Super cute, right? I bought a new muffin tin when I made the Mini Chicken Taco Bites, and I thought I really should get another use out of that tin. And I’m obviously not going to use it to make muffins anytime soon… Strike that – I promise I will bake more. Some day…
Anyways, I was flipping through a wedding magazine recently, and I saw a picture of some adorable wedding brunch ideas from Martha Stewart. French toast sticks with a maple rum dipping sauce, mini apple cider doughnets, and eggs in Prosciutto nests.
Being as I’m addicted to eggs and Prosciutto, you can probably guess which idea caught my eye the most. Well, this past weekend, my mom and our potential wedding photographer came over for a brunch-time meeting. Perfect time to try use my muffin tin for another savory recipe! Unfortunately, I had previously devoured all my Prosciutto and was left with run of the mill ham. Not feeling up for a run to the store and feeling bad for neglecting my good friend ham, I decided I would make ham baskets rather than Prosciutto nests. Semantics, I know. To appease my spice-loving fiance I added a couple dashes of Tabasco and some chopped jalapeno, and Spicy Eggs in Ham Baskets were a hit!
Healthy Recipe Ecstasy? Absolutely! This recipe is dairy-free, gluten-free, carb-free and great for the Paleo Diet. Ham has a lot less sodium than Prosciutto so bonus points there and rumor has it that spice can speed up your metabolism. What’s not to love? On another note, I know tailgate week(s) is over, but these would be great for a kegs and eggs tailgate! Just make them ahead of time and then warm them on the grill.
- 9 slices of ham
- 9 eggs
- 1-2 tablespoons diced jalapeno
- 1-2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
- Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Coat a muffin tin with cooking spray. Place one slice of ham in each muffin hole. Cook for five minutes. (You need to cook the ham by itself first because it needs longer in the oven to crisp and you don’t want to overcook your eggs.)
- Next, take the tin out of the oven. Crack one egg into each ham basket. Add a few dashes of tabasco on top of each egg.
- Bake for five minutes. Then, turn down the oven to 350 degrees and bake for another five minutes (with this temperature you will get nice creamy eggs that are still just a little runny -perfect!). Take the tin out when the ham is nice and crispy and the eggs are set.
- Sprinkle each egg in ham basket with salt and pepper to taste and then garnish with a few diced jalapeno. You can pick them up and eat them with your hands or, for the more civilized folks, use a knife and fork. Either way, I dare you to eat just one!
They were yummy! Can’t wait to make them! Definitely a keeper!
This is a great idea! Do you think they would turn out ok if I were to scramble my eggs instead of cracking a whole egg into each cup…..sorry, but I just can’t eat runny eggs, yuck!
Hi Daniel! I think anything involving eggs is delicious so its worth a try. You can also bake them for longer so that the eggs aren’t runny. I made them again a couple weekends ago and accidentally overcooked them and they were still good! Let me know how the scrambled eggs works out if you try that. And thanks for stopping by!
Argh! I’m at work and these are making me so hungry that I want to run home and make them now! They look so delicious.
They are pretty delicious! I hope they didn’t torture you too badly. 😉
can you use turkey slices instead to make it healthier?
Funny you should ask – last time I made this recipe I had run out of ham and had to use turkey slices. Still delicious!
I’ve been looking for some breakfasts I can prepare all in one day and just grab during the week, do you know how well these hold up in the fridge?
Hi Jen! Thanks for stopping by. I kept these ham baskets in the fridge for a few days and nuked them in the microwave for breakfast throughout the week. So yes, they hold up fine in the fridge! If I’m remembering correctly they don’t take very long to heat up in the microwave – maybe just 30 seconds. You don’t want to overcook them or the eggs will become rubbery. I hope you enjoy them!
I just tried this recipe with a few tweaks for my own personal taste. I tried it with both whole eggs and egg whites, and liked the whites better! I didn’t have any jalapenos or tabasco, so I just sprinkled a bit of cajun seasoning on the top. and I broke up a piece of thin sliced provolone and added it before I put the egg in. Yum!
Hi Amanda – that sounds great. I’ll have to try it with those tweaks as well!
Thank you so much for the recipe. This recipe works in a toaster oven as well. My daughter was able to make them in her dorm. We enjoyed them recently at a breakfast meeting as well. It was fantastic to have something delicious to offer those with dietary restrictions.
Hi Missy – thanks for the comment! I’m so excited to hear that so many different people are enjoying spicy eggs in ham baskets!!! I never thought about putting them in a toaster oven. Did your daughter use a mini muffin tin?
Sounds a great recipe. Has anyone taken these as a plate and eaten them cold or would they need reheating slightly? The last bottle of Tabasco I got by mistake had gluten in it so it might pay to check the ingredients.
I would slightly reheat them as I’m not a huge fan of cold eggs but I have eaten them lukewarm and they’re still good. Thanks for the gluten tip!
Made these for Easter brunch this morning and they were a hit!!! So easy and delicious.
Thank you!
Hi Christine! Thanks for the comment. I’m so glad you enjoyed them! They are pretty delicious. 🙂
This looks amazing! Going to Publix right now to get prosciuto….
Thanks Bill! I hope you enjoyed them. I actually have another version using prosciutto, fontina cheese and chives that I’ve been meaning to post but I haven’t gotten around to it yet. I’ll have to do that soon!
Can these be put in the freezer?
Thanks for the comment! I’ve never tried to freeze the ham baskets, but I don’t see why you couldn’t. The only issue I foresee would be the defrosting. If you defrost too quickly the egg might overcook and become rubbery. So I would just defrost in the refrigerator first and then warm slowly in the microwave or oven. If you freeze them, let me know how they turn out!
These look delicious. I’m across the pond and was wondering what type of ham you are using. Is it cooked ham that you will then cook again in the oven?
Hi Albert! Thanks for stopping by. Yes, that’s right. I’m using cooked deli ham – the kind that you would put on a sandwich to eat. I find that thinner slices work the best as they are more easily manipulated into the muffin cup. Let me know what you think if you try them!