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Friday, June 17, 2011

Pesto Spaghetti Mini-Quiches

I did something kind of crazy the other day.

I know... Not really shocking. But it turned out sort of delicious.


I made some spaghetti, tossed in some yummy sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, pesto, and cheese. 
Now this is typically where you stop and sit down to eat, right? Well, I had it in my head that I wanted finger foods. Spaghetti isn't really 'finger friendly' if you know what I mean.


So, I swirled the spaghetti into muffin tins, poured egg over the top, and added mozzarella cheese and then baked them.
Yep, I made Pesto Spaghetti Mini-Quiches. I think it's sort of a girl thing. This whole 'making things cute' and 'having sweet little names' for everything.


My honey called them Spaghetti Cupcakes, which is pretty hilarious. He came to me eating one and said, "Hey honey? These spaghetti cupcake things are yummy." And then he popped the whole thing into his mouth.
Yep, it's a girl thing. But to me they're Pest Spaghetti Mini-Quiches.


But you call them whatever you like. They are delicious and you can add whatever you have on hand that's what makes this recipe so versatile and easy. And you can hide vegetables from picky eaters inside the spaghetti and egg. They'll never know!
Having a father's day brunch this Sunday? Wanting to make something really special and kind of different to make sure your dad knows just how much you care?

You care enough to make Spaghetti Cupcakes. Now that's something!

Happy Father's Day all you dad's out there! Enjoy the Spaghetti Cupcakes!


Now, on with the recipe!

Pesto Spaghetti Mini Quiches
1/2 Box Whole Wheat Pasta Noodles
1 tsp. Olive Oil
2 tbsp. Garlic; Minced
2 cups Fresh or Frozen Spinach
2 tbsp. Sun-dried Tomatoes; Minced
1 Cup Ham; Minced
1 Package Dry Pesto Mix
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
5 Eggs
1 Cup Egg Whites
1/2 Cup Fat Free Milk
2 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning Blend
1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese; Shredded
1. Cook spaghetti noodles according to package instructions. Strain reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta water and transfer to a large bowl.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease two muffin tins.
3. Heat a large skillet and add a splash of olive oil, the minced garlic and the spinach. Cook until spinach is wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Then remove from heat.
4. Add the sauteed spinach to the bowl with the cooked pasta. Toss with tongs and then add the sun-dried tomatoes, ham, the pesto mix, and the Parmesan cheese. Add the reserved pasta water to help the pesto mix to moisten and allow it spread throughout. Toss everything together. Note: You can stop right here and just start eating it if you are really hungry! This alone is delicious!
5. Using your tongs, scoop some noodle mixture up and swirl it into a muffin cup. Repeat filling each of the muffin cups with the noodle mixture. If there's any leftover pasta, just save it or eat it for lunch tomorrow!
6. In a separate bowl combine the eggs, egg whites, milk, and Italian seasoning blend. Whisk together to incorporate and beat the eggs. Then gently pour the egg and milk mixture over each pasta cup filling each cup until at least 3/4 full with egg mixture. Push down with a fork to make sure all the noodles are saturated. Then top with the shredded mozzarella cheese.
7. Bake for 25-27 minutes. The cheese will be melted, the tops slightly browned, and some of the noodles a little crispy. Serve immediately with some fresh basil leaves and possibly some pasta sauce for dipping!


Servings: 24 (per quiche)


Nutritional Skinny:

83.4 calories / 2.8 g fat / 7.4 g carbohydrates / 1.3 g fiber / 6.8 g protein


Mental Health Tid Bit: Let's say you do have some picky eaters in the house. Most people like spaghetti right? Well, if they don't like broccoli, just chop it really small and sneak it in. What about someone who doesn't like squash, same thing, chop it real fine and slip it in. Between the spaghetti and cheese you hardly notice anything else. Add some ham and they'll never know they are eating their veggies... well, unless you tell them! Enjoy!





1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thank you! These were a huge hit!