As a dietitian, I’m all about creative ways to help meet your protein needs each day. While most people get plenty of protein at dinner, we can sometimes be a bit skimpier at breakfast or snacks. These cheeseburger muffins are a great option to help meet your needs, providing 16 grams of high-quality protein each. Enjoy one for a snack, or have two alongside your favorite vegetable for a balanced meal.
Bonus: there is spinach blended into these muffins for a little veggie addition too!
Disclosure: This recipe was created in partnership with Walden Local.
Ingredients
Here’s a photo of all the ingredients you’ll need, along with selected ingredient notes:
- Walden Local ground beef – If you’re local to the Northeast, you’ll want to check out Walden Local! They partner with local farms and deliver meat right to your door in a monthly share. Their ground beef is grass-fed-and-finished (if that’s a priority for you) and always tastes amazing! You can use my referral link to save $75 off your first share.
- Cottage cheese – Don’t skip this recipe if you’re not a cottage cheese fan. I don’t generally love it plain, but I like it blended into this recipe because you can’t really taste it! It helps add extra protein and moisture though.
- Shredded cheese – I use shredded cheddar for the classic cheeseburger taste, but feel free to sub in shredded pepperjack, swiss, or whatever cheese you prefer.
Instructions
You’ll find the full recipe amounts and instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s a helpful overview with photos and tips.
Here is the most important tip I’m going to give you that you will want to follow before you start with the rest of the recipe: use silicone liners or grease the muffin tin very well! These tend to stick otherwise. I have used paper liners (as you can see from the photos); just note you may get some sticking when you peel them. I actually find the paper liners peel better when they are reheated in the microwave and then you peel them.
Start the cooking process by sautéing the beef and onion in a large skillet. Cook it for about 6-8 minutes, until the beef is just browned and the onion is tender.
Drain any oil from the pan and pour the beef and onion into a mixing bowl.
Next, add the spinach, cottage cheese, BBQ sauce, olive oil, and eggs to a blender. Blend that until well combined, about 30-60 seconds.
Pour that into the bowl with the beef.
In another small mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. (Note – you can also just add these right to the other bowl, but sometimes the salt and baking powder can clump up in certain sections if you don’t mix the dry ingredients separately first. Sometimes I’m lazy though and take that risk, haha).
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stir, then fold in the cheese and pickles. The batter will be really thick, like this:
Portion that into the muffin tin. The muffin cups will be very full; this is fine! Bake at 375 degrees F for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick pulls clean from the center.
If you’re eating them now, let ‘em cool for a few minutes then dig in. If you’re prepping them for later, let them cool then transfer to an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Microwave to reheat them when you’re ready to enjoy one!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Here are some of the top reasons…
- Great for meal prep
- 16 grams of protein each
- Good source of iron, calcium, and Vitamin B12 (nutrients that some folks tend to fall short on, but are super important for active women)
- Versatile as a snack or meal
More Ground Beef Recipes
If you’re looking for more recipes using ground beef (because it’s always nice to get some new inspo!), be sure to give one of these a try:
- Black and blue breakfast burgers
- BBQ ground beef stuffed sweetpotatoes
- Taco breakfast casserole
- Chipotle beef and bean chili
I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you get a chance to try it, feel free to leave a recipe rating or comment below.
Cheeseburger Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 lb Walden Local 80/20 ground beef
- ½ cup chopped yellow onion
- 3 cups spinach
- 1 cup low fat cottage cheese (1%, or whatever you have on hand)
- ¼ cup BBQ sauce
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt (plus an extra pinch to season the beef)
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup chopped pickles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 12-count muffin tin with silicone liners (or grease paper liners or the muffin tin well – they tend to stick otherwise).
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add the ground beef and onion. Season with a pinch of salt. Cook for about 6-8 minutes, until meat is just browned. Drain oil, then pour the beef and onion into a bowl.
- Add the spinach, cottage cheese, BBQ sauce, olive oil, and eggs to a blender. Blend until well combined, then pour into the bowl with the beef and onion.
- In another mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the cheese and pickles. (Batter will be thick; this is normal).
- Divide batter into the muffin tin and bake at 375 degrees F for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick pulls clean from the center. Let cool for a few minutes then enjoy!
Notes
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds, until warm.
- These can be frozen for up to 3 months for best quality. Reheat in the microwave until warm.
Nutrition
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