Sunday, January 15, 2012

Baked Egg Cups

My latest interest has been Pinterest! As most people also are, I am addicted. I will admit it. I find myself spending countless amounts of time pining and adding pictures to this pin board style website. All of this time is spent with motivation to recreate each pin at some point. Well I figure the best way to make use of this addiction and to also get back on the blog is to start making some of the delicious dishes I see. Let me tell you, they are delicious!

This super easy and quick recipe is almost identical to a breakfast dish that I use to make for Meatless Monday, Shirred Eggs. Pinterest gave me a great idea though for a delicious way to change it up, use lunch meat as a cup for added tastiness and to boost up your protein count.

Baked Egg Cups
 (Picture courtesy of Pinterest)

Ingredients:
Sliced Lunch Meat of Choice, I prefer turkey
Eggs
Salt
Pepper
Toppings of Choice


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400
Spray muffin pan with non stick spray
Line muffin cup with one slice of lunch meat
Crack one egg into each lined cup
Sprinkle a small amount of salt and pepper
Top with your choice of cheese, vegetables, sauce, etc.
Bake for around 10-12 minutes, until the yolk is cooked to your liking
  (I prefer my yolk a little on the runny side, the lighter side of 10 minutes.)



The first go round I lined two cups each with a slice of turkey lunch meat. I cracked an egg in each respective cup, added a little salt and pepper, and topped it all off with shredded parmesean cheese. Delish!


Second go round I tried two different variations. On one cup I used turkey meat and topped the egg with salt, pepper, and shredded sharp cheddar cheese. For the second egg I used turkey meat and topped it with salt, pepper, and pesto. All three of these variations were awesome in their own way.


I think I love these baked eggs because they are so simple to make and you are in and out of the kitchen in less than 20 minutes with minimal clean up! I also am loving the fact that they are so versatile and you can top them with whatever you fancy or whatever you have in the kitchen. That's always a big plus for me.

Unhealthy tip: Next time I think I'm going to go a little bit further and try a BACON cup. MMMMM....Bacon!!!

Healthy tip: Try your baked egg cups with just egg whites. There are two super easy ways to do this.
1. Seperate the egg whites from the yolk and just cook the cups with the whites.
2. Cook the egg cups a little longer and when you cut into the cooked cups you will be able to easily remove the fully cooked yolk from the middle.