COOK: Broccoli and Cheese Egg Bites
- Broccoli Cheese Egg Bite Ingredients
- Kitchen Equipment Needed
- How to Make Broccoli Cheese Egg Bites
- Bain Marie Baking Method (optional but recommended):
- Storage & Serving Ideas
- Broccoli and Cheese Egg Bites
These broccoli and cheese egg bites are an easy make-ahead meal-prep recipe for busy folks or families. These make a great grab and go breakfast, lunch, or protein-packed snack (with about 7 grams of protein per egg muffin).
You can vary the filling in these if you like, and leave the broccoli in chunks for texture, chop them fine, or even blend them into the egg to sneak more greens into your meals (especially good for finicky eaters or sensory issues).
This recipe makes a big batch of 24 egg bites, which is great to fill your freezer with homemade “fast food”. Feel free to cut the recipe in half if you only have a single muffin pan (or 12 silicone baking cups) and don’t want to bake these in batches.
Broccoli Cheese Egg Bite Ingredients
Eggs:
You’ll need one dozen fresh large eggs for a full-size batch of this recipe.
Cottage Cheese:
Use full fat (4%) cottage cheese for the best flavor and texture. You can substitute low-fat cottage cheese if that’s all you have available.
This gets blended with the egg in a blender or food processor, so it doesn’t matter if you use large or small curd. This is what gives the egg bites their smooth texture, helps bind them together, and add a lot of protein!
Broccoli:
I used a 16 oz bag of frozen broccoli for 24 egg bites. You can also substitute steamed or roasted fresh broccoli. The frozen broccoli has been blanched and is ready to use, so if you’re in a hurry, it’s a good way to save time. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight or briefly defrost it in the microwave before adding it to the muffin cups.
Use finely chopped pieces or larger ones for egg bites with more texture. Or, you can blend or chop it finely with the egg mixture. This is particularly handy if you’re cooking for toddlers, kids, or adults with texture aversions & sensitivities (or who otherwise need easy to eat food).
Cheese:
Cheddar or white cheddar is great with broccoli, as is Swiss. You can also use grated mozzarella cheese for a more mildly flavored muffin. Use bagged shredded cheese for convenience, or grate fresh cheese from a block.
Seasonings:
I kept these simple with salt, freshly ground black pepper, a hint of garlic powder, and dried herbs. I used oregano, but you could also use an Italian herb blend, herbs de Provence, thyme, or basil here to change it up. A hint of nutmeg is also good in these, especially with thyme or herbs de Provence.
Kitchen Equipment Needed
blender or food processor:
You need to blend the cottage cheese with the egg to make a smooth mixture. This is the key to creamy, delicious egg muffins! You could also try using an immersion blender, though it may not get the mixture as smooth.
silicone muffin cups or nonstick baking pan:
Silicone baking cups can be used on their own on a sheet pan, or to line a regular muffin tin. These are the silicone muffin cups I use, which are sturdy, PTFE/PFOA-free, and have a handy mesh bag to dry and store them.
You can also bake these in a non-stick muffin tin, well-sprayed or buttered to make sure the egg bites release easily from the pan. I try to avoid using pans with non-stick coatings, as even the “safe” ones have a tendency to flake off into the food eventually, but you can use what you have!
Paper liners are not ideal for these egg muffins, but if you want to try them, spray them first with oil or pan spray.
How to Make Broccoli Cheese Egg Bites
blend egg and cheese mixture::
- Preheat your oven to 300°F (149°C or gas mark 2).
- Blend the raw eggs and the cottage cheese together with salt, pepper, and herbs until they’re smooth and light in color.
prepare muffin cups:
- Place the silicone muffin cups on a sheet pan or in a muffin tin, or spray a nonstick muffin pan with oil.
- Fill your muffin cups with a tablespoon or so of chopped steamed or frozen and defrosted broccoli and grated cheese, dividing them both evenly among the cups.
add egg mix to muffins:
- Ladle or carefully pour egg mixture into the muffin cups, dividing the mixture evenly among the cups
- I used about a 3 oz ladle of mix in each muffin cup, then topped up any that were less full.
- Try to avoid spilling any mix outside of the muffin cups, and wipe up any spills on the pan with a damp clean towel or paper towel before baking for easier cleanup!
bake the egg bites:
- Bake the muffins at 300°F (149°C or gas mark 2) for 35-45 minutes, or until the egg bites are baked through, fully set, and no longer wet or jiggly in the middle.
- Let the egg bites cool slightly and either serve them right away, or unmold them from the baking cups and refrigerate or freeze them to eat later.
Bain Marie Baking Method (optional but recommended):
For the smoothest egg bites and best texture, bake them in a water bath by immersing the silicone cups in a shallow pan of hot water, or putting a sheet pan with water under your muffin tins.
The easiest way to do this is to put the muffin tin or silicone cups in the water bath pan (bain marie) or sheet tray, fill the cups with egg mixture, and then carefully add hot water to the bottom pan before baking.
You can do this in the oven, or before carefully transferring the pan to the oven rack. A funnel is really helpful if you’re using just silicone muffin cups, so that you get the water where you want it without splashing it into your egg muffins!
If you use a water bath, be very careful when removing the tray from the oven so that you don’t burn yourself! Alternately, carefully remove the muffin cups or tin and leave the bain marie (water bath pans) in the oven until they are cool enough to safely handle.
Storage & Serving Ideas
Your broccoli cheese egg bites will be easiest to un-mold without sticking while they’re still slightly warm. You can refrigerate them in a covered container for up to four days, or freeze them for several months.
To freeze, place them in a single layer on a sheet tray, then pop them into plastic bags or air-tight containers for storage. This will keep them from sticking together, and makes it easy to grab one or two to quickly reheat.
You can microwave them to warm them up, or eat them cold. Use low heat or the defrost setting and they’ll be less soggy. When egg proteins get overheated, they contract and squeeze out water, which will make your egg bites both watery and rubbery. This is why I bake these in a relatively cool oven. Reheat your egg muffins gently for the best texture.
Broccoli and Cheese Egg Bites
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 large eggs
- 16 oz cottage cheese (4% is best but low-fat can be substituted)
- 16 oz defrosted frozen broccoli florets, chopped (can substitute steamed or roasted fresh broccoli)
- 5 oz shredded cheese (can adjust to 4-6 oz)
- ½ tsp salt (if your cottage cheese isn't salted, increase to 1 tsp)
- ½ tsp freshly ground black or white pepper
- ½ tsp oregano or thyme leaves (see post for other substitutions)
- ⅛ tsp turmeric (optional, for color)
Instructions
- Blend the raw eggs and cottage cheese together with salt, pepper, and herbs until they're smooth and light in color.
- Place the silicone muffin cups on a sheet pan or in a muffin tin, or spray a nonstick muffin pan with oil. Preheat the oven to 300°F (149°C or gas mark 2).
- Fill your muffin cups with a tablespoon or so of chopped steamed or frozen and defrosted broccoli and grated cheese, dividing them both evenly among the cups.
- Ladle or carefully pour egg mixture into the muffin cups, dividing the mixture evenly among the cups. I used about a 3 oz ladle of mix in each muffin cup, then topped up any that were less full.
- Try to avoid spilling any mix outside of the muffin cups, and wipe up any spills on the pan with a damp clean towel or paper towel before baking for easier cleanup!
- Bake at 300°F (149°C or gas mark 2) for 35-45 minutes, or until the egg bites are baked through, fully set, and no longer wet or jiggly in the middle. They will firm up a bit as they cool, but there shouldn't be any liquid egg left (add additional baking time if needed).
- Let the egg bites cool slightly and either serve right away, or unmold and refrigerate or freeze.
Notes
Nutrition
Liked this recipe? Try these!
- Spinach Artichoke Egg Bites
- Easy Denver Omelette (with Ham, Peppers, Onions, & Cheese)
- Chicago-Style Pepper & Egg Quiche
- Butternut Squash, Goat Cheese and Caramelized Onion Quiche
- Chipotle Bacon Deviled Eggs
- Deviled Eggs with Dill, Preserved Lemon, and Capers
- Spiced Golden Pickled Eggs (easy refrigerator pickle recipe)
- Spicy Jalapeno Pickled Eggs (easy refrigerator pickle recipe)
- Roasted Chickpea & Broccoli Pasta Salad
One Comment