Egg white bites with mushrooms, thyme and parmesan
45 min · 29 g protein · 188 cals / serving
Small, soft egg bites baked in a water bath so they come out velvety rather than rubbery: egg whites blended with cottage cheese, poured over mushrooms browned with thyme and a little parmesan. Make a dozen on Sunday and warm a few for breakfast all week.
Ingredients
- 3 cups crimini mushroom, finely chopped
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
- a light coat cooking spray, for the pan and the tin
- 2 cups liquid egg white, from a carton, or the whites of about 14 eggs
- 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp cottage cheese (1%), low-fat
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- a pinch salt, to taste; the cheeses are salty (optional)
- a few grinds black pepper
- 3 tbsp grated parmesan, finely grated
- 1 tbsp fresh chives, snipped
Steps
- Heat the oven to 325°F and put a roasting pan half filled with just-boiled water on the bottom shelf. Spray a nonstick pan lightly and cook the mushrooms with the thyme over medium-high heat for 6–8 minutes, until their liquid has gone and they are browned; wet mushrooms make watery bites. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin (or two 7-cup silicone egg-bite moulds) well.
- Blend the egg whites, cottage cheese, cornstarch, garlic powder, salt and pepper for about 30 seconds, until completely smooth with no curds left.
- Divide the mushrooms, parmesan and chives among the cups, pour the egg mixture over to about three-quarters full and stir each cup once with a teaspoon.
- Bake on the middle shelf above the water for 25–30 minutes, until just set in the centre and no longer wet when pressed (160°F). They puff in the oven and settle as they cool. Leave 5 minutes before easing them out with a thin knife.
Good to know
Why the water bath?
Steam keeps the heat gentle, so egg whites set into a soft custard instead of a bouncy one. A low oven does most of the work; the water does the rest.
How do I store and reheat them?
Cool, then refrigerate in a box for up to 4 days or freeze for 2 months. Microwave 30–45 seconds from the fridge, or about 90 seconds from frozen.
Can I use whole eggs?
Yes, swap the whites for 8 whole eggs: richer and more yellow, at about 58 instead of 87.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 73
- Protein
- (64%)
- 11 g
- Fat
- (16%)
- 1 g
- Carbohydrates
- (20%)
- 4 g
- of which sugar
- 1 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 293 mg
More breakfast
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 565 kcal goes into the pot and 918 g of ingredients comes out as about 770 g of food: 73 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.