Chorizo, Egg and Cauliflower Breakfast Muffins – Low Carb Keto

These low carb, keto-diet-approved breakfast muffins have a secret ingredient that looks like potatoes, tastes like potatoes–but is definitely not potatoes! This secret ingredient will have everyone in your household fooled into thinking they’re indulging in a high-carb egg and potato casserole. If you’re looking for a satisfying, healthy breakfast recipe without any of those empty, useless carbs, you’ve found the perfect recipe. All hail the cauliflower “faux”-tato!

The cauliflower in this recipe simply serves as the starch-like “filler” in this dish which gives the egg bake its potato-ey texture. Be brave and give it a try! Once you have a taste of this cheesy, delicious egg bake, there’s no going back. You’ll be a cauli-fan for life. And I haven’t even gotten started on the zesty chorizo sausage.

Here’s how to make these yummy chorizo sausage, egg and cauliflower breakfast muffins:

Go ahead and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Steam or boil a bag of frozen cauliflower, about 14 oz. You can certainly use fresh cauliflower, but I always buy the frozen bags in bulk because, like I said above, cauliflower = savior when you’re on the keto diet or any other low-carb diet.

Many people steam the cauliflower in the bag according to the bag’s instructions, but I find that this results in too-firm cauliflower, which is not going to yield a soft potato-like texture. Others may steam the cauliflower in a steaming basket or in a pot with 1/4 cup of water.

I prefer to just flat out boil the cauliflower in half a pot of water, covered, for about 10 minutes. This is a quick, easy method that results in very tender cauliflower that just falls apart into tiny bits when you stir it into the rest of the ingredients. In this dish, you want the cauliflower to mimic hashbrowns that you would find in a traditional egg and potato casserole, so make sure you cook the cauliflower until it breaks apart easily with a fork.

Now it’s time to drain the cauliflower. Once drained, immediately put it back into the still-hot pot (but turn off the burner). This forces the moisture in the cauliflower to evaporate, which prevents a soggy dish. Allow it to continue to steam off excess water while you move on to the next step.

Remove the ground chorizo sausage from its casing by cutting a slit along one side, and cook it in a skillet over medium heat for about 8 minutes.

With some brands of chorizo, if you cook it too long, it will disintegrate and turn into mush. We don’t want that. Just cook it until it’s all bubbly hot and slightly browned, stirring and breaking into smaller bits as you go, 8-10 minutes.

Sometimes it’s difficult to find fresh, ground chorizo in the supermarket. My local Publix only sells the dry chorizo which is located next to the jerky and summer sausage. I don’t recommend using that type of chorizo. My Walmart Neighborhood Market does carry multiple brands of fresh, ground chorizo. The La Banderita – Ole Mexican Foods brand is great; it maintains its crumbly texture without turning to a mush like some of the others I’ve tried.

This recipe was adapted from Caveman Keto. If you can’t find fresh, ground chorizo, he does a great job explaining how to grind up the dry sausage yourself.

Once cooked, transfer the chorizo (juices and all–the more fat the better on the keto diet) to a large bowl.

Thinly slice your onion and bell pepper and add the veggies to the same skillet you cooked your chorizo in. The residual grease from the sausage will give your veggies great flavor. Add a touch of salt and pepper to this step. You’ll add more later.

Saute over medium heat for about 8 minutes, or until your onions and peppers are tender.

Pour the cooked onions and peppers into the large bowl with the chorizo.

Also add your cauliflower and sharp cheddar cheese to the bowl.

Stir all the ingredients together.

In a separate medium bowl, crack 12 eggs and add your heavy whipping cream and all your spices. Whisk together.

Pour into the large bowl with the chorizo veggie mixture. Stir to combine everything.

Spray two cupcake/muffin pans with nonstick cooking spray. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop out your chorizo egg mixture and pour into individual muffin molds. You want them to be about 2/3 full.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

I used these Reynolds baking cups because I wanted to freeze them for my family’s Georgia camping trip. At camp, we just popped them into the microwave for a minute or two, and a-hunting we could go! Let’s be honest, I didn’t do any hunting. I left that task for my husband and Sister & Co. They went a-huntin’ at the crack of dawn each morning while I warmed up (and sobered up) with my cheesy chorizo egg muffins and mug of steamy coffee. . . in my adorable tiny-cabin. . . which happens to have a queen bed. My idea of camping. (I have to give a big shout out to my sister, Pam, and brother-in-law, Brett. The best camping hosts ever!)

These baking cups are perfect if you don’t own muffin pans, but the eggs did stick a little too much to the paper lining. Next time, I think I’ll remove the paper liners and cook directly in the foil cup with a little nonstick cooking spray.

If you don’t necessarily want cute little muffins, per say, you can always pour the mixture into a large casserole dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Double the cooking time to about 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve with a drizzle of hot sauce for a spicy kick! Fresh, sliced tomatoes complement this dish nicely.

Here’s the complete, printable recipe:

Print

Chorizo Egg and Cauliflower Breakfast Muffins – Low Carb Keto

Cauliflower replaces potatoes in this delicious chorizo and egg breakfast bake to keep it low carb and keto friendly. Make-ahead in cupcake liners for a quick on-the-go breakfast or snack!

Course Breakfast

Keyword breakfast tacos, chorizo and eggs, Keto, Low Carb

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 bag cauliflower frozen, 14 oz
• 15 oz Mexican chorizo fresh ground
• 1 yellow onion small, sliced thinly
• 1 red bell pepper small, sliced thinly
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 12 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
• Optional: hot sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Boil frozen cauliflower in a covered pot with a couple of cups of water until very tender, about 10 minutes. Turn off heat. Drain.
3. Place drained cauliflower back into hot pot on the still-hot (but turned off) burner. Allow excess moisture to steam off the cauliflower.
4. Remove ground chorizo from its casing and cook in skillet over medium heat. Cook for about 8 minutes while breaking into smaller chunks and stirring frequently. Transfer chorizo to a large bowl.
5. Cut the onion and pepper into thin slices and sauté in the same skillet over medium heat. Sauté until tender, about 8 minutes, and add to the bowl with chorizo.

6. Add the cauliflower and the cheddar cheese to the bowl. Stir all ingredients.

7. In a separate bowl, add the eggs, cream, and spices. Whisk. Add to chorizo mixture and stir until combined.
8. Coat two muffin tins (or if you prefer, one large casserole dish) with nonstick cooking spray. Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, scoop and pour chorizo egg mixture into muffin cups.
9. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25 minutes (if using muffin tins) or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. If using a casserole dish, double the cooking time to 50 minutes.

10. Serve with a drizzle of hot sauce for a spicy kick! (Optional)

This recipe is also linked up with other zesty food bloggers at Weekend Potluck, Our Three Peas, Ginger Snap Crafts, Across the Boulevard, Ilkasblog, Joyful Homemaking, The Country Cook, and Walking on Sunshine.