Ready for the easiest, but one of the prettiest brunches ever? Is there anything that you look forward to more than brunch on the weekends? I absolutely love making huge breakfasts on the weekend, and am so excited to share this recipe with you! The prep time is little to none, but the results are beautiful and tasty! Anyone you make these for will be super impressed by your presentation, and even more impressed by the taste! These egg cups are Whole30 and paleo, so invite your friends over for a delicious meal without busting your diet or your budget!
I’m sincerely not a breakfast prepper; I prefer to make each breakfast every morning so that it’s fresh and tasty. These egg cups, however, are such an exception that I definitely recommend making them in advance and then heating them up in the Air Fryer. The eggs do get a little dry, but they are still tasty and much easier than making breakfast every morning!
Since it’s not quite spring, we are still currently eating a number of winter greens an other vegetables as we are waiting for spring to give us new and delicious things. Swiss chard is a green that I didn’t really understand – and maybe still don’ t really = but I can promise at least that this recipe is delicious and filled with nutrients that you might start adding more Swiss chard to your diet.
Health Benefits of Swiss Chard
I sincerely had never cooked Swiss chard until a few months ago – I was confused about what to do with it, how it could be used, and what it might taste like. The lure of it being a great super food – having a score of 89.27 out of 100 from the CDC on “powerhouse” veggies – really is what got me to try it out.
Swiss chard is more closely related to beets and spinach than they are other leafy greens, as all of these are a part of the Chenopodioideae family. Swiss chard is a hearty vegetable that does not require rich soil or much sunlight to grow properly, yet holds potent chemical properties that make it a useful tool for an overall healthy lifestyle. Swiss Chard also contains your entire daily serving of Vitamin A and K, while only containing 35 calories per cup. Overall win, wouldn’t you say?
Image by Elaine Maz from Pixabay
Additionally, there was a study from 2012 that have concluded that eating Swiss chard can actually boost your athletic performance by improving muscle oxygenation, aka how quickly your muscles take up oxygen. Scientists speculate that the high nitrate content contributes to increased athletic performance. Although a later study published in 2015 concluded that ingesting nitrates might not have as profound of an effect on athletes, the implications how how beets and Swiss chard can improve the lives of people living with cardiovascular, metabolic, and respiratory illnesses could be life changing.
Swiss chard is an easy leafy vegetable you can add into your diet, and can almost be treated like spinach. It’s tasty with eggs (like in this recipe!), can be thrown into a salad or smoothie, can be wilted and placed in pasta sauces or pizzas… you name it! I’ll certainly be adding more Swiss chard to my diet from now on, and I hope you try out this recipe and get some more into your diet, too!
How to make Swiss Chard and Mushroom Egg Cups
You don’t need anything fancy except for a muffin tin, which easily separates each egg cup into its own portion. If you don’t have a muffin tin, you can easily just place everything in a casserole dish, although the portions will not be as easily distinguishable.
The ingredients that you will need are:
- Swiss chard
- mushrooms
- hash browns (make sure they are compliant if you are on the Whole30!)
- eggs
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- Any additional spices you might want, although these are totally delicious with just salt and pepper! I’ve also made them with cumin and turmeric for extra anti-inflammatory power.
To make the egg cups, start by preheating your oven to 350° F. Spread some olive oil on your muffin tin, or spray with olive oil spray. Press in the hash browns into each muffin tin so that they line each muffin space but do not take up the whole volume. Brush or spray the potatoes again with olive oil to promote browning. Place in the oven for about 15 minutes.
While the potatoes are cooking, chop your Swiss chard and mushrooms. Add some olive oil to a pan over medium heat and add the vegetables. Allow them to cook until the Swiss chard is melted and the mushrooms are softer. Add in your salt and pepper, and any additional seasoning you would like. Remove the cooked Swiss chard and mushrooms from the heat and set aside until the potatoes in the muffin tin are done cooking.
Remove the muffin tin with the potatoes from the oven after about 15 minutes. It’s possible they will not be totally brown and crispy, as the amount of olive oil really plays a role. I personally do not add a ton of olive oil to keep it from being too greasy, but if you’re looking for that crispiness, brush on more olive oil for sure!
After removing the potatoes from the oven, spoon some of the Swiss chard and mushroom mixture into the egg cup. Be careful not to overly fill the cups with vegetables – we still have an egg to add! I suggest adding no more than 2 tablespoons of vegetables per cup, but if you want to try to push the limits for some more veggies per serving (like I did in all my photos), go for it!
After adding in the veggies to the egg cups, carefully crack an egg over each muffin tin. If you have a lot of eggs overflow from each egg cup, remove some vegetables from each tin and just push the extra egg into the less filled cups. You can top the eggs with some additional salt and pepper if you’d like.
Place the muffin tin again in the oven for another 12-15 minutes. Remove once the eggs are cooked to your liking.
These store pretty nicely depending on how long you cook the eggs for. I was able to remove each cup and store them carefully in containers so that the yolks did not break, and heated them up in the Air Fryer all week. To reheat these egg cups in the Air Fryer, place on a wire rack and cook at 370° F for 10-12 minutes. They will last for a few days if kept in a sealed container in the fridge.
Enjoy!
Swiss Chard and Mushroom Egg Cups (Whole30, Paleo)
Equipment
- muffin tin
- Air Fryer (for optional reheating)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups hash browns (If doing the Whole30, be sure they are compliant!)
- 12 eggs
- 2 cups chopped Swiss chard
- 2 cups chopped mushrooms
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350° F.
- Spray or brush the muffin tin with olive oil. About 1/2 tbsp olive oil if you are not using a spray.
- Press the hash browns into the muffin tin to create the "shell."
- Brush the potatoes again with olive oil, and then place in the oven for about 15 minutes.
- While the potatoes are cooking, chop your mushrooms and Swiss Chard.
- Cook the Swiss chard and mushrooms over medium heat with about 1 tbsp olive oil. Add in any salt, pepper, and other spices you would like. Set aside once the vegetables are cooked.
- Once the potatoes have cooked for 15 minutes, remove them from oven and spoon in about 1-2 tbsp of the vegetable mixture, pressing it gently into the cup.
- Carefully crack an egg over each cup.
- Place egg cups back into the oven for another 12-15 minutes or until the egg whites are all cooked and opaque.
- Serve immediately! Store in the fridge in a sealed container for a few days.
Reheating instructions
- Place egg cups in the Air Fryer and cook at 370° F for about 10 minutes or until warm.