Eight ingredients, thirty-seven minutes, and a twelve-cup muffin tin. There is no pastry here — no case, no crust, nothing but egg and its fillings.
The feta is divided. Most of it goes into the cups under the egg and the rest goes on top, which is why the finished muffins show white crumbles on their surfaces as well as through them.
Why This Recipe Works
- A quarter cup of milk in ten eggs keeps the set tender rather than rubbery.
- Putting the fillings in first and pouring the egg over distributes them evenly without stirring.
- Feta held back for the top browns slightly and stays visible.
- 375 degrees for the full twenty-two minutes browns the tops rather than merely setting them.
- Five minutes of cooling lets the muffins firm enough to lift out whole.
Ingredient Notes
- Ten large eggs
- With a quarter cup of milk. That is a small amount of liquid for ten eggs and it is what keeps the set soft without making them watery.
- Feta, divided
- Three quarters of a cup: most into the cups and the rest scattered on top before baking. The top crumbles are visible in the finished muffins.
- Baby spinach
- Two cups, chopped and raw. It collapses in the oven into the dark green running through each set muffin.
- No pastry
- There is no crust and no case in this recipe. The muffin is egg all the way to the tin.
How to Make It
Grease a twelve-cup tin
Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
Whisk the egg mixture
Whisk eggs, milk, salt, and pepper.
Fillings first, egg over
Divide spinach, most of the feta, and scallions among the cups. Pour egg mixture over the fillings.
Feta on top, bake to 160F
Top with remaining feta and bake 18 to 22 minutes until deeply golden, set throughout, and the centers reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cool five minutes before lifting
Cool 5 minutes before removing from the pan.
160F, Not 165F
Poultry is 165F and ground meat is 160F. An egg dish is its own case, and the figure is lower than the one a casserole takes - which is why it is worth stating rather than assuming.
- Ten eggs, and very little else10 large eggs whisked with 1/4 cup of milk, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. A quarter cup of liquid across ten eggs is deliberately little: more would make the set watery and less would make it rubbery.
- Fillings in first, egg poured over2 cups of chopped baby spinach, MOST of 3/4 cup crumbled feta and 2 sliced scallions divided among a greased 12-cup tin, then the egg poured over them. Layered rather than stirred through, so every cup gets the same share without the mixture being beaten again.
- The rest of the feta, on topThe reserved feta scattered over before the tin goes in. It browns slightly in the oven, which is why the finished muffins show white crumbles on the surface as well as through the egg.
Check before you continue
160F — Instant-read thermometer, into the centre of a muffin
EGG DISHES are safe at 160F - five degrees below the 165F a casserole or any poultry takes, and it is a different standard rather than a rounding of the same one. The recipe asks for three things together at 18 to 22 minutes: DEEPLY GOLDEN, set throughout, and 160F. The first is how they should look and the last is what makes them safe; an egg muffin can be set and pale, and pale is not the finished dish.
- Five minutes in the tinCooled before they are lifted out. There is no pastry case here to hold them together - the muffin is egg all the way to the metal - so they need those minutes to firm enough to come out whole.
- And no claim attachedThese are spinach feta egg muffins, and nothing further is claimed about them - no nutrition figures are given.
Success Tips
- Grease the tin properly; there is no pastry case to lift them out by.
- Bake to deeply golden rather than stopping at just set.
- Give them five minutes in the tin before you try to remove them.
Serving Ideas
Twelve egg muffins, stacked on a white plate, each deeply golden with dark green spinach running through the set yellow egg and crumbled feta browned on top.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why 160 degrees rather than 165?
Egg dishes carry a 160 degree Fahrenheit standard, which is lower than the 165 a casserole takes. These are baked to that and fully set.
Is there a pastry base?
No. There is no crust and no case anywhere in this recipe — the muffins are egg and fillings straight into a greased tin.
Mine came out pale. Are they done?
They may be set without being browned. The finished muffins are deeply golden, which is the far end of the eighteen-to-twenty-two-minute window.
