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.
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 :-D Tasty. A very nice and versatile side.
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.
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!
They look delicious…and adorable!
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. ;) Can I just use 3 whole eggs?
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.
Don’t worry about the cholesterol in egg yolks – they are very healthy & cholesterol is not the villain it has been made out to be.
Did you try these with the 3 eggs Erica? I’d be interested in using 3 eggs instead of the egg whites as well. Thanks
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!
Just took my “little guys” out of the oven. Perfection!
I just made these for lunch (and will freeze for later as well). Wow-so good! Thanks for the recipe.
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!
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!
Omigosh! I found this, and you, through someone else’s “Pin”. Just made them tonight and love them. Thanks.
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!
I actually cooked these and used shrimp instead of ham and they were awesome!!
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”