There are two types of people in this world – breakfast people, and non-breakfast people. I am decidedly a self-professed breakfast lover, and I tend to eat one breakfast on repeat for weeks on end. And recently, I have been on an egg muffin kick. Prior to developing this recipe, I had harbored a hatred of all egg muffin recipes (yes, I held a grudge against a breakfast food). Why, you ask? Because, in my prior experience with egg muffin recipes, I have routinely been underwhelmed with the results. Rather than fluffy, delectable baby omelettes, most recipes I have tried have only led me down a path of soggy, rubbery, or flavorless bites of doom. Okay, maybe that’s melodramatic, but you get my point.
But then, as I was looking for a dairy-free quiche recipe, I came across a recipe that used baking powder and a couple of tablespoons of flour in the mix, and simply had to know what the story was. And, it turns out that adding these two ingredients is an absolute GAME-CHANGER! As odd as it sounds, I did a test run with this technique and discovered that it works like a dream. It creates the absolute perfect consistency that seems indulgent, but is not at all a splurge.
What’s in these Egg Muffins:
- Asparagus: I personally love asparagus with eggs. This dish is almost my version of green eggs and ham, if you will. These egg bites would likely also taste wonderful with broccoli or mushroom too.
- Applewood Smoked Bacon: You can’t really go wrong with bacon, but I think using a high quality bacon in this recipe makes a world of difference.
- Quattro Formaggio: I originally planned on these being dairy-free, but I had some leftover Quattro formaggio and I hate to admit it, but it is pretty delicious alongside bacon and asparagus.
- Sweet Onion: With its mild flavor, I love using sweet onion in this recipe to give the muffins added flavor without making them overtly onion-y.
- Gluten-Free Flour: If you aren’t gluten-free, all-purpose flour will absolutely work here. For those who are gluten-free though, I would stick to a 1-to-1 GF flour blend rather than attempting this recipe with almond, oat, or any other flour alternative.
- Baking Powder: A surprising, yet essential addition to this recipe, baking powder helps the muffins to rise, and stay risen. The problem I have encountered with many egg muffin recipes is that though they rise while baking, the moment they come out of the oven, they deflate and lose their structure.
Bacon and Asparagus Egg Muffins
Ingredients
- 8 eggs
- 1 cup asparagus stalks (cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 1/2 sweet onion (diced)
- 5 strips applewood smoked bacon (cut into 1-inch strips)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 cup quattro formaggio cheese
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3 tbsp gluten-free flour
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and liberally spray a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat, then add the bacon lardons to the pan and cook until browned. Then, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess fat.
- Next, add a tablespoon of olive oil (or you can reserve some of the bacon fat) and add in the asparagus and onion to the pan. Sauté the veggies until the onions begin to caramelize and the asparagus is cooked.
- Evenly distribute the veggies and bacon across the 12 muffin cups.
- Then, in a large mixing bowl, combine the almond milk, gluten-free flour, and baking powder. Whisk the ingredients together until there are no visible lumps of flour remaining.
- Add the 8 eggs to the almond milk mixture along with the salt and pepper, and beat by hand or with an electric mixer on medium-low speed until fully incorporated.
- Distribute the egg mixture across the muffin cups so that they are filled 3/4 the way full.
- Top each muffin cup with a sprinkling of the cheese.
- Bake the muffins for 25-28 minutes, until the muffins have fully risen and start to pull away from the muffin tin.
- Once finished baking, remove from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes before removing them from the pan.
Notes
To store, you can refrigerate the egg muffins for 3-5 days and reheat in the microwave for 1 minute. Or, you can freeze the muffins for up to three months and reheat in the microwave for 1:30 to 2 minutes. I would recommend refrigerating them when possible though, as I find the texture is better.
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