By far, one of my favourite foods to eat with eggs is spinach. Add cheese and I’m in heaven!! Straight out of the pan these Quinoa Spinach Egg Cups have a crispy shell, an oozy egg and melty cheese. Having more of a savoury habit, it’s no wonder I adore these baked egg cups.  Not only do these tasty cups have approximately 11 grams of protein each, they freeze surprisingly well and can be picked up and eaten out of your hand like a muffin. Convenient, nutritious, snackable and full of texture and flavour is what makes these a winner.
Has anyone ever had grit in their quinoa?  Sadly, a long time ago I did have a bad experience with quinoa which led me not to use it for some time. The quinoa I had purchased was either not pre rinsed or I did not rinse it enough. I really can’t remember at this point, all I know is the end result was quinoa with little sandy bits. YUK!! It was awful, because I’d be chewing away happily and then SNAP, I’d aggressively bite down on what feels like sand.  Not a great experience and frankly it turned me off. Luckily common sense prevailed and I realized this grit could be eliminated with proper rinsing or a pre rinsed product. So I purchased an organic quinoa, pre rinsed and gave it another go. Tender quinoa with no grit, the way it is meant to be. In that moment I was transformed into a quinoa lover, so I suppose my point here is to purchase a quality product and have perfect quinoa every time.
I love this recipe because I’m a shift worker and can pull these out of the freezer for breakfast or lunch and I don’t need anything other than a microwave to warm them up. They fill me up and keep me feeling full because of the protein content. Best of all, they’re some of my favourite foods all nestled and baked together in one convient cup. Enjoy!
Recipe Source:Â Compelled To Cook
- 2/3 cup dry quinoa cooked as directed on package
- 5 ounces frozen spinach thawed and squeezed dry
- 1 1/4 cups cheddar cheese grated, divided
- 1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp course black pepper
- 12 large eggs
- Cook quinoa as directed on package, fluff with a fork and allow to cool to room temperature. Preheat oven to 375℉. In a medium size bowl stir together quinoa, spinach, 3/4 cup of shredded cheddar, parmesan cheese, dijon mustard, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Spray nonstick muffin tray with non stick spray. Press an approximate 1/4 cup quinoa mixture into muffin tin being sure to press all the way up the sides, creating a cup. Crack one egg into each cup, top with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake for 16 minutes then turn oven to broil and broil for 1 minute. Remove from oven. Using a rubber spatula or other flat device, scoop cups out of muffin tray and serve immediately.
Dampen fingers with water when pressing quinoa into muffin tin, it will help prevent quinoa sticking too much to your fingers. Â Quinoa cups can be wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen. Allow to thaw completely prior to reheating in microwave. Â Eggs will be slightly more cooked but just as tasty and makes for a portable, convenient breakfast or snack.
These look great, but the spinach is not included in your instructions anywhere. Just FYI.
Thank you so much Shannon, I have indeed missed the spinach in the directions. I have made the necessary correction. Hope you made them even with my error, they’re quite yummy. Appreciate your feedback!