Busy mornings call for something quick and easy – or better yet, something you’ve made ahead and either reheat quickly or grab and go. These healthy cottage cheese and egg muffins fit the bill perfectly!
A good hearty breakfast is a great way to boost your brain power first thing in the morning and it will help keep you going for the day. Egg muffins are an easy way to get a good amount of filling protein and get an extra serving of veggies as well.
With some added pesto and veggies that are full of flavor, these egg muffins are a delicious way to start your day. The cottage cheese gives them a nice creamy texture too.
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What You Will Need to Make Cottage Cheese Egg Muffins
These muffins are easy to pull together with just five ingredients (not counting the pepper). If you don’t have one of the ingredients, no problem! As long as you have egg whites and cottage cheese, you can swap in other ingredients as you like. I have a bunch of possible variations listed below to give you some ideas.
Egg Whites
I used egg whites for this recipe because they fluff up nicely when baked and they are rich in protein. The other reason is that I keep bags of egg whites in my freezer and often need to use them, which is the perfect solution.
Why do I have bags of egg whites in my freezer? Mainly because recipes will call for just an egg yolk and I end up with extra egg whites. They are easy to freeze and I always think, someday I’ll make an angel food cake!
Ah well, good intentions, but that never seems to happen! LOL. But they are nice to have on hand for some hearty, protein-rich breakfast options like this!
Cottage Cheese
Yes, cottage cheese has been overdone recently, but I love using it. It is another good protein-rich option and has a decent amount of calcium. One cup of cottage cheese has 25g of protein and 187mg of calcium, or about 14% of your daily requirement. It can be high in sodium which is one reason I don’t add any extra salt to these muffins.
I use 2% milk-fat, small curd cottage cheese for these egg muffins. You could use whole fat if you want a creamier muffin but I’d recommend avoiding fat-free cottage cheese. It will make your muffins pretty watery and a bit tough and chewy.
I prefer Small curd cottage cheese over large curd but use what you have. You will be beating it well so those small or large curds will get broken up (mostly) anyway.
Pesto
The basil and garlic provide so much flavor to these muffins. You can use jarred pesto or try my arugula walnut pesto for a little different twist.
Roasted Red Peppers
For a bit of sweetness and a burst of color, roasted red peppers are a nice addition to these little muffins. Jarred peppers are fine. A word of caution though – drain them and pat them dry to get most of the liquid out so they don’t add extra water to your egg muffin. Extra water means extra time in the oven – leading to tough and chewy muffins!
I cut mine into large pieces so they are easy to eat.
Kale Chips
Yup, a little different, but hear me out – crushed-up kale chips work amazingly well in these muffins. I honestly decided to add these at the last minute as I had an open bag that I needed to use up but they worked perfectly.
First, they don’t get all mushy in the egg muffins and you don’t end up with long stringy pieces of fresh kale, making them messy to eat.
Second, because they aren’t mushy, they add a bit of texture which is kind of nice, and a bonus is that they don’t lose their color or turn that ugly green.
Now, they do have a fair amount of sodium, so this is another reason I don’t add any extra salt to these muffins.
How to Make Them
These take just a few minutes to whip together and then about a half hour in the oven.
You will need:
- 12 – cup muffin tin
- A large bowl
- Electric hand-held or counter mixer
- A large spoon or large (2 oz.) ice cream scoop
Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray, making sure all the bottoms of the cups and sides are covered with the oil.
Step 2:
Whip the egg whites until they are frothy. Making sure they are frothy will give you a nice, light muffin.
Add in the cottage cheese, pesto, and black pepper and whip them for about a minute, until the cheese is broken up and everything is well combined.
Step 3:
Scoop the egg and cheese mixture into the wells of the muffin tin, in 2 oz. portions. Using a scoop like this ensures that you have equal amounts of the mixture in each well and they will bake evenly.
Step 4:
Place about 2 teaspoons of the kale chips and roasted red peppers on top of each muffin and mix them in to distribute them throughout the muffin.
Step 5:
Place the muffin tin on a rack in the middle of the oven and bake them for 30 minutes. The muffins should be puffy and slightly firm to the touch. The top should give when you press on it with your finger, but it should bounce back.
Just be careful not to overbake them or they will become tough and chewy!
Put them on a rack to cool for about 10 minutes and then remove them from the muffin tin to finish cooling, or enjoy!
Variations
You can swap other ingredients for the roasted red peppers and kale chips. Use what you have and make them your own!
My only word of caution is to avoid very watery ingredients, like fresh tomatoes! The extra moisture will cause you to have to cook them longer.
Here are a few ideas:
- Chopped baby spinach and sundried tomatoes
- Diced cremini mushrooms and sliced kalamata olives
- Diced mushrooms and cooked pancetta or bacon (a little goes a long way here!)
- Canned tuna and chopped spinach
- Canned or leftover cooked salmon and sundried tomatoes
- Chopped (small pieces) rotisserie chicken and chopped broccoli
I think you get the idea! Use what you have on hand. These are a great way to use up some veggies and other items in your fridge.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Absolutely! This is just like a frittata recipe – only in small muffin portions so there is no reason it wouldn’t work as a casserole too. It will probably work best in an 8×8 square dish and you’ll just have to watch your cooking time. That will probably increase.
These cottage cheese egg muffins are easy to freeze. Let them cool completely and store them in resealable, food-safe plastic bags. Be sure to get as much air out of the bag as possible before freezing them to avoid freezer burn. Reheat them in the microwave on low until they are hot throughout.
Certainly! This recipe can easily be doubled or you can halve the ingredients and use a 6-cup muffin tin which is perfect if you just have 1 or 2 people.
The fastest way is to take them directly from the freezer, place them on a microwave-safe plate, and cover them with a damp paper towel. Place them in the microwave and heat on high for about a minute. Check the internal temperature and if they haven’t reached 145°F, continue heating in 15 to 30-second increments until they reach a safe internal temperature.
Alternatively, thaw them overnight in the fridge. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Wrap the muffins in aluminum foil and place them in the middle of the oven. Cook for approximately 15 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of 145°F.
Storage Tips
These egg muffins are delicious fresh from the oven but can be stored in the fridge or freezer for another day. They will last in the refrigerator for a couple of days or you can wrap them tightly and freeze them for up to 3 months. Just reheat them in the microwave or the oven when you can enjoy them!
To reheat the muffins:
Microwave: Place them on a microwave-safe plate, and cover them with a damp paper towel. Put them in the center of the microwave and heat them on high for about a minute. Check the internal temperature and if they haven’t reached 145°F, continue heating them in 15 to 30-second increments until they reach a safe internal temperature.
Oven: It is best to thaw them in the refrigerator overnight. Preheat the oven to 350°F when you are ready. Wrap the muffins in aluminum foil and place them in the center of the oven. Cook them for approximately 15 minutes. Check the temperature. If they haven’t reached 145°F, rewrap them and continue cooking for another 5 – 10 minutes.
Other Recipes You Will Love
If you’d like other hearty breakfast recipes, here are a few of my favorites:
Baked Oatmeal – Dark Chocolate Cherry
Strawberry Blackberry Smoothie
Please let me know if you try this recipe and rate it for me! Knowing what you like helps me create more recipes and the ratings help other people find the recipe! Thanks so much!
Cottage Cheese Egg Muffins with Roasted Red Peppers and Kale
Equipment
- 1 12 cup muffin tin
- 1 large bowl
Ingredients
- 10 each egg whites large eggs
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- ½ cup diced roasted red peppers patted dry if using canned
- ½ cup crushed kale chips
- 2 tbsp pesto
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray, making sure the bottom and sides of each well are covered.
- In a large bowl, whip the egg whites until they are frothy, about 1 minute on high speed.
- Add the cottage cheese, pesto, and black pepper and whip for another minute, breaking up the cheese and thoroughly combining the ingredients.
- Distribute the egg and cottage cheese mixture evenly between the wells to ensure even baking. A 2 oz. ice cream or cookie scoop works well for this.
- Add approximately 2 tsp. each of the red peppers and the kale chips to each muffin and mix them into the egg and cheese mixture.
- Place the muffin tin in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes. The muffins will puff up and the center should give but bounce back when pressed. (They will deflate when cooling – this is normal!)
