I have to admit, I think I’m slightly behind the eight ball on this one. About 3 years ago, Pinterest was loaded with ideas for crustless mini quiches and everyone was going crazy about how delicious and low card they are. Of course this was back when a lot of different types of food intimidated me and I falsely believed things like mini quiches were difficult to do. I have to admit, I could not have been more wrong about these, they are easy, delicious and totally worth doing. That’s why I’m sharing these Spicy Italian Mini Quiches as an idea for Christmas Breakfast!
Honestly, whether you have a nice sit down, brunch style breakfast on Christmas morning, or you just plop down on the couch for a few minutes opening presents before getting ready for the day, these are pretty perfect. They’re a super fast grab and go breakfast, but they can also be a beautiful and delicious part of a large brunch spread. Like I always say, it’s your world baby, I’m just here to lend help, ideas and guidance when needed.
So, there’s two reasons why this recipe was something I wanted to try. First, have you guys had the Starbucks egg bites? If you haven’t, they’re these massively overpriced (shocking I know) tiny egg pieces with filling in them that people pay 5 dollars for so they can avoid carbs at Starbucks. As a person who swings back and forth on whether or not I should cut carbs to lose weight, or eat them and learn to just accept myself, I have definitely paid for these.
You know when you get something and it’s super expensive and you’re mad because it’s not worth it? That’s how I feel about those. So I had thought about trying to make them and then when I accidentally made the mini quiches with the Savory Pumpkin Quiche leftovers, I realized how strikingly similar mini quiches are to the egg bites. But they’re literally just better!
I truly think that one of the best things you can do for yourself is just try to cook at home as often as possible. It’s amazing for your health and your wallet. You don’t have to do it all at once, one day at a time. Just take little things you spend money on, and learn to make it yourself! You won’t always have time and that’s fine, but it feels awesome when you do.
Lots of Love,
Jackie
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small white onion, diced finely
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 8 oz package tempeh
- 2 tsp fennel seed
- 2 tbsp italian seasoning
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp marinara sauce or plain tomato sauce
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 2 tsp rubbed sage
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp high heat cooking oil (see notes)
- 1 tbsp tamari
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ cup hot cherry peppers or giardianara
- ¼ cup almond milk
- 12 eggs, whisked
- fresh basil (optional)
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese* (optional)
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large, preferably cast iron, skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 3 minutes until the onions are translucent.
- Add the tempeh to the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to get it broken up. Add the saute'd onions and garlic, fennel seed, Italian seasoning, nutritional yeast, marinara sauce, white pepper, rubbed sage and sea salt and pulse until smooth.
- Add the high heat cooking oil to the same skillet where you saute'd the onions and garlic. Transfer the tempeh mixture into a large bowl and oil your hand. Using you hand, school the mixture out about a ⅓ cup at a time and flatten it into patties. Drop the patties into the oil and cook until they're browned on both sides, about 5-7 minutes on each side.
- Once the patties are browned on both sides, they will have hardened slightly, start breaking off corners of each patty with your spatula and continue breaking it up until it forms a crumbled texture in the pan. Add the soy sauce or tamari and dijon mustard to the mixture and continue stirring and breaking it up with the spatula. Cook for about 5 more minutes until the soy sauce has evaporated and the tempeh should be a dark color and resemble either ground meat or crumbled sausage pieces.
- Transfer the sausage to a bowl and add in the cherry tomatoes and giardianara or hot cherry peppers and toss to slightly combine.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and almond milk and some pieces of fresh basil and grated parmesan cheese if you're using that.
- Grease a muffin tin with oil, butter or spray. Add the tempeh, tomatoes and peppers mixture into each muffin cup, 1-2 tablespoons in each depending on how stuffed you want the quiches to be. Then pour the egg mixture over the top into each muffin cup filling almost to the top.
- Carefully (so as not to spill any eggs) transfer the muffin pan to the oven and baking for 25 minutes. To tell if their cooked, you can poke the tops and they should bounce back at you and not be liquid. Serve right away or they'll keep in your fridge for a week and are reheated very easily.
