There are just about endless combinations to try out when it comes to egg muffins but these Spinach, Mushroom & Halloumi Egg Muffins are quite possibly my favourite ever. Gluten free, nut free, lunch box friendly, these are awesome to meal prep! Get my tips for making perfect egg muffins every time.
Now that we are an busy, hungry family of four (including two 1 year old boys who eat more than could possibly fit in their bodies!) I try to have at least a dozen eggs in the fridge at any given time, because they are just SO handy for making quick meals. Hard boiled eggs, scrambled eggs and messy omelettes are life.
I also often prepare something a little more organised and egg-based as part of my food prep each week. Most of the time it’s a frittata of some sort because it’s such an easy way to get nourishing protein and veggies into all of us!
Our current favourite are these Spinach, Mushroom & Halloumi Egg Muffins.
So, the name of this recipe is pretty self-explanatory here! Finely chopped spinach (don’t worry, this recipe uses thawed frozen spinach, it’s so easy and no chopping involved!), sautéed mushrooms and grated halloumi cheese all baked into perfectly portioned egg muffins.
I also usually add one additional green veggie to this recipe, which is grated zucchini or frozen peas. Adding a sprinkle of dried herbs or finely chopped spring onion adds a little flavour boost too – whatever you have on hand. I’m obsessed with adding dried dill to everything, but you can also try dried basil or oregano, or a herb blend e.g. Italian herb mix.
Because these are often lunch or dinner for my children, who have only just turned one, I tend NOT to add any salt to the egg mixture when I make these. Young children don’t need added salt – in fact, it’s not great for their immature kidneys. The halloumi cheese is very salty already, anyway. (You can also swap the halloumi for grated mozzarella for really young ones, as this is a lower salt cheese.)
How to make perfectly cooked egg muffins
Having made about one million batches of egg muffins myself, I have a few tips for making these Spinach, Mushroom & Halloumi Egg Muffins turn out perfectly.
- Dice and sauté the mushrooms beforehand. Cooking the mushrooms before they go into these egg muffins is essential. This adds flavour, improves the texture and reduces the water in the mushroom flesh. I recommend cooking in extra virgin olive oil or butter.
- Remove excess liquid from the green vegetables. Thaw the frozen spinach and drain off any excess liquid that accumulates during thawing. If adding grated zucchini, pat it firmly with paper towel to remove some moisture. This stops the egg muffins going too soggy and watery.
- Combine all of the vegetables together as a mix before distributing into the muffin holes. This is so you get a nice even mixture of veggies in each egg muffin.
- Cook your muffins at the gentle heat of 160 degrees Celsius (320 Fahrenheit). Do NOT be tempted to crank the oven higher to get them to cook more quickly. They will puff up enormously then sink and shrivel more once you remove them from the oven. At a lower temp, they will puff up a little but maintain a nicer shape and texture after cooking.
I also highly recommend using silicone muffin liners or a silicone muffin tray for making these! It’s so quick to clean up afterwards and they slide out easily every time. I bought some little silicone muffin/cupcake liners on Amazon agessss ago – I’m sorry I don’t have a direct link, but they are pretty easy to find.
If you make these Spinach, Mushroom & Halloumi Egg Muffins, let me know! Take a snap and tag me on Instagram, you can find me over at -> @moniquecormacknutrition 🙂
Spinach, Mushroom and Halloumi Egg Muffins
Equipment
- You will need a muffin tray and a grater for this recipe. I recommend using a silicone muffin tray if you have one, or using silicone muffin liners – easy to slide the egg muffins out!
Ingredients
- 7 large eggs – use 8 eggs if you are using smaller sized eggs
- 1/4 cup milk – any milk will be fine, I usually use full fat cows milk or unsweetened soy milk
- 140 grams mushrooms – weight is approximate, you will need around 2 cups' worth when diced
- 125 grams frozen spinach, thawed – this is around 2/3 cup thawed frozen spinach
- 60 grams halloumi cheese – around 1/4 block of halloumi
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp dried dill or other dried herbs/spices as desired
- additional extra virgin olive oil for greasing the muffin tray if not using a silicone tray/silicone liners
Instructions
- Finely dice the mushrooms and sauté them in a pan with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, until softened and browned. Set aside. If you have not thawed your spinach pop it into the microwave and heat on a low setting until defrosted. Drain off any excess liquid from the spinach.
- Preheat oven to 160 C (320F). Use a silicone muffin tray/silicone muffin liners, or alternatively, liberally grease 10 holes in a regular nonstick muffin tray with extra virgin olive oil to prevent sticking.
- Combine the spinach and mushrooms in a bowl. If using peas, add them too. If using zucchini, first grate the zucchini separately, pat with paper towel to remove excess moisture, and then mix with the other veggies.
- Grate the halloumi cheese and mix into the vegetables.
- Divide the vegetable/halloumi mixture evenly between 10 muffin holes. Whisk together eggs, milk and dried herbs, and then pour on top, again dividing evenly between the 10 muffin holes. You may need to give each muffin a little poke/stir with a fork to help the egg mixture settle in.
- Gently slide the muffin tray into the oven and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until the centre of the egg muffins feels set. The muffins will puff up a little while baking but then settle back down again.
- Allow to cool slightly before removing from the muffin tray. Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge, where they will keep up to five days.
Notes
Nutrition
p.s. would you like some more easy, family friendly egg recipes? Try these out:
Leave a Reply