Savoury courgette & cheese muffins

I am, as you may have noticed, a fan of simple, filling family recipes, which is why I’m pleased to be bringing you a recipe from Madhouse Family Recipes by TV chef Jo Pratt. It’s packed with family-friendly, quick recipes with clear, simple instructions that will suit busy parents perfectly.

These savoury courgette and cheese muffins are springy and moreish – just heavenly with a little salad and a dollop of mayonnaise. Since they’re made with yoghurt and veg, they have quite a close texture, which means they’re also perfect on the side of a steaming bowl of tomato soup or as part of a ploughman’s lunch.

Here’s how to make 12 courgette and cheese muffins, although I only had smaller silicone cases to hand, so my mixture made 18 smaller muffins. I also used veggie ham because I’m veggie.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp butter for greasing
• 40 g (1.5 oz) pine nuts
• 225 g (8 oz) self-raising flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 100 g (3 oz) polenta or semolina
• 150 g (5.5 oz) grated mature cheddar cheese
• 150 g (5.5 oz) courgette, grated
• 2 eggs
• 200 ml (8 fl oz) natural yoghurt
• 80 ml (2.5 fl oz) olive or rapeseed oil
• 75 g (3 oz) ham, salami or chorizo, finely chopped
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/355F and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper muffin cases. Alternatively, lightly grease the holes of the muffin tin, then press a 13cm square of baking paper into each hole, shaping the squares to fit by folding the sides
2. Put the pine nuts in a dry, non-stick pan over a medium heat for a few minutes, shaking and tossing the pan continuously until they start to turn golden. (Don’t leave them in the pan or they will quickly burn.) Tip them out onto a plate to cool
3. Mix together the flour, baking powder and polenta in a mixing bowl
4. In a separate bowl, lightly mix together two-thirds of the cheese and all the remaining ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix quickly and lightly to form a lumpy batter. (Over-mixing will make the cooked muffins turn out heavy.) Spoon into the prepared muffin cases and scatter the remaining cheese over the top. Bake for 20 minutes until risen and golden
5. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or cold

Here’s the recipe for these courgette and cheese muffins again in an easy to print format.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Savoury courgette and cheese muffins

The savoury courgette and cheese muffins are springy, moreish and make for a fabulous lunchbox treat.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time35 mins

Course: Lunches and quick-cook meals

Keyword: cheese, courgette, lunch, muffins, savoury muffins

Servings: 12

Author: Emily Leary

Ingredients

• 1 tsp butter for greasing
• 40 g (1.41 oz) pine nuts
• 225 g (7.94 oz) self-raising flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 100 g (3.53 oz) polenta or semolina
• 150 g (5.29 oz) grated mature cheddar cheese
• 150 g (5.29 oz) courgette, grated
• 2 eggs
• 200 ml (6.76 floz) natural yoghurt
• 80 ml (2.71 floz) olive or rapeseed oil
• 75 g (2.65 oz) ham, salami or chorizo, finely chopped
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/355F and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper muffin cases. Alternatively, lightly grease the holes of the muffin tin, then press a 13cm square of baking paper into each hole, shaping the squares to fit by folding the sides
• Put the pine nuts in a dry, non-stick pan over a medium heat for a few minutes, shaking and tossing the pan continuously until they start to turn golden. (Don't leave them in the pan or they will quickly burn.) Tip them out onto a plate to cool
• Mix together the flour, baking powder and polenta in a mixing bowl
• In a separate bowl, lightly mix together two-thirds of the cheese and all the remaining ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix quickly and lightly to form a lumpy batter. (Over-mixing will make the cooked muffins turn out heavy.) Spoon into the prepared muffin cases and scatter the remaining cheese over the top. Bake for 20 minutes until risen and golden
• Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or cold

* Note: nutritional information is estimated, based on publicly available data. Nutrient values may vary from those published. Cuisines identify the primary region of inspiration for a dish.

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If you enjoyed these courgette and cheese muffins, why not try my vegan fruit and nut smoothie bowl?

Recipe reproduced with permission