The Great American Cook In! Meal Prep with Egg and Hash Brown Cups

Sponsored by ConAgra Foods

I know that picking up food or ordering takeout can be quick and easy, but it leaves you eating unhealthy food. You typically do not know all of the ingredients in your meal, and you end up spending more money. A lot of times when we don’t plan ahead, we end up making unhealthy choices, because they are more convenient.

I am completely obsessed with meal planning. If you follow my Snapchat (fromscratchMP), you will see that whenever I have busy days out of the house, I always make food to bring with me. I also love to plan as many meals ahead of time as I can, especially breakfast. Every mom will tell you that morning time feels like the craziest time of the day. I agree, and I only have one kid! I don’t know how the moms with multiple kids do it! They deserve tiaras, monthly vacations, or something equally as wonderful.

In an effort to inspire others to eat well, save time, save money, and spend time together, ConAgra is hosting the #GreatAmericanCookIn Challenge! They want to encourage you to cook every meal at home for one week in the month of May. Trust me, you can do it! Once you start meal planning, you will see how much time and money it saves, and you won’t want to go back to getting takeout.

In an effort to save time in the morning, I created a recipe that you can make ahead of time and enjoy throughout the week. Egg and Hash Brown Breakfast Cups are a perfect little package of everything you want out of breakfast: eggs, bacon, cheese, hash browns, and veggies. You can also add or remove anything you like or don’t like and make this recipe your own.

This recipe starts out with a nest of hash browns tossed with cheese and baked in the oven using a muffin tin. This creates a little cup that you can fill with eggs and all the goodies you like. The secret to making sure these little guys come out of the muffin tin is to use PAM cooking spray. Spraying the tins with PAM before filling them with the cheesy hash browns will help them to be removed easily after cooking.

I also fill them with Egg Beaters, bacon, and veggies. Egg Beaters also help you save time since you don’t need to crack a bunch of eggs! I used spinach and tomatoes for these, but you can use any veggies you like. I usually cook up extra veggies when I am making lunch or dinner, and store them in the fridge. This way, they are ready in the morning without much effort.

This recipe will make 12 Egg and Hash Brown Breakfast Cups. Store them in the fridge after they have cooled, and reheat them the next morning. These can also be frozen!

Chef Catherine De Orio is the spokeswomen for the campaign, and she has a bunch of recipes to inspire you and help you with your Great American Cook In challenge. Find more tools for success at Forkful.com, including a guide to planning meals ahead of time, grocery shopping tips, recipes, and more. Don’t forget to pledge to participate in this one-week challenge by using hashtag #GreatAmericanCookIn on Twitter or Instagram!

Visit Forkful.com for your guide to the #GreatAmericanCookIn, including tips, tricks, and delicious new recipes.

The Great American Cook In! Meal Prep with Egg and Hash Brown Cups

Recipe Type

:

Breakfast

Author:

Maria Provenzano

Ingredients

• Hash Brown Cups:

• 1 16oz bag frozen hash browns; thawed

• ½ cup Parmesan cheese

• ½ cup Egg Beaters; or the equivalent of 2 eggs

• PAM Cooking Spray

• Filling:

• 2 cups, or 1 container, Egg Beaters

• ¼ cup milk

• salt/pepper

• Toppings such as: cooked bacon, tomatoes, spinach

• Fresh herbs; optional

Instructions

1. *Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. *In a large bowl, combine the hash browns, cheese, and eggs together

3. *Spray a regular size muffin tin (12 muffins) with PAM Cooking Spray, so that it is evenly coated; this will help the cups to easily be removed from the muffins tins after baking

4. *Distribute the hash browns evenly throughout the 12 muffin cups, and use your hands to press the hash browns around the tin to form a cup

5. *Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until set up and beginning to lightly brown

6. *Allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes

7. *Measure out the milk and Egg Beaters; it helps to mix them together in a large measuring cup meant for wet ingredients, because it will easily pour into the muffin tins

8. *Whisk together the milk and eggs, and add in a little salt and pepper

9. *Distribute the egg mixture evenly throughout the muffin cups filled with baked hash browns

10. *Add in any extra toppings that you like; bacon, tomatoes, spinach, etc

11. *Bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until the center is set

12. *Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing the Egg Cups from the muffin tins

13. *Sprinkle with freshly chopped herbs, and serve with ketchup, hot sauce, or anything you like!!