Cottage Cheese Egg Bites with Zucchini, Sweet Corn and Basil
Cottage cheese egg bites with zucchini, sweet corn, basil and cheddar, blended until silky and baked over a water bath so they turn out tender and custardy.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Rest
- 5 min
- Serves
- 4
Cottage Cheese Egg Bites with Zucchini, Sweet Corn and Basil is a vegetarian breakfast recipe made with olive oil, zucchini, sweet corn kernels. It takes 50 minutes of hands-on time, plus 5 minutes resting, serves 4, and each serving has 283 calories, 22 g of protein and 1 g of fiber.
Blending the cottage cheese into the eggs makes a smooth, creamy base with no curds in the finished bites. A quick sauté cooks off the zucchini's extra water so the bites don't turn soggy, and a pan of hot water on the rack below keeps the oven humid. That moist heat sets the eggs gently, so they come out soft and velvety rather than rubbery. The sweet corn and fresh basil give them a summery flavor, and they reheat well for grab-and-go breakfasts.
Ingredients
Fillings
- 2 tsp9 golive oil, plus more for greasing the tin
- 1 small118 gzucchini, cut into 1/4-inch dice
- ½ cup68 gsweet corn kernels, fresh or frozen and thawed
- 1 pinch0.4 gsalt
- 2 30 ggreen onions, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup5.3 gfresh basil leaves, chopped
- ½ cup57 gsharp cheddar, shredded
- 2 tbsp5.2 gsmall basil leaves, for serving (optional)
Egg base
- 6 large300 glarge eggs
- 1 cup226 gcottage cheese (full-fat or 2%)
- ¼ cup28 gsharp cheddar, shredded
- ½ tsp3 gsalt
- ¼ tsp0.6 gblack pepper, freshly ground
Kit: 12-cup muffin tin, blender, skillet, rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan
Tips
- Don't skip cooking the zucchini first. Raw zucchini gives off water as it bakes, which leaves wet pockets in the bites.
- Blend the batter until you can't see any curds at all. That is what makes the bites smooth and custardy.
- Silicone egg bite molds or muffin pans release more easily than metal. Put a baking sheet under them so they're easy to move.
Swap ideas
- Monterey Jack or pepper jack instead of cheddar
- Jack melts creamier with a milder flavor, and pepper jack adds a little heat that goes well with the corn.
- Chopped red bell pepper instead of corn
- The bites taste less sweet and more savory, with more color. Sauté the pepper with the zucchini.
- Chives or dill instead of basil
- Chives add a mild onion flavor. Dill gives a fresher, brighter taste.
- Whole-milk ricotta instead of cottage cheese
- The bites turn out a bit richer and lighter. Add an extra pinch of salt, because ricotta is less salty.
The numbers
Nutrition per serving
283kcal per serving
Everything else · 4 servings per recipe
- Saturated fat
- 7.5 g 38%
- Sugars
- 3.9 g
- Sodium
- 751 mg 33%
- Potassium
- 330 mg 7%
- Calcium
- 269 mg 21%
- Iron
- 1.8 mg 10%
- Vitamin C
- 8 mg 9%
- Vitamin B12
- 1.12 µg 47%
% Daily Value on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient; optional ingredients are excluded. Estimates vary with brands and portions.
Sources: Oil, olive, salad or cooking, Squash, summer, zucchini, includes skin, raw, Corn, sweet, yellow, frozen, kernels cut off cob, unprepared (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program), Salt, table, Onions, spring or scallions (includes tops and bulb), raw, Basil, fresh, Cheese, cheddar, sharp, sliced, Egg, whole, raw, fresh, Cheese, cottage, lowfat, 2% milkfat, Spices, pepper, black
Method
Put one oven rack in the center and a second rack below it, then heat the oven to 325°F. Set a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan on the lower rack and pour in about 4 cups of boiling water. Grease all 12 cups of a muffin tin generously with oil.
Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini, corn and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring now and then, until the zucchini is lightly browned and the pan looks dry, 5–6 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the green onions and chopped basil.
Put the eggs, cottage cheese, 1/4 cup cheddar, 1/2 tsp salt and the pepper in a blender. Blend until completely smooth and slightly frothy, 30–45 seconds.
Spoon the vegetable mixture evenly into the muffin cups, then scatter the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar over the top.
Pour the egg mixture over the fillings until each cup is about three-quarters full. Give each cup a gentle stir with a fork to spread the fillings through the egg.
Place the tin on the center rack, right above the pan of water. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the bites are puffed, the edges are set and the centers only barely jiggle. A thermometer in the center should read 160°F.
Let the bites rest in the tin for 5 minutes. They will sink a little as they cool. Run a thin knife around each one to lift it out. Top with small basil leaves if you like, and serve warm.
Storage: Let the bites cool completely, then refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 4 days. To freeze, lay them on a tray until firm, move them to a freezer bag and keep for up to 2 months. Reheat in the microwave for 30–45 seconds from the fridge, or 60–90 seconds from frozen, until hot all the way through.
Questions
- How much protein is in cottage cheese egg bites with zucchini, sweet corn and basil?
- Each of the 4 servings has 22 g of protein, 1 g of fiber and 283 calories, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for every ingredient.
- Is cottage cheese egg bites with zucchini, sweet corn and basil vegan?
- No, it's vegetarian rather than vegan because it contains sharp cheddar and large eggs and cottage cheese (full-fat or 2%) and sharp cheddar. Everything else in it is plant-based.
- How long does cottage cheese egg bites with zucchini, sweet corn and basil take to make?
- 15 minutes of prep and 35 minutes of cooking, so 50 minutes of hands-on time, plus 5 minutes of unattended resting.
- Can you make cottage cheese egg bites with zucchini, sweet corn and basil ahead?
- Let the bites cool completely, then refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 4 days. To freeze, lay them on a tray until firm, move them to a freezer bag and keep for up to 2 months. Reheat in the microwave for 30–45 seconds from the fridge, or 60–90 seconds from frozen, until hot all the way through.
- What can I substitute in cottage cheese egg bites with zucchini, sweet corn and basil?
- Monterey Jack or pepper jack instead of cheddar — jack melts creamier with a milder flavor, and pepper jack adds a little heat that goes well with the corn.. Chopped red bell pepper instead of corn — the bites taste less sweet and more savory, with more color. sauté the pepper with the zucchini.. Chives or dill instead of basil — chives add a mild onion flavor. dill gives a fresher, brighter taste.. Whole-milk ricotta instead of cottage cheese — the bites turn out a bit richer and lighter. add an extra pinch of salt, because ricotta is less salty..
- Does cottage cheese egg bites with zucchini, sweet corn and basil contain gluten or nuts?
- None of the ingredients are a source of gluten, tree nuts or peanuts. That is a statement about the ingredient list, not a guarantee about the brands you buy — always read the labels if you're cooking for an allergy.
Nutrition is calculated from USDA data for every ingredient — how we work it out.
Published September 25, 2026 ·American