Parmesan Asparagus Quinoa Quiche Muffins
Quiche muffins made with protein-packed quinoa, Parmesan cheese, and asparagus are delicious, fluffy egg muffins. These crustless quiche muffins are delicious for any holiday brunch or even breakfast or lunch on the go. They’re gluten-free, vegetarian, they freeze well, and they’re a Weight Watcher’s friendly breakfast, coming in at just 2 Smart Points per muffin!
Protein Packed Crustless Quiche Muffins
There is so much to love about this easy breakfast muffin recipe, I’m not exactly sure where to start. Truthfully, the phrase “healthy WOW!” comes to mind first. And the fact that they’re gluten-free and meatless makes crustless quiche muffins a brilliant option during this time of Lent.
One of my favorite brunch recipes is quiche, and asparagus is my hands-down favorite vegetable. A few years ago, I created a recipe for asparagus-leek quiche with a puff pastry crust that is out of this world good, but the crust makes it higher in carbs and much less healthy than today’s recipe. One of my blogging friends, Brianne, from Cupcakes and Kale Chips, is a gluten-free recipe blogger. She has a recipe for gluten-free egg muffin cups with broccoli, ham, and cheese. Her recipe inspired me to come up with my own version of a gluten-free quiche muffin.
Weight Watcher’s Friendly!
The quiche muffins are packed full of healthy ingredients like protein-packed quinoa, asparagus, and eggs. They’re Weight Watcher’s friendly, coming in at just 2 Smart Points per muffin. Seriously! The Freestyle program allows us to enjoy eggs without counting any points for it, and hello CHEESE, I love you. Parmesan cheese is lower in fat than softer cheeses, meaning it’s lower in Smart Points, too. It also helps that I only use 1/4 cup of cheese for the entire recipe.
FOOD FACTS – Quinoa:
Although it’s commonly called a grain, Quinoa (pronounced “keen-whah”) is actually a seed that was discovered thousands of years ago. It’s protein-packed, containing every amino acid, including lysine, which promotes healthy tissue growth throughout the body. Quinoa is also a good source of iron, magnesium, vitamin E, potassium, and fiber.
Crustless Quiche Muffins RECIPE NOTES:
When you get to the recipe, you’ll see that I use unsweetened almond milk in the quiche mixture. It’s because I have a lactose intolerance to some dairy products. You can use any type of milk that you like, though.
Because I like a little kick with my eggs, there’s also a tiny bit of red pepper flakes in the quiche mixture. If you are not a fan of red pepper, feel free to leave it out when you make them.
Another peppery kick in the muffins comes from the cheese that I used. I called it Parmesan earlier, and it is… to a certain degree. It’s actually a Parmesan blend. The variety of cheese is called Black Pepper BellaVitano®. It’s a very creamy, nutty artisan cheese, made in my home state of Wisconsin! It’s available in larger grocery stores nationwide, or you can get it from the brand’s online shop.
To get the easy quiche muffins recipe, keep scrolling down… a printable recipe is at the bottom of this post!
If you make the breakfast muffins, will you please come back and leave a comment and a recipe rating? Reading your comments helps me to know what you like and don’t like about my recipes, and you’ll be helping other readers who haven’t tried the recipe yet. Thanks so much!
Peppered Parmesan Asparagus Quinoa Quiche Muffins
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 8 spears fresh asparagus
- 4 ounces Parmesan cheese freshly grated
Instructions
- Set oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lightly coat wells of the muffin pan with non-stick spray.
- Crack eggs into a medium sized mixing bowl. Add almond milk, red pepper flakes (if using), and salt. Whisk until eggs are beaten completely. Add cooked quinoa and whisk to combine.
- Clean asparagus spears. Trim and discard the woody ends and chop the spears into 1/4-inch pieces. Divide the pieces evenly throughout the wells of the muffin tin. Divide freshly grated cheese evenly throughout the wells. Note: For best flavor and melting ability, please use freshly grated cheese and not prepared grated cheese.
- Pour egg mixture evenly into muffin pan, filling each well almost to the top.
- Place pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20-23 minutes, or until mixture is set.
- Remove pan from oven and allow quiche muffins to cool in pan for 2-3 minutes before removing.
- If desired, sprinkle each muffin with more grated cheese before serving.
- Wrap and refrigerate any leftover muffins for up to 4 days, or follow notes below for freezing to reheat and eat later.
Notes
- Any variety of milk can be used in place of the almond milk.
- To freeze and thaw to eat later, individually wrap cooled muffins in plastic wrap, then store in zip top freezer bags. When ready to use, wrap thawed muffins lightly in paper toweling and microwave on medium-high power for 90 seconds.
Nutrition
Becca,
Asparagus screams Spring to me–these quiche muffins sound like a tasty way to celebrate the season.
Now I’m going to find Black Pepper Parmesan cheese because that sounds delicious!
Thanks!
These look so yummy!! I’m definitely giving this recipe a go. Thanks for sharing!!
Becca these are so inviting I’d need to make a double batch!
Thanks so much, Cindy! Making a double batch of the quinoa quiche muffins is a great idea, by the way. They freeze well and you’ll have them ready for when the hunger for them strikes you. 🙂
These Parmesan Asparagus Quinoa Quiche Muffins (I still say “say that 5 times fast!) sound both delicious and healthy, win-win! Thanks for joining me for #EasterWeek!
What a great start to the day!