Sausage Kale Egg Cups Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 pound ground Italian sausage
• 1/2 bunch lacinato kale, ribs removed, thinly sliced
• 8 large eggs
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• OPTIONAL:
• Hot sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage. Break apart into chunks. Stir and continue to sauté until no longer pink and cooked through.
3. Add kale, cover pan, and cook until kale has wilted. Use a slotted spoon to transfer mixture to a plate. Set aside.
4. Brush sausage grease from skillet around the 12 cavities of a muffin tin. (See Cook’s Tips.) Set aside.
5. In a blender, combine eggs, cream cheese, salt, and pepper. Blend on high until smooth.
6. Sprinkle sausage-kale mixture and a little cheddar cheese into each muffin tin cavity. Distribute egg mixture evenly among the cups of the muffin tin. Add a dash or two of hot sauce to each cavity, if desired.
7. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until eggs are just set. Allow to cool in pan 5 minutes before removing.
8. Cook’s Tips:
9. Naturally non-stick, silicone, muffin tins are great for this as they will result in evenly cooked breakfast cups that release easily. Non-stick, coated, metal muffin tins will also work, though the egg cups won’t release as easily.
10. For more tender exteriors, bake in a water bath. Place muffin tin in a larger baking pan before filling with egg mixture. Fill pan with hot water until it reaches halfway up sides of muffin tin. Proceed as described in step 5.