Mini Ham and Cheese Quinoa Cups are a poppable, protein-packed gluten free breakfast or snack recipe. Filling, flavorful, and a hit with both kids and adults!
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.
These 2-bite delights combine whole eggs, egg whites, cooked quinoa, shredded zucchini, cheddar cheese, and diced ham in a perfectly poppable package that contains 3 grams of protein 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.
Did I mention they’re SO DANG CUTE?!
Watch How to Make Them!
Protein-Packed Quinoa Bites
Best of all, these protein-packed quinoa bites are super versatile. Try these other varieties!
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 the 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!
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 Protein-Packed Breakfast Recipes
- Gluten Free Breakfast Bombs
- Mini Egg Bites
- High Protein Overnight Oats
- Gluten Free Breakfast Casserole
- Make-Ahead Breakfast Bowls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked quinoa, ~about 3/4 cup uncooked
- 2 large 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 grated parmesan cheese
- 2 green onions, chopped
- salt and pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl then mix to combine. Liberally spray a mini muffin tin with nonstick spray then scoop the quinoa 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 5 minutes before removing from the muffin tin and transferring to a cooling rack to cool.
Notes
- 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!)
- 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.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
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!
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)
i made these with chicken sausage instead of ham and they were so so so good. thanks for sharing!
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!
These look so adorable! These would be great for a brunch or to take on a road trip. Yum!
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!
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.
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.
These look DELICIOUS! Just pinned the recipe and plan to make them ASAP [as in this week] :D
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 ;) )
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!
These look GREAT. Could you:
1. freeze them?
2. make them in a regular sized muffin pan?
I will definitely try these! Thanks for posting a gf recipe- I am always looking for new ideas on what to make :)
what a great recipe. These look delish!