Cheesy Ham and Broccoli Quinoa Bites
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked quinoa, chilled or at room temperature (I prefer to cook quinoa in low-sodium chicken broth for added flavor)
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 8 ounces deli or leftover cooked ham, chopped fine (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1-2 cups finely chopped steamed broccoli (see note)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, stir together all the ingredients except the cheese until combined. Stir in the cheese until well-distributed. Lightly grease a mini muffin cup tin. Scoop the quinoa mixture into the tin, filling the cups all the way to the top and lightly pressing to pack the mixture a bit. I found it helpful to use my cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoon size) to scoop the mixture into the tin.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden on top. Remove from the tin and repeat with the remaining mixture (you can scoop it into the warm tin and bake again). Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Broccoli: I like lightly steamed broccoli here versus raw. I throw my broccoli florets into a glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 3-4 minutes.
Vegetables: if you don't have broccoli, try subbing in zucchini, carrots or a myriad of other veggies.
Ham: good quality ham is key here - I really like the Hormel Natural Choice ham or leftover baked ham.
Muffin Tin: while this recipe is written for a mini muffin tin, you could just as easily use a standard size muffin tin, increasing the baking time until they are heated through.
Quinoa: if you are cooking your quinoa in water, you will probably want to increase the salt in the recipe a bit.