Learn How to Make the Base Recipe
These Mediterranean quinoa egg bites are a flavorful twist on our egg bites base recipe. Protein-packed quinoa, tangy feta, roasted red peppers, and fresh basil come together with creamy eggs and cheese for a nutritious, grab-and-go breakfast or snack. With just the right balance of richness and freshness, these bites are both satisfying and portable!
Must-Know Cooking Skills to Level Up your Kitchen Game
To make this recipe even easier, check out these videos to learn how to:
Learn how to slice and dice like a pro in our Knife Skills 101 course!
Culinary Tips for the Best Quinoa Egg Bites
- Blend until smooth: Blending the eggs with cottage cheese makes the bites creamy and fluffy, similar to sous vide-style bites.
- Use silicone: You can use a regular metal muffin pan, but the egg bites will stick. Use a silicone muffin pan, and they will pop right out!
- Don’t skip the cornstarch: Cornstarch lightly binds water and proteins, giving egg cups a more tender, custardy texture rather than a spongy one. It helps prevent the eggs from becoming rubbery if they’re slightly overbaked.
- Don’t overbake: Pull them from the oven when just set—overbaking makes them rubbery.
- Water bath optional, but worth it: Adding a baking dish with water helps create a moist cooking environment for extra-tender egg bites. Without it, you won’t get a creamy texture.
Ingredient Swaps & Substitutions
- Cottage Cheese: Can be swapped with ricotta though texture will vary.
- Mozzarella Cheese: Any melty cheese works—try Swiss, fontina, or pepper jack for a kick.
- Feta Cheese Crumbles: Substitute goat cheese crumbles for a similar strong salty taste.
- Granulated Garlic: Substitute 1 teaspoon fresh minced garlic. We were just trying to cut down on prep.
- Roasted Red Bell Pepper: Substitute fresh if you don’t feel like roasting it!
- Quinoa: Substitute any cooked whole grain, like brown rice or farro. You can also leave it out.
- Basil: Substitute other Mediterranean fresh herbs like Italian parsley, oregano, or thyme.
Recipe Variations
Add roasted zucchini, eggplant, or sun-dried tomatoes in addition to the peppers for more veggie power, or experiment with additional spices and/or herbs!
Looking for some egg bite inspiration?
Try out our base recipe, take a look at our variations, and then have fun experimenting with your favorite ingredients to YOUR Taste!
Equipment Recommendations
For recipe success, use the following tools:
- Cutting Board & Chef’s Knife – for uniform dicing when prepping veggies
- Blender – for smooth and creamy egg base
- Silicone Muffin Pan (or Silicone Cups) – prevents sticking and makes portioning easy
- Baking Sheet – to make your water bath
Check out our essential equipment guide to stock your kitchen with ALL the tools you need to prepare anything and everything!
Health Benefits of Quinoa Egg Bites
This recipe features eggs, cottage cheese, quinoa, and red bell pepper.
Eggs
There is a lot of confusion surrounding eggs. For a long time, it was recommended to limit eggs and other foods high in cholesterol, but more recent research shows that dietary cholesterol does not usually impact blood level cholesterol. Eggs do contain some saturated fat in the yolk, which does raise cholesterol levels, so be mindful of that. That said, this doesn’t mean you should just stick to egg whites. While the white is rich in protein, the yolk contains protein as well as disease-fighting phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats. Eat the whole egg for best nutrition!
Cottage Cheese
Cottage Cheese adds extra protein and calcium, plus makes egg bites creamy without heavy cream.
Quinoa
Quinoa is technically a seed, but because it is nutritionally comparable to whole grains, we group it alongside brown rice, farro, millet, etc. Quinoa is a unique plant protein source because it contains all 9 of the essential amino acids we need to get from food, making it a complete protein. (Most plant foods don’t have all 9.) Quinoa also has a higher protein-to-carbohydrate ratio compared to other grains.
Red Bell Pepper
Vegetables are a great source of fiber, phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals. Different colored vegetables provide different nutrients, so consuming a variety of colors is best. Red bell peppers are also a great source of disease-fighting phytonutrients and vitamins A & C. Together, all of these and other nutrients promote a healthy body and mind!
Explore our Ingredient Guide for more tips on choosing the freshest, most flavorful picks for your recipes. Because great ingredients = great food! 🌟🍴
Serving Suggestions
Pair egg bites with:
- Fresh fruit and whole grain toast for a balanced breakfast.
- A side salad for a light lunch.
- A smoothie for an on-the-go snack.
Storage Tips
- Refrigerator: Store cooled egg bites in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Freeze in a single layer, then transfer to a bag for up to 2 months.
- Reheat: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Then, microwave 30–60 seconds or reheat in the oven at 300°F for 8–10 minutes.
Looking for more grab and go breakfast ideas?
Try these base recipes!
Whole Wheat Muffins Base Recipe
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FAQS
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Mediterranean Quinoa Egg Bites
Ingredients
- 8 large eggs
- 1 cup cottage cheese (full fat or 2%)
- ½ cup shredded Mozzarella
- ¼ cup feta cheese crumbles
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ Tablespoon black pepper
- ¼ Tablespoon granulated garlic
- ½ cup roasted red bell peppers, diced, ¼” - ½” thick
- ½ cup cooked quinoa (cooled and fluffed)
- 2 teaspoons chopped basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F. Prepare a 12-cup muffin tin or silicone muffin cups with nonstick spray.
- Place eggs, cottage cheese, shredded cheese, cornstarch, black pepper, and granulated garlic in a blender or processor. Blend until smooth and frothy, 30–60 seconds.
- In a medium bowl, combine roasted red bell pepper, quinoa, feta cheese, and basil.
- Divide mix-ins evenly among muffin cups. Pour egg mixture over mix-ins, ~ ¼ cup per egg bite. Place muffin pan on a baking sheet. Carefully pour water into the baking sheet until it comes halfway up the muffin cups.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until set. Do not overcook. Remove from oven and let cool. Run a knife around edges to release. Enjoy!
