Cheesy Bacon and Egg Cups

These were simple to prepare and were gobbled up as soon as I set them out.  Making them in a muffin pan adds to the presentation, and the fresh basil gives a vibrant flavor to the dish.


Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1 lb (about 12 slices) slightly precooked bacon
1 dozen eggs
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
6 large basil leaves, torn into small pieces
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Saute bacon in pan until just slightly cooked.  Remove from pan and lay bacon on paper towels to drain.  Coat a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray; fit each muffin cup with a slice of bacon, allowing the bacon to protrude over the edges of the cup.  For some slices, you may need to cut them in half to get this to work.  I used 1 to 1 1/2 full slices of bacon for each muffin cup, just slicing as needed depending on the size of the slices.


Divide half the cheese and basil among the cups.  Crack one egg on top of each cup and sprinkle with remaining basil.  Bake at 375° until set, about 15-20 minutes.  Let the cups rest for 5 minutes, then season with salt and pepper.  Run knife around edges of cups to unmold and serve.


This is an easy recipe to modify - you could substitute prosciutto, use a different type of cheese, or add vegetables.  Next time I plan to make one with cheddar and mushrooms.  Enjoy!