Green Eggs and Ham Cups
March 2, 2020 by Nicole Collins
“I do so like green eggs and ham. Thank you. Thank you, Sam-I-am.”
That Sam-I-am...so persistent!
We're talking about Sam-I-am and his friend who didn't like his green eggs and ham today, because today is Dr. Seuss' birthday!
How crazy is it to think that Dr. Seuss' books have been entertaining children (and adults) around the world for over 60 years?!? Dr. Seuss is such a staple in every household.
I don't know that I can pick a favorite Dr. Seuss book. But, I do have a favorite quote of his.
“Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.”
I've always loved this quote, and it wasn't until a few years ago that I learned it was a quote from Dr. Seuss. There are actually a few totally insightful quotes of his that I would've never known were his.
It's a little ironic that this is my favorite quote of his, because I'm totally a crier! Everything makes me cry. Like everything...happy, sad, funny, indifferent...I'm crying! Though, I know that this quote isn't meant to be literal, it's still kind of funny to me.
So, there's the smiling part!
We're taking a lesson from Dr. Seuss today on his birthday and celebrating with his friend, Sam-I-am's, favorite meal. But, we're taking it a step further and making them into cute little portable cups.
That's right. Today, we're making Green Eggs and Ham Cups!
Are these babies fun or what?!?
And bonus...they're low carb and fairly healthy too. So, we're winning all around today!
Let's talk ham. There are so many kinds of deli ham available to buy. I went with a black forest ham for this recipe. We want to stay away from the sweeter hams like honey or brown sugar. Those hams are noticeably sweet, and we want to stick with savory flavors for these cups. We form the ham slices into little cups in a cupcake pan, and get ready to fill them. Ham prep...done!
Next, let's talk about the green eggs. We're going to take some help from fresh herbs like parsley and chives to give our eggs that nice natural green flavor. The herbs go in a blender or small food processor (I found a personal rocket blender worked best) with a little bit of heavy cream. Then, we're going to blend it into a paste like consistency, and whip the herb mix into some eggs by beating them all together with a fork. Now, of course, we're going to season our eggs with a little salt and pepper, but we actually don't need a ton of salt. The savory ham will add some nice salt to the dish along with the cheese we're going to sneak in.
That's right. We can't have breakfast without cheese! Before we fill our ham cups with our egg mix, we're going to give them a little sprinkle of parmesan and swiss cheese on the bottoms of the cups. Then, we'll pour the green egg mix over the cheese to fill up the ham cups, and we'll toss them in the oven to bake.
When our ham cups are finished baking, we're left with crisp ham around the top edges and soft, herbaceous eggs filling up the center. These are savory and fresh and fun and whimsical and everything you could want out of breakfast!
If Sam-I-am had just presented his friend with these ham cups from the get go, he wouldn't have had to try so hard to convince him to eat it!
But, then we wouldn't have learned about all of the cool places we could eat green eggs and ham. And, that would be a shame!
Sam-I-am was a man ahead of his time, and boy am I thankful for that. Because, these Green Eggs and Ham Cups are more than delicious!
Make sure you read a Dr. Seuss book today. And, make sure you have some Sam-I am appropriate breakfast filling your tummies!
Enjoy, and let's eat!
Green Eggs and Ham Cups
Serves: 4-6 Print
Ingredients:
½ cup parsley
2 tbsp chives, chopped
2 tbsp heavy cream
8 eggs
12 slices deli ham (I used Black Forest)
½ cup freshly shredded parmesan
½ cup shredded swiss cheese
salt and pepper, to taste
cooking spray
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a cupcake pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
To a personal blender or small food processor, add parsley, chives, and heavy cream. Process until herbs are broken down and the mixture becomes a paste. Add eggs, herb paste, and salt and pepper, to taste to a large measuring cup. Whisk well until eggs have broken down and the herb paste is fully incorporated into the eggs. Set aside.
Place one ham slice in each muffin cup, pressing along the bottom and sides to form a cup shape. Mix together parmesan and swiss cheeses. Evenly divide cheese mix between the ham cups. Carefully pour egg mix over the cheese in each cup, filling the cups about ¾ of the way. Bake for 20-23 mins until a knife inserted in the center of the egg cup comes out clean. Serve!
Recipe notes:
*Freshly shredded cheese melts better that the prepackaged stuff, so I recommend shredding your own cheese. Parmesan cheese is much softer when you shred it yourself, so if anything, at least freshly shred that cheese.
*Mixing the egg mix in a larger (2-4 cup) measuring glass makes it super easy to pour the eggs right into the ham cups.
*I used a personal rocket blender to make the herb paste, and I think that worked perfectly size wise. Blending the herbs with a little cream really helps to break down the herbs so that they can incorporate in our eggs.
*These ham cups serve as a great make ahead grab and go breakfast! They reheat well.
