I eat two eggs every single morning, without fail. Okay, I'm lying. Perhaps there's that very rare occasion maybe twice a month when I reluctantly grab one of Chris' Cliff Bars as a means to fill up fast. And even on those mornings, I'm craving eggs. A runny yolk sopped up with some ham or avocado...a loaded veggie omelet...or just a simple scramble. It all does my body good. Sorry Lauren, but my cholesterol is damn near perfect, thank you. I guess we can't all be so lucky.
I've always had an obsession with eggs and if you read my blog regularly, then you already know that. From the wee age of seven when I'd demand that my beloved aunt make me the perfect fried egg ("Not too runny...but not hard either. Kinda softish with just a little bit of runniness")... to present day, when every morning, I'm frying up eggs like I work for free in a God-forsaken diner.
One of these days....hopefully very, very soon, I'm gonna land a job in the ever-so competitive working world of La La land. I just know it. And when that time comes, I won't have the early morning energy nor the time to prepare my standard over-easy eggs with a side of fruit, avocado, and ham. Because while that sounds like an extremely quick meal...I'm a total bed head. Cranky as hell, I'm so not a morning person. And spare me the inspirational, "wake up with a smile and ready to cease the day," crap. I'm a very happy person. Just give me an extra bold cup of coffee and about an hour to wake up before you expect any Leslie cheer.
That's where these little "on-the-go" breakfast beauties come in. But I'm gonna be honest with you. I totally saw this idea on Pinterest and I'm not proud of it. However, it's a really great idea, frankly. And as you know, I make every recipe my own. So while I took the "technique," I came up with all new ingredients (besides the eggs, of course).
Oh, and I'll tell it to you like it is. While all the pinners are calling these things "Egg Muffins," I know better. They are mini frittatas...made with a muffin pan. Plain and simple. So go grab your muffin pan and make a huge batch of these today. Then, throw all of your leftover baby frittatas in a zip-lock bag and you've got breakfast made for the rest of the week. Boom.
Tuscan-Style Mini Frittatas
Ingredients:
Non-stick cooking spray
1 Dozen eggs
2/3 cup chopped Italian turkey sausage (I use Applegate Brand. Just don't get uncooked Italian sausage in the casing)
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
1/3 cup shallot, chopped
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus an additional 1/4 cup for topping
1/4 cup fresh basil, cut in chiffonade strips
1/2 cup water or milk
2 tablespoons Olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) In a small skillet, bring 2 tablespoons olive oil to medium heat. Add the shallot and sauté until softened. Then, add chopped Italian sausage and sauté another 2 minutes. Last, add the chopped cherry tomatoes and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until they've reduced. Remove pan from heat.
3) In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with 1/2 cup water or milk along with 2 teaspoons salt and some cracked pepper. Add the ricotta and parmesan cheese and whisk again. Then, mix in the Italian sausage, shallot, and cherry tomato mixture.
4) Grab 1-2 muffin pans (you'll need 16-20 muffin tin "cups") Liberally spray all tin cups with cooking spray. Pour the egg mixture into the muffin pan cups, just below the top. Make as many as you can with the egg mixture.
5) Place in oven for 20-25 minutes or until they feel just slightly "firm" when pricked with a fork. Two minutes before you remove them from the oven, carefully top with sprinkling of the parmesan cheese on reserve as well as the chiffonade basil.
6) Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Then, using a rubber spatula, loosen frittatas from all sides and carefully slide them out of the pan, one by one.
7) Enjoy! Throw your leftovers in tupperware and warm up in the oven, toaster, or microwave for the next few mornings.