Mini Ham and Cheese Quinoa Cups are the perfect, poppable, gluten-free breakfast or snack recipe. Easy, delicious and loved by kids and adults alike!
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 and Cheese Quinoa Cups that resemble wee baby quiche for dinner last night, but then I remembered quiche has a crust and Mini Ham and 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 and 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!!!
These 2-bite delights are basically mini frittatas containing eggs, egg whites, cooked quinoa, shredded zucchini, cheddar cheese, and diced ham, but I couldn’t name them Mini Ham and Cheese Frittatas because Ben won’t knowingly eat frittatas. Or quiche, for that matter. Mini Ham and Cheese Quinoa Cups, though? Can’t get enough.
Anyway, these perfectly poppable bites are packed with protein at 3 grams per mini cup, thanks to quinoa and lean ham in the mix. They’re low in calories too, at less than 50 calories a piece.
Plus, they’re versatile. Like I said, my Mini Ham and 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 zillion different combos that would be equally as delish. Broccoli Cheddar. Sun Dried Tomato & Pesto. Mushroom & Swiss. Plus they can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a snack. Is there anything Mini Ham & Cheese Quinoa Cups can’t do?
This easy, gluten-free recipe takes no time at all. Simply combine some ingredients in a bowl.
Mix.
Then add cooked quinoa and mix again.
Liberally spray a mini muffin tin or mini muffin baking pan with nonstick spray, fill the cups up with the mixture, then bake for 20 minutes or until the cups are golden brown around the outside.
Pop them out once cool enough to handle then try not to squeal. These delicious mini quinoa cups are almost too cute to eat. Almost!
Make Ahead Stuffed ShellsMini Ham and Cheese Quinoa Cups
Description
Mini Ham and Cheese Quinoa Cups are the perfect, poppable, gluten-free breakfast or snack recipe. Easy, delicious and loved by kids and adults alike!
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked quinoa (about 3/4 cup uncooked)
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg whites
- 1 cup shredded zucchini
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup diced ham
- 1/4 cup loosely packed parsley, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons shredded or grated parmesan cheese
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 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.
- To freeze: Place baked cups on a baking sheet then freeze until solid and transfer to a freezer bag. Microwave for 20-40 seconds depending on how many you're reheating.
- For regular-sized muffin tins: Bake for 25-30 minutes (Note: I have not tested full-sized muffins myself, although several readers have left comments saying this works!)
Notes
Adapted from So Very Blessed
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Like I said, you could eat mini quinoa cups for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner – hot or cold. They’re even freezer-friendly! Enjoy, enjoy!
More Mini Quinoa Cups You’ll Love
Mini Mushroom & Swiss Quinoa Cups >
These look absolutely amazing!! I can’t wait to try them.
Thank you- these look great! I whenever cook quinoa I always end up making more than I need, so I love to have recipes for the leftovers!
I would put some chopped up asparagus spears in place of the zucchini and finish them off with a few splashes of Frank’s red hot. Delicious
These have springtime written all over them! They look delish. Yum!
Love your addition of quinoa!
I’m always looking for things to do with quinoa too. Genius!
I have been looking for other ways to use my quinoa. These look awesome. Can’t wait to try them!
Can’t wait to make these!
Love this idea!
These are adorable!
I can’t wait to try them out!
These are adorable and look delicious! I’m thinking these would be great on a salad.
these look absolutely fab! love recipes that make tons of leftovers… especially when you can grab and go from the fridge!
i can’t wait to try these. also have been looking for another way to have my quinoa! may be a new staple!
These are so cute and look SO easy to make! I just tried quinoa for the first time and loved it, but haven’t used it again since then. I think it needs to make its way back into my kitchen :-) Thanks for the recipe!
Those look so good. What a unique recipe. Thanks
How long would you add to the cooking time if you were to make them in a regular muffin cup. I think I could control the portion size better by eating 1 large one instead of 50 million mini ones ;)
I can’t wait to try these!!
These look great! Isn’t it funny how if you turn the food into a cup or a bite our guys suddenly love them? cute!
I’ve never had quinoa and actually just bought some and I’m going to make these for our breakfast on Sunday. They look sooo good!!
This is the second post I’ve seen today with baked quinoa..love it! I’m all about the crunch factor when it’s baked. :)
Girl you are always killing it in the kitchen!!!!
These looks amazing & they are gluten-free! A perfect snack or packed lunch option for those of us who still brown-bag it! :)
Wow they look fab! I’m always looking for new ideas – I’ve never thought of using quinoa that way. You know what I’m doing this weekend….
This looks like the perfect thing for me to make on Sundays for my guy to snack on all week long. Great idea!
These look awesome!!!I love having food that looks just as good as it tastes. I’ve done a similar version using grits but I will defintely have to give quinoa a try!
Silly question…what kind of ham did you use? Deli meat ham?
These look delicious!!
what a great recipe. These look delish!
I will definitely try these! Thanks for posting a gf recipe- I am always looking for new ideas on what to make :)
These look GREAT. Could you:
1. freeze them?
2. make them in a regular sized muffin pan?
These look fantastic! They actually remind me a lot of a little breakfast quiche recipe I shared a little while back on my blog. (if you make them feel free to drop the offending ‘quiche’ description when serving ;) )
http://youngalumni.squarespace.com/young-alumni/2011/8/19/and-i-recall-in-spring-the-perfume-that-the-air-would-bring.html
they’re super easy and make a good ‘to-go’ breakfast for the week. I will definitely be trying these little guys out in the next few weeks, quiona is such an amazing grain.
thanks!
[…] Mini Ham&Cheese Quinoa Cups, Iowa Girl Eats […]
These look DELICIOUS! Just pinned the recipe and plan to make them ASAP [as in this week] :D
I made these this morning, and they were great! If you do make other variations, would you please post them? They are cooled and packed up in the freezer for quick breakfasts in the coming week.
I just made half a batch of these using ham with leftover roasted cauliflower and asparagus I had in the fridge. Delicious! I will make these again.
These look really yummy. I am a new reader of your blog, and truly enjoy all of your posts. I really love it when you show us your meals/what you take to work, etc. Thanks! Keep up the great work!
These look so adorable! These would be great for a brunch or to take on a road trip. Yum!
I made these this morning and I’m going to try to freeze the rest for breakfast to bring to work.
I used Canadian bacon because the price was better and I didn’t want to have a bunch of leftover ham. Followed the rest of the recipe. They tasted great!
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i made these with chicken sausage instead of ham and they were so so so good. thanks for sharing!
Making them tonight! Our mixture didn’t look as liquidy as the picture, but I’m excited to see how they turn out. Can’t wait! We’ve been looking for more good stuff to make with quinoa. Your link the the quinoa mac & cheese was dynamite! (we’re eating the quinoa cups as a side to soup – rather than corn muffins)
My family loved them! We are excited to try your soup next. We did soak the Quinoa before we cooked it, it helps aid in digestion and to absorb the nutrients. http://gnowfglins.com/2009/07/06/grain-cooking-chart/
glad to know you made this recipe after soaking! I soaked some quinoa for the first time and wanted to try it out on the kids and I was wondering if it would work in this recipe:)Thanks for posting results, going to make this right now!
I just made this tonight and it was fabulous! I can’t wait to sub in other veggies as well. I will add it to pizza and omelets as my “recipes to use up produce”
I actually cooked these and used shrimp instead of ham and they were awesome!!
[…] Ham & Cheese Quinoa Cups. I saw this recipe from Iowa Girl Eats and about fell out of my seat! This is a GREAT idea for something to make at […]
These look really tasty. I have a bit if a dumb question. One of your photos shows all of your ingredients before you mix them together. I see eggs, parsley, cheese, ham, zucchini, something white. It’s the white powder I can’t make out. It looks like salt but that would a a lot of salt so I’m sure that’s not what it is. Is it powdered egg whites?
Parmesan cheese. :)
Is the Parmesan powdered Parmesan?
I have used both – powdered and fresh grated!
Omigosh! I found this, and you, through someone else’s “Pin”. Just made them tonight and love them. Thanks.
I made these tonight for the fam. I made them in a regular sized muffin tin & baked them for about 25 minutes. My six-year-old is taking one in her lunch tomorrow. Success!
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!