Two or three times a year, Scott and I come to the slow realization that our eating habits need a bit of a reset. I’m sure many of you know how this is. You go from making oatmeal for breakfast each morning to picking up a bagel and cream cheese around the corner from work. The meals that include heaping portions of green vegetables become fewer. And ice cream goes from a once-in-a-while treat to a grocery list staple.
One of the best ways I’ve found for me to restore some reason to my eating habits is to spend a week or two actively increasing my greens and proteins and avoiding sweets, treats and anything made with flour. For those of you who like to put labels on such things, I guess you could call it a modified low carb diet.
As we all know, eating better takes a little bit of planning, particularly when you’ve fallen into a habit of the morning bagel from the neighborhood deli. For me to get out of that rut, I have to make something tasty that I can easily take to work with me and will keep me satiated for a few hours. And that is where these cute little egg cups come in.
I’ve been making these in various forms for years now (as this two year old Slashfood post attests). I used to make them in a six-cup muffin tin, but recent realized that I should apply the bake-in-jars trend to this savory breakfast item. It means I don’t have to transfer them to another container after baking and instead can just screw on a lid once they’ve cooled down. And you all know I how much I love to eat my breakfast from a jar.
Unfortunately, several of my wide mouth half pint jars were recently pressed into canning duty, so I didn’t have quite enough to go around and had to employ some vintage Fire King custard cups to serve as well (I have an embarrassing number of these as I can’t resist them when I find them for $.25 at thrift stores). Still, you get the idea.
A word to the wise here. If you decide to follow my example and bake eggs in jars or glass, please make sure to give your vessels a good greasing. I was in a hurry when I made these (it was past 11 pm on a Sunday night) and took the cheater’s way in the form of the Trader Joe’s version of Pam. However, when I have a bit more time to play with, I grease the cups with butter.
And a final note. The recipe below calls for onion and asparagus. That’s because that what’s in season right now. During the summer, I use spinach or shredded zucchini. Kale or chard is good. I’ve even used leftover brussels sprouts in these. It’s all good and it all works. Use your imagination and pick out a couple of vegetables that taste good to you.
On reheating: When it comes time to eat these, I do one of two things. I either pop them into the microwave for a minute or I eat them after they’ve sat at room temperature for 15-20 minutes, until they’ve lost their refrigerator chill. You can reheat them right in the jars. If you want to reheat them in the oven or toaster oven, I’d recommend starting them in a cold oven so as not to shock the glass.
Oven Baked Egg and Vegetable Cups
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/2 large onion
- 1 bundle of asparagus
- 10 eggs beaten
- 3/4 cup grated cheese I often use this opportunity to finish off any odds and ends
- salt and pepper.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cut onion into thin half moons. Wash asparagus well (I’ve found that it’s been really gritty lately), trim the ends and cut into chunks of about 1/2 to 3/4 an inch.
- Heat oil in a large skillet and add onions. Cook until brown. Add asparagus and cook until tender crisp (about five minutes). Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Grease cups/jars. Using tongs, portion out the sauteed vegetables. The cups/jars should be mostly filled with vegetables.
- Beat eggs and evenly divide between the baking cups/jars. Top with approximately 1 tablespoon of cheese per serving. Using a fork or spoon, carefully stir the contents of each cup/jar so that the cheese isn’t just resting on top.
- Place the cups/jars on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes. When tops are browned, they are done.
- Remove from oven and let cool. If you used jars, you can put the lids on once they are cool enough to touch (the tops will be puffy and high just after baking, but like a souffle, they will fall). Store egg cups in the refrigerator until ready to eat. They will keep up to five days.
Ooooh, they are like mini frittatas in jars! (well, sans potato. But, I’m Irish. You know I would add potato.)
Love!
Kaela, I think potato would be an excellent addition. That’s one of things I like about “recipes” like this one. It’s pretty darn flexible.
p.s. Loving the new header…
Thank you!
These look fantastic! I’ll be making some of these this week, I think.
Great idea! We eat a ton of eggs and greens or whatever other veggie is abundant in the garden. I’m going to make a batch of these this weekend for lunches. My diet could use a little rework too 🙂
I just picked up about 150 canning jars for free today and then spotted your site. I think I might need to become a regular!
150?! I wish you were my neighbor 🙂
What a great idea and so handy to give to hubby to take to work..thanxxx yet again…
Great idea! I love a portable breakfast and have an abundance of eggs =) Love the new header- looks fantastic!
These look great!
Question: to reheat them for the next day, do you microwave them or warm them in oven? Wondering how nuked eggs would taste? Not sure.
thank you, dahlila xo
I’ve added a note up above about reheating. Basically, I just microwave them for a minute or eat them at room temp.
These sounds wonderful, but I am curious to know if you warm them or eat them cold from the refrigerator. I am unsure about cold eggs. Do they turn rubbery when you reheat them?
Kathy, because the ratio of vegetable to egg is so high, the eggs manage to avoid becoming rubbery.
Oh, this is amazing. I’m totally in one of those food ruts. (New job, we spend a lot of time bonding over frozen meals. Yeah.) And I have approximately 2.5 dozen eggs too many at the moment. Thank you for saving my breakfast.
This looks amazing and quite similar to meals we partake in around these parts. Yet – I have never thought of cooking them in jars! Genius!
Oh…we just yesterday vowed to start eating more veggies and protein. This is perfect!
Love the new header, too.
Great idea!
Assuming you reheat them before eating, do you have any tips for microwave timing?
I was wondering the same on the reheating 🙂
Me too! I have an hour commute to work, so I’d want to warm it up once in the office. Can you reheat in the jar?
I reheat them for just 1 minute. I find that it’s enough to heat them through without turning them hard or crusty. Do make sure to take the lid off before heating in a microwave, though (I realize that’s obvious to most, but just in case).
This is a great idea! How long do these last in the refrigerator? a week?
I’ve kept them up to five days without a problem. After that, their texture begins to get a little funky.
Have you tried freezing these? Just wondering how they would hold up.
I haven’t tried freezing them. However, egg dishes like this tend to freeze well, so I imagine they’d be okay.
they freeze SO well….just set the jar in the fridge the night before and nuke for a minute in the morning!
What a brilliant healthy breakfast/lunch to go. You rock!
May be a dumb question but what do you use to cover the custard cups?
It’s not a dumb question. I either tuck them all inside a plastic zip top bag or cover them each with a bit of plastic wrap or foil. I like using the zip top bag best because it’s reusable.
Thanks so much!
Terrific idea, breakfast is often rushed around here. Hey, I like your new heading, that is a new heading isn’t it? Sometimes I’m not sure if I remember correctly, but I think you had a photo of your kitchen before.
~Brenda
Yes, that is a new header image! A friend made that logo for me a while back and I decided I wanted to better use it on the site.
absolutely fabulous idea!!
I have those same custard cups! I inherited a set of that translucent white bakeware from my grandmother. Who knows how old they are! I think they’re prefect for portioning out snacks or holding seeds while planting.
We eat frittatas galore around here, but I’d never thought to make them portable like this. It would make a great school lunch, too. How appealing to make one batch and have the kid’s lunch made for the whole week! Thanks for the idea.
Love it! Though it might be silly to make them in jars to walk around the corner from the kitchen to my office nook. 🙂
Sometime soon, I think you should offer up a “how to cook in jars” primer. I’ve been seeing a lot of it lately, but get nervous about which jars are okay to use, what temperatures they go to, how to pick jars (none I have other than the canning ones have any heating notes, yet I see the same style used in baking). What to look out for, etc.
What a cute and practical idea- I love it! I’m thinking we could get our 6 year old to eat his eggs if he had a jar of them.
I love this! What a great idea for a picnic. Your new header looks terrific, too, btw.
What a fun idea. I as well have my fireking cups and love them…I also watch for them at thrift stores…my little secret.
Had to laugh, as I had this very thought on the way home from work today, while plotting to make some small quiche for the weekend. No new ideas under the sun…
This is epic – and perfect timing! Such a simple, brilliant idea. We are in “need to reset” mode right now as we just (ok, at the beginning of April…) moved and nothing has been normal. I’ve been working hard to get us back to lots of greens and fruit at lunch and dinner, but breakfast has been a challenge. This is the perfect solution! I shall employ next Monday in advance of the busy week 🙂 Thank you!
OMG…I love this idea….perfect quick breakfast!!
thanks for a great ideal…i love food in jars!!!
Melissa from Naches, WA
I bookmarked this before I even read it. Yes, please and thank you! You are a total. pro.
I LOVE this idea!
WICKED! So cute in the jars. I cannot wait to try this. The small jars are also freezer safe!
Your new header is excellent, btw.
Oh, I am SO doing this. I actually just found two half pint jars at the thrift store today!
This would be a good use for those half-pints that have acquired chips and will no longer seal. As long as you eat with a spoon, of course, and don’t lick the inside of the jar to finish! (Who? Me? That was lemon curd!)
What a great idea! I think I might make some of these this weekend for a quick at work breakfast. Thanks for thie inspiration
I am ashamed to admit that I don’t own any half pint jars! I love egg anything for breakfast. This is such a winning idea. (You never quit with those!)
I made a bunch like this for my mom. She’s getting older and didn’t always bother to cook for herself. I made them from a breakfast casserole recipe that she loves and baked them in jars. I then popped them in the freezer- she set one in the fridge before bed, then nuked it for a minute the next morning (and put a bit more cheese on top to make it look nice). She had a nice home-cooked breakfast with very little work on her part!
Cool idea! I LOVE eating left over quiche and it certainly would be handy to have it in little resealable jars ready to go!
I made these this weekend for my husband and I to eat for breakfast during the week. I did add some chicken sausage from our local chicken farm and used different vegetables. Just had my first one this morning…AMAZING! Perfect to grab and go.
Wow, what an ingenious twist on the frittata, which I already love for its ability to make odds and ends seem like a planned meal. I will definitely be doing this for quick breakfasts.
This was great. I made them the night before a hike, and then tucked them inside an insulated lunch bag. After a few hours of hiking, we thoroughly enjoyed them. Way better than the pb&j with tomato soup I usually bring.
Wow. I actually have the same problem but every time I fall back into old habits it seems to get harder and harder to pull out of it again (living two doors down from one of the best bakeries in town doesn’t help). These look amazing and also like a potentially good way to use up veg from the day before or preparing the veg on Sunday evening and then spending five minutes on Monday morning getting them into the oven to bake while you get ready for work – hot breakfast on Monday and enough left for the rest of the week too. Can’t wait to try these out!
I should be starting dinner her making one of my husband favorite meals – fried chicken strips with captain crunch & corn flakes). But, I am enjoying putting it off & reading the things from you blog right now. Anyway, what a great idea. I wonder if you could use those small jars for creme brulee (sp???) It’s been a while since I’ve or actually my husband has made them but, might try one day. Gives us an excuse to have some adults over to our house.
Oh my I’m salivating.
Ohhhh, damn, you’re so smart.
After you cool and put the lid on – can you freeze these? Thanks.
Ooops…never mind I didn’t realize someone already asked that. Thanks! Cool site! getrichslowly.org pointed me over here.
Great post and what a fab idea…must try these!
Popping over from link on Cubits! 🙂
sound great I never thought of jars
Stinkin’ cute idea! I LOVE it!!!
This is one of those Lightbulb moments when I say oh ya great idea, why didn’t I think of that! lol FABULOUS!! Thanks 🙂
BRILLIANT! I’m spending all day tomorrow working my share at the Gleaners group I belong to (which has been providing me with loads of produce that I’ve been making into jams btw. ) and stressing over the lack of an easy and portable meal to take with me. I think I’ll have to go make up one of these in a few minutes to pack for my lunch tomorrow, along with some crackers and the tomato jam I’m hooked on. My entire lunch will be out of jars that way! I’m going to have to cook it in the microwave though – it’s 100 degrees in the shade today and that oven is NOT getting turned on no matter what.
Tried the larger canning wide mouth jar’s and made the necessary adjustments w/ingredience. Didn’t work out like hoped.
Tasty but it was like a failed souffle. I am going to stick with small jars.
Hi! I was so excited to come across this site! I’ve been trying to figure out how to bake egg casseroles for a week’s worth of breakfast. I went to my local grocery store to look for some mason jars. The direction said I need to pre-treat them in a pot of water first? Is that necessary? I’m afraid if I use these jars in the oven, it will break. Thanks!
Hi there,
Quick question my husband what’s to know could we use the full pint jars and add meat? If so should the meat be pre cooked? TIA
You probably don’t want to use full pint jars because the depth will be such that the eggs will have trouble cooking all the way through before the tops burn. You could add some cooked meat. I’ve done that in the past and it’s delicious.
you can also just put the veg in the jar , add a egg and micro for a min , nice hot egg !
Can I do this without cheese? Son doesn’t eat cheese. Any other substitute like maybe a little milk. Sounds delicious. I’ll make mine with cheese.
I’ve never made them without cheese, but you’re welcome to try it.