Wish you had a quick, hot, nourishing breakfast option on these cold winter mornings? I think I’ve got your answer with these easy to prepare and bake Spinach Egg Bites. I’ve been looking for something to jazz up my boring breakfast routine and was thrilled to discover this recipe. On a recent trip to Sarasota, an old friend was intrigued by this nutrient-dense and protein packed recipe and enthusiastically shopped, prepped and baked it with me. He’s excited to add it to his own repertoire which is proof positive that you can teach an old dog a healthy new trick!

It’s pretty much a “one-bowl” mix of all the ingredients. The hardest part is how cold your hands get squeezing the water out of thawed frozen spinach.

It’s as easy as it looks. Scoop the mix into pre-oiled cupcake molds (I used bite-sized instead of cupcake-sized) and then just bake. The smaller ones will cook a bit faster than the larger ones so you need to keep a sharp watch on them.

These little guys are ready when they get brown around the edges and bounce back when you press your finger into them. It’s less than an hour from the start to the warm and tasty finish!

I love the ease and flexibility of this recipe. You can swap in different kinds of cheese, try another type of onion or shallots, or use a gluten-free flower. Every way I try it, it comes out great. Give it a whirl and put your own special spin on it!

Spinach Egg Bites

Prep Time: 20 minutes; Bake Time: 25 minutes; Yield: 12 (Muffin Pan); 24-30 (Mini-muffin pan)

Ingredients

Olive oil, for greasing

2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed

4 scallions, thinly sliced crosswise

6 large eggs

2 cups (16 ounces) cottage cheese

¼ cup grated Parmesan

Pinch of ground nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

The Recipe

Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 375 degrees. Generously grease a 12-cup muffin tin with olive oil and place on a sheet pan. (Use a min-muffin tin for a bite-sized result)
With clean hands, squeeze the spinach over the sink to remove as much water as possible. Drain well and add to a large bowl, along with the scallions, eggs, cottage cheese, Parmesan and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper. Stir until well combined. Add the flour and baking powder, and stir just until incorporated.
Fill the muffin tin with the spinach mixture — ⅓ cup each — and bake until set, 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely before running a sharp paring knife around the edges of each cup to help release the bites. (Alternatively, you could use a silicon muffin mold.)
These egg bites stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, just microwave them for 10 seconds at a time until warmed through.

Note: Adapted from a recipe by Eric Kim published in the NY Times Food Section (1/14/26). I made one delicious batch with light cottage cheese and gluten-free flour. Also, the microwave “Defrost” setting can thaw the frozen, chopped spinach in less than 10 minutes.