should release easily from the silicone pan, especially if you give them a little push from the bottom. If the egg bites still stick, allow them to cool for a few minutes, then run a dinner knife around the edges to help release the egg bites.
- Make ahead: Once the egg bites have completely cooled, you can store them in a covered container in the fridge for 3 days. Enjoy them cold or reheat in the microwave for 20 seconds. These egg bites can also be frozen in an resealable bag for up to 2 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight then reheat in the microwave.
- These egg bites are naturally gluten-free!
Other delicious Style and Grace recipes that don’t require a stove top!
