So school is upon us, friends.  Tis the season for structure, routine and, around here, super quick breakfasts.  

I have been making these Crisp Ham and Egg Cups from The Comfort of Cooking for quite some time now.  My kids absolutely love them, and so do my husband and I.  I have never been a fan of whisking ingredients into my eggs and baking them in muffin tins-I just never like the way the outside crust turns out, so these egg cups are the perfect way to solve that problem.  But aside from needing a change I have a couple of things on my wish list with them:  I wish the ham resulted in a better texture-my little guy has a tough time chewing it.  I also wish they were make-ahead friendly so that I could make them on Sundays and reheat them throughout the week for quick breakfasts.  Enter:  Make-Ahead Sausage Breakfast Cups.

My kids are sausage fanatics, in any way, shape or form so I definitely wanted to try a stab at the cups substituting sausage for the ham.  It worked like a dream. The sausage is cooked perfectly and its just the right thickness and texture to pair with the savory eggs.  They are also fans of “yolky eggs”  so I took a risk by “scrambling” the eggs in these- I really wanted them to be simple enough to reheat on crazy weekday mornings and a “yolky egg” reheated just isn’t a good thing.  The results?  Amazing.  Delicious.  Rich and hearty without a ton of extra garbage or ingredients in the mix. A little salsa and cilantro on top is a killer addition for me but they are wonderful as-is, too. We all devour them and breakfasts have become as simple as 30 seconds in the microwave-a perfect way to nourish those little bodies before a big day of school!

Make-Ahead Sausage Breakfast Cups

notes:  any ground sausage will do here:  breakfast sausage, italian sausage, chorizo, pork, turkey, you name it.  I prefer a homemade turkey breakfast sausage that I prepare but any store bought  version will work great as well.  Also, any shredded cheese is great-a swiss/gruyere blend is our favorite.

Ingredients

1 Pound Ground Sausage *see notes above

7 Large Eggs

3 Large Egg Yolks

1/3 Cup Shredded Cheese, optional

1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/8 Teaspoon Black Pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.  Divide sausage into 12 equal portions and place them into a muffin tin-1 portion for each cup.  Press the sausage into the bottom and up the sides of the cups into a thin layer.

In a separate bowl whisk together the whole eggs, yolks, onion powder, salt and pepper.  If using the cheese, sprinkle it on top of the sausage, dividing it up among all 12 cups.  Pour the egg mixture into each cup, dividing evenly.  Place in the pre heated oven and bake for 30 minutes or until eggs have just set.  Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and reheat as needed.  Makes 12 Breakfast Cups.