I had this whole spiel ready about how real men do, in fact, eat quiche, as demonstrated by Ben who housed nearly a dozen Mini Ham & Cheese Quinoa Cups that resemble wee baby quiche for dinner, but then I remembered that quiche have crust and Mini Ham & Cheese Quinoa Cups do not, so in reality they’re more like mini frittatas and well, all was tragically lost.
Ok, let me explain. First of all, Mini Ham & Cheese Quinoa Cups might be my new favorite thing on the planet. I may or may not have squealed with delight when they came out of the oven. THEY ARE SO CUTE!!!! 
They’re basically mini frittatas containing eggs, egg whites, cooked quinoa, shredded zucchini, cheddar cheese, and diced ham, but I can’t name ‘em Mini Ham & Cheese Frittatas because Ben won’t knowingly eat frittatas. Or quiche, for that matter. Mini Ham & Cheese Quinoa Cups, though? Can’t get enough. 
These perfectly poppable bites are packed with protein at 3 grams per mini cup, thanks to the quinoa and lean ham. They’re low in calories too, at less than 50 calories a piece.
Plus, they’re so versatile. Like I said, my Mini Ham & Cheese Quinoa Cups contain fresh zucchini, ham and sharp cheddar cheese, because that’s what I had in the fridge, but I can think of a million different combos that would be equally as delish. Broccoli cheddar. Sundried tomato & pesto. Mushroom & swiss. The possibilities are endless!
Plus they take no time at all to make. Simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl.
Mix.
Add the cooked quinoa, and mix again.
Liberally spray a mini muffin tin with non-stick spray, fill the cups up with the mixture, and bake for about 20 minutes or until the cups are golden brown around the outside.
Almost too cute to eat! Almost.
Mini Ham & Cheese Quinoa Cups
Makes 28 mini cups
Adapted from So Very Blessed
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked quinoa (about 3/4 cup uncooked)
2 eggs
2 egg whites
1 cup zucchini, shredded
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup diced ham
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese
2 green onions, sliced
salt & pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix to combine. Liberally spray a mini muffin tin with non-stick spray and spoon mixture to the top of each cup. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges of the cups are golden brown. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before removing from the mini muffin tin.
You could eat mini quinoa cups for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner – hot or cold. They’d even be great for a potluck, shower, or party. Be warned though, once you pop, it’s hard to stop!
Time for TV night done right!!!!! TGIAF!
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I made these cute quinoa cups for a potluck lunch at work and they were such a hit. Picky eaters loved that they were ham and cheese. And the foodies loved that they incorporated quinoa. They were very easy to transport (via subway) too! Thanks for the great recipe, Kristen!
[...] Mini ham & cheese quinoa cups (2 dozen) [...]
I just made these for lunch (and will freeze for later as well). Wow-so good! Thanks for the recipe.
[...] get the recipe for Mini Ham and Cheese Quinoa Cups from Iowa Girl Eats and make them this week. Image via Iowa Girl [...]
Just took my “little guys” out of the oven. Perfection!
I made these for the ladies at my Bible Study last week & they were such a hit! Everyone wanted the recipe & I directed them all to your blog. It’s the 3rd thing I’ve made from your blog in the past 2 weeks (those corndog muffins – oh, wow! so good!) & tonight I’m making the chicken, butternut squash, quinao stew!
They look delicious…and adorable!
Can I just use 3 whole eggs?
I’m just wondering what the reason is for 2 eggs, and then 2 more of just the egg whites. Is it about calories or something? Or more about taste or consistency? I’m not good at separating eggs….or maybe I’m just too lazy to do it.
You could definitely try 3 eggs! The reason I used what I used is because egg whites are a great binder, and you don’t necessarily need 3 whole egg yolks, which are high in cholesterol.
Do you think these would freeze well? Just wasn’t sure since they have cheese in them…but being able to make ahead and then freeze would be a GREAT time saver!
I haven’t tried freezing them personally, but I think someone else said they did and it worked fine!
OK, one more dumb question…and thanks for your quick response to my last question. I guess I should’ve saved them up for one post, huh?
It says to use mini muffin pans, which I don’t have. If I use standard muffin pans, do I need to bake them for longer?…I would assume another 5 minutes or so. And I’m guessing it would only make about a dozen standard size rather than 28 minis. ??
Probably another 5 minutes or so, until the tops are golden brown.
I enjoyed your blog very much. I made these for dinner tonight and they will most likely be a regular addition to the weekly menus as they were such a hit. They are very cute
Tasty. A very nice and versatile side.
[...] was whipping up a new flavor combo of mini quinoa cups this weekend (recipe coming soon!) when I cracked open an egg and two yolks popped out. Twins, [...]
We’re just starting to experiment with using just egg whites do to my husbands higher chlosteral.. Could I do just egg whites??? Or is a yolk needed? If so you think 3egg whites or 4??? Thank you!
Hmmm, I’m not sure – I’ve never tried it! If you give it a go, let me know what you think!
How did they end up coming out with just the egg whites? High cholesterol runs in my family and I want to make these but with just egg whites if possible. Thanks!
Do these require 2 whole eggs plus an additional 2 egg whites?
You got it!
I made these tonight. I’m a vegetarian so I went with broccoli, yellow bell peppers and red onion. Threw in some fresh rosemary from the garden and my mouth was watering while they were baking! Topped with salsa as well! What a great idea and so easy to modify to what was in the house (and what I eat!
these were fabulous! thank you!
My friend and I made these for lunch yesterday and LOVED them. I dont eat ham so I made it with chicken sausage instead, it was amazing and definitely an easy thing to re-heat for on the go
[...] Pesto Parmesan Quinoa Cups Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats [...]
[...] might be my new favorite quinoa dish too. Sorry, Mini Ham & Cheese Quinoa Cups. Your reign is officially [...]
OMG, i love quinoa and am always trying to devise ways to bring my hubby to eat it
. this is genius!
I just discovered these on pinterest and made them last night for dinner. They were SOOO good and healthy! I used a little less cheese since I am following Weight Watchers, but they were still so good! Thanks for the great recipe!
I, too, love quinoa and just tried these tonight and I love them. So many ways for variations too. I used broccoli since I didn’t have the zucchini. I’m not a huge parsley person so used tarragon (NOT 1/4 cup!) and other spices. Used three whole eggs also. These should freeze well; I have frozen other egg “muffins” before and they’re good. These will be good breakfast to go meals when I’m out the door too early to make it. Thanks!!
I just put my third batch in the oven! I SOOOOOOOOOO recommend this recioe! Thanks again!
What a great recipe…making tonight for my 16 month old daughter!
I just made Quinoa last night and we love it. Your Quinoa cups look so tasty. Your photos are beautiful. Now I am hungry.
[...] Ham and Cheese Quinoa Muffins (adaped from Iowa Girl Eats) [...]
[...] Tuesday – Mini Ham & Cheese Quinoa Cups from Iowa Girl Eats [...]
[...] You could eat mini quinoa cups for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner – hot or cold. They’d even be great for a potluck, shower, or party. Be warned though, once you pop, it’s hard to stop! Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mini Ham & Cheese Quinoa Cups | Iowa Girl Eats [...]
Looks good, but please don’t squeal.
OMG, so lovely
LOVE this idea!! Can’t wait to make me some quinoa cups too.
[...] to the top of my do make list. You can find the chicken strip recipe here on Budget Bytes. And the quinoa cups here on Iowa Girl Eats. Both of these recipes you don’t actually have to follow as they are [...]
[...] don’t let that ruin your day (it’s already ruined a few moments for me), make these cute little quinoa bites. They’re perfect right out of the oven but their also great the next day for a quick [...]
I made these last night with spinach, onion and feta. Delicious and definitely husband approved! Thank you!
[...] Photo by Iowa Girl Eats [...]
[...] Mini Ham & Cheese Quinoa Cups | Iowa Girl Eats [...]
I tried these today for a picnic. I used corn, red bell peppers, and onions. They took about 30 minutes to get the golden crust on the edge. Overall goodie.
do you use quinoa flakes or grain?
Grain!
Hi, I just made these and loved them so much I immediately shared the recipe with some friends. Problem is, we’ve all had a heckuva time getting them out of the muffin tins! I even tried it with paper muffin cups this weekend (DON’T recommend). We definitely sprayed them liberally with non-stick spray, and I can only hope that a better muffin pan wouldn’t have the same issues, but let me know if you have any better suggestions for getting these buggers out. Thanks!
Hmmm…the only thing I can think of is that my mini muffin tins are really nonstick, which might be why they come out easier for me. You could always try rubbing the inside of the cups with butter to see if that works better than spray?
[...] Mmm!!! Mini ham & cheese quinoa cups! [...]
I’m curious as to whether or not these freeze and defrost well. Have you tried it?
I haven’t tried it, but I’m sure it would work perfectly fine!
Wow — are these good! You are a genius. Who knew quinoa could be this tasty. Also, love someone’s idea about feta and spinach — you could do so many variations. Thank you! Love your recipes!
These turned out amazing! I have not been able to get my 16 month old to eat quinoa yet when I made it for her previously mixed with different things in salads. But these babies were easy for her to pick up and eat and she ate two whole ones by herself and continued to take bites of mine. She probably ate close to four! Thanks for this amazing and easy recipe that even the baby likes! I know what we are having for lunch tomorrow!
Also a tip for you
I used my small cookie scooper to scoop the mixture into the pans. Made it go SUPER fast!
This is exactly the sort of thing I’ve been looking for to protein-up my breakfasts. How would you recommend reheating? Microwave sprinkled with a little water? Or straight up oven? I’m weird and can’t handle something like this cold out of the fridge, so I’d have to reheat.
You can heat them in the microwave on a dish for 30 seconds, or so!
I made these for brunch today and they were fabulous!!! Thanks for the great recipe, it was a hit!
[...] also made some mini quiches with chicken and quinoa. The recipe called for different meat and veggies, but I used what was in [...]
[...] to add: so, I thought I was super creative, but googling for an adult-style recipe led me to a quinoa cup by Kristin that is scarily similar. So much for my [...]
This is SO cute! I have never had quinoa before, but I really need to go out right now and buy some. YUM!
I just made the Quinoa cups and they are delicious! This is the first time I have eaten Quinoa. Very good. I will definately make these again. Thanks for the recipe.
These were amazing! I can’t wait to try other combinations (spinach & feta maybe). Its so hard coming up with healthy brunch options that travel well and can be made ahead that taste so good!
Just wanted to say a huge ‘thank you’ for posting this recipe. They tasted absolutely delicious! I only used half measures to see what the muffins tasted like before committing to a whole 28 – but half an hour later, they’re nearly all gone courtesy of my fiance who ate 8 one after another! It’s the first time he’s ever tried quinoa and he was definitely impressed. Thanks again!
I just found these on Pinterest and can’t wait to make them! My little boy is allergic to eggs so I’m going to try making them with soft tofu.