Green Eggs No Ham with the Instant Pot for #MuffinMonday

Egg bites flavored with parmesan cheese and peppers, brightly colored thanks to fresh spinach. These vegetarian snacks pack a protein punch--straight from the Instant Pot!

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Green Eggs No Ham! Use the electric pressure cooker to make these colorful tasty protein bites any time of year--not just for Dr Seuss' birthday breakfast!


I like to offer recipes for a variety of eaters, so after I developed my Sous Vide Sausage Egg Bites I was thinking about vegetarian options. I tried a couple of recipes and methods before settling on this one. First I used mozzarella, and then feta, but I wanted a stronger flavor so I ended up with parmesan.

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The key is to finely and fully pulverize the spinach. If you have larger pieces of spinach they will rise to the top of the mold (which is the bottom of the bite on the plate), giving you a decidedly vegetal finish to your egg bite. I suggest using less spinach and blending a bit longer for success.

For more recipes using spinach, please see my Spinach Recipes Collection. It's part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient, a resource for folks like me eating from the farm share, the farmer's market, the garden, the neighbor's garden, and great deals on ugly produce at the grocery store.

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Recipe Notes:
Be sure to fully blend the spinach into the egg mixture. Any large pieces of spinach will float up to the top of the mold (which becomes the bottom when you flip them over). If the parmesan is too strong a flavor for you, try substituting crumbled feta in the same amount. Don't skip spraying the mold--the egg bites stick anyway (as shown)--and it's worse if you forget to spray with cooking oil or nonstick spray. Ask me how I know.

Egg Bites with Spinach and Parm
By Kirsten Madaus

Egg bites flavored with parmesan cheese and peppers, brightly colored thanks to fresh spinach. These vegetarian snacks pack a protein punch--straight from the Instant Pot! (Total time includes time for pot to come up to pressure and time for natural pressure release.)

Prep time: 00:05
Cook time: 00:08
Total time: 00:30

Yield: 7 egg bites
Ingredients:
4 large eggs
salt and pepper (enough for 4 eggs)
2-3 Tablespoons cottage cheese
¼ cup chopped bell pepper
½ cup chopped spinach
½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon chopped onion (optional)
cooking spray
1 cup water
Instructions:

In a 4 cup liquid measuring cup (for easier pouring) or medium bowl, combine eggs and seasonings. I like to use about ½ teaspoon of salt and ⅛ teaspoon of pepper, but you do you.

Add in cheese and vegetables.

Blend well with an immersion blender until all of the spinach is fully incorporated.

Spray a silicone egg mold (Amazon affiliate link), or up to 5 half pint canning jars, with cooking spray.

Pour egg mixture into prepared mold.

Cover mold with a piece of paper towel and then with a piece of foil. Crimp around the edges of the mold.

Put the mold onto the rack and lower into the Instant Pot.

Lock lid in place and turn the valve to Sealing.

Push the Steam button and set timer for 8 minutes. The pot will beep once when it comes to pressure and then the timer will start to count down.

Once the time is up the pot will beep 10 times. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then carefully turn the release valve to Venting.

Remove the foil and paper towel from the mold. Run a plastic knife around the edge of each egg bite to loosen from the mold.

Place a plate upside down over the mold, grab the mold and plate, and flip the plate right side up. Gently tap the mold onto the plate to release the egg bites.

Serve immediately or cool completely before storing in the fridge. These will keep refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to a month, although they are a bit watery when you thaw so I don't recommend freezing them.

I was standing up in front of a dozen students when I got the idea to share this recipe. If you think it's easy to have half of your brain lighting up with an idea while the other half of your brain is supposed to keep on talking about Pot in Pot Cooking in the Instant Pot, well, your brain is more flexible than mine. I admit I went off on a tangent for a bit before bringing it back around to the topic at hand.


The point is, though, that these silicone molds can be used for many things--egg bites, meatloaf bites, mashed potato bites, and yes, even muffins. So I'm glad to join the Muffin Monday crew for this Rogue Muffin Monday Recipe.


#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

• Green Eggs No Ham (Egg Bites with Spinach and Parmesan) from Farm Fresh Feasts
• Individual Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Mac and Cheese Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Mini Cheesecakes from Making Miracles
• Mini Pumpkin Pies from Palatable Pastime
• Tiny Taco Bites from Food Lust People Love