If you thought GCS was just about BBQ, think again!

Breakfast is one of my favorite meals, but weekday mornings can be hectic. My wife and I love anything that can be made ahead of time to grab on-the-go. Egg muffins are one of our favorite weekday breakfast options. They’re easy to prep, easy to make, and you can fill them with just about anything.

Today we went with our South Texas Egg Muffins. Packed full of crispy bacon and hash browns, tender peppers and onions, and melted cheese, these egg muffins can be made the night before and reheated in the morning. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 11-12 eggs
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• ½ cup shredded cheese
• ½ cup diced bell peppers and onions
• ½ cup cooked hash browns
• ½ cup diced, cooked bacon
• Salt and pepper 
• 12 count muffin tin
• Non-stick cooking spray

The Ingredients:

As mentioned before, egg muffins can be filled with pretty much anything, much like an omelet. One thing that makes these so easy and convenient is all the ingredients can be prepped ahead of time. These egg muffins require ½ cups combined red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and white onion. This was about ¼ of each ingredient diced. Since you don’t need the whole bell peppers or onion, you can dice all of it at once and save the rest for later or use the remaining ingredients in another breakfast or dinner recipe later that week. Some stores even offer pre-diced containers of peppers and onions that would be perfect for this.  

Next is the bacon and hash browns. I used 3 slices of thick bacon, or ½ cup, diced and cooked until crispy. I also precooked ½ cup of hash browns. These can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to use. 

To top these off, I used a combination of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, shredded. You can use any type of cheese you want but I like the combination of the two for the Southwest flare.

Now for the main ingredient: eggs! I used 11 eggs in this recipe. You may need more or less depending on the amount of ingredients you add on. Simply put, the more ingredients you want packed into these muffins, the less egg you will need. The less ingredients you want, the more egg you need. But don’t panic! I initially started with 9 eggs, expecting to pack these full of flavor, but my kids decided last minute they wanted theirs without the peppers and onions. This resulted in four muffins having less filling and requiring more egg. This was a simple fix, though! I simply cracked a few more eggs, whisked them up, and poured them on top. It can’t get any less stressful than that!

The Process:

Crack the eggs into a medium sized bowl or a large measuring cup. Add 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and season with salt and pepper. Whisk the eggs until they look light and fluffy.

Spray a 12-count muffin tin with some non-stick spray. Another great option is to use the reserved bacon fat to brush into the muffin pan to keep the muffins from sticking. Layer the ingredients into each cup of the muffin tin. I prefer to do it this way rather than mix all the ingredients in with the eggs because it ensures you have an even amount of ingredients and eggs in each muffing. Once you’ve distributed the bacon, hash browns, cheese, peppers and onions in each cup, pour the egg mixture evenly into each cup. You don’t want to fill it all the way to the brim, but you do want it mostly full. As mentioned before, you can always whisk up another egg if it seems there’s not enough to fill each cup. Take a spoon or knife and give the muffins a little stir to make sure the eggs and other ingredients are distributed evenly.

Bake the egg muffins at 350°F for 20 minutes. Use a butter knife or small spatula to remove them from the pan. Eat them right away or refrigerate them for an easy grab-and-go breakfast throughout the week. Don’t forget to top these South Texas Egg Muffins with some fresh Texas salsa and maybe a couple slices of avocado!