Muffin Cup Ham and Cheddar Quiches

These individual ham and cheddar quiches are a snap to fix and bake in a muffin tin. Refrigerated crescent roll dough makes up the unbelievably easy crust. Consider these tasty, nutritious treats for a holiday morning or quick breakfast for kids to grab and run with on their way to school. Serve the quiches with juice and slices of cantaloupe or honeydew melon, whole strawberries, and seedless grapes for an elegant breakfast or brunch. Or add sliced tomatoes to the plate with the quiches. Allow two small quiches per person - or one for small children.

They are great for lunch, too. Serve the quiches along with some salsa or ketchup along with a tossed salad or cup of soup for a satisfying midday meal. 

The quiches are very adaptable, as well. Feel free to use Swiss cheese or a Cheddar jack blend instead of Cheddar cheese. Or add about 1/2 teaspoon of finely chopped red onion or scallions to the ham. Bacon makes a tasty filling, too, or brown about 4 ounces of breakfast sausage; drain it well and add it to the filling mixture. For Tex-Mex flavor, use browned crumbled ground beef instead of ham, pepper jack cheese in place of the cheddar, replace the parsley with cilantro, add a bit of finely chopped red onion. Top them off with pickled jalapeño pepper rings if you'd like.

If you have vegetarian (lacto-ovo) family members, just omit the ham and add some chopped steamed broccoli or chopped sauteed mushrooms to the filling.

What You'll Need

1 (8 oz.) can crescent rolls

1/2 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)

2/3 cup ham (chopped)

1 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped, plus more for serving, if desired)

3 large eggs

2 tablespoons light cream (or milk)

Dash salt

Dash freshly ground black pepper

How to Make It

Heat the oven to 375 F.

Spray eight muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.

Remove the crescent roll dough from the pan but don't unroll the dough. Place the dough on a floured surface and slice it into eight rounds. With a floured rolling pin, roll each round out into a 4-inch circle.

Fit the dough circles into the greased muffin cups. 

In each dough-lined muffin cup, put about 1 1/2 teaspoons of shredded cheese and about 1 tablespoon of chopped ham. Sprinkle lightly with chopped parsley. 

In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with the light cream or milk until well blended. Add a dash of salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.

Spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the egg mixture into each cup. Top with another 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of cheddar cheese. The egg mixture will increase in size, so don't overfill the cups.

Bake the quiches for about 14 to 16 minutes, or until the filling is set and the crescent crust is golden brown.

Remove the pan to a rack and let the quiches cool for about 5 minutes. Use a knife or spatula to loosen the sides of the quiches. Carefully remove them to plates and serve hot.