Muffin Cup Lunch Recipes You Need to Try

We all have extremely busy schedules and it can be hard to find time to make healthy lunches from scratch. Between searching for just the right recipe that your family will love, finding the time to prepare it, and hoping your children will actually like what you've prepared, it's no surprise that many busy parents opt to make a sandwich or send their kids to school with lunch money.

With these muffin cup lunch recipes, your family will be asking you for more every day of the week. These are sure to be a hit, with recipes designed to work great for everyone and they can easily be adapted for even the pickiest of eaters (including you). The hardest part is setting aside the time to make them, but we've tried to keep them as easy as possible to keep the work to a minimum.

10 Muffin Cup Recipes for Your Muffin’s Lunches

Mini Chicken-Ricotta Pies

Grease a 12 cup muffin tin.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Roll out 1 store-bought pie crust that’s been brought to room temp to ⅛-inch thick or less.

Using a round cookie cutter, make 12 pie crusts (you may need to ball up and re-roll scraps). Line muffin tins with pie crusts.

In a large bowl, mix 1 cup cooked, chopped chicken, 1 cup ricotta cheese, 1 egg, ½ tsp minced garlic, 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning, and ¾ cup shredded mozzarella.

Fill muffin tins evenly and top with ¼ cup grated Parm. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Pizza-Mac Muffins

Grease a 12 cup muffin tin. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Prepare 8 ounces mini rotini pasta according to package directions; drain.

Add to hot pot ½ cup butter until it melts; add cooked pasta, ½ cup grated Parm, 1 tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp garlic powder, 1 cup shredded mozzarella, and 2 ounces of chopped sliced pepperoni.

Spoon mac and cheese mixture evenly into prepared muffin tins. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool in tins for 5 minutes. Serve with pizza sauce or ranch dip.

Cheesy Corn Dog Muffins

Grease a 12 cup muffin tin. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare one package of corn muffin mix according to package directions.

Chop 4 turkey hot dogs into bite sized pieces. Mix in hot dogs and 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Bake according to corn muffin package directions.

Tiny Turkey Meatloaves

Grease a 12 cup muffin tin. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a large bowl with cooking spray.

In prepared bowl, mix 2 pounds ground turkey, 1 tsp salt, and ½ tsp black pepper; set aside.

In a large frying pan, heat 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp olive oil until butter melts; add 1 large, diced onion. Sauté over medium heat until translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Add 1 ½ tsp minced garlic; cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add 12 ounces diced mushrooms and sauté 3 to 5 minutes.

Add 1 tsp soy sauce and 2 Tbsp sherry cooking wine, cook until mixture resembles a paste, 5 to 10 minutes.

Toss in ½ cup fresh, minced parsley. Add mushroom mixture to turkey and mix until thoroughly incorporated.

Evenly fill prepared muffin tins; they will shrink considerably. Bake until turkey is completely cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

Mini Lasagnas

Grease a 12 cup muffin tin. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Heat a large skillet over medium heat.

Add 12 ounces ground chicken, 1 cup chopped onion, ½ cup chopped mushrooms, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper.

Crumble the meat and sauté the mixture for 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Add 1 tsp minced garlic, cook for 30 seconds. Add one 14½ ounce can petite diced tomatoes and 2 tsp dried oregano.

Bring mixture to a gentle boil; reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix 1½ cups ricotta, ½ tsp each salt and pepper, 1 tsp dried oregano, and ½ tsp dried basil. Place 1 wonton wrapper into each of the 12 cups, pressing firmly in the bottom of the cup and up the sides.

Evenly divide half of the ricotta mixture among the 12 cups. Next, evenly spoon half of the chicken mixture over the ricotta. Sprinkle each cup with 2 tsp of shredded mozzarella. Gently press another wonton wrapper on top of mozzarella layer. Repeat the entire process ending with the mozzarella.

Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese has melted.

Loaded Baked Potato Cupcakes

Grease a 12 cup muffin tin. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Wash and chop 5 large russet potatoes (leave the skin on), place in a large pot and just cover with water; gently boil until potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain.

In a large bowl, mash potatoes; mix in 1 cup shredded Colby jack cheese and 1 tablespoon butter. Mix in 3 large beaten eggs, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper.

Divide potato mixture evenly among cups (they will not rise so you can overflow them). Bake until golden brown on top, about 30 to 35 minutes. Frost with 1½ cups plain Greek yogurt, 3 slices of chopped cooked bacon, and 2 tsp chopped chives.

Zucchini, Ham, and Cheese Muffins

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin with olive oil and dust with fine cornmeal. In a bowl, whisk together 1 cup fine cornmeal, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 2 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, and 1 cup grated Parm.

In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup plain Greek yogurt, ¼ cup olive oil, and 2 large eggs. Stir into the dry ingredients just until combined. Stir in 1 cup coarsely grated zucchini and ¼ cup finely chopped chives.

Spoon 1 heaping Tbsp of batter into each tin and spread over bottom.

Evenly sprinkle ¼ cup diced ham and ½ cup shredded Swiss among the tins. Spoon another heaping Tbsp of batter over the filling, spreading to cover. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Spinach Cheddar Muffins

Grease a 12 cup muffin tin. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a large mixing bowl, mix 1½ cups flour, 2 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, and ½ tsp salt. Stir 6 Tbsp melted butter, 1 egg, 1 cup whole milk, ½ cup thawed, drained, and squeezed dry frozen chopped spinach, and 1 cup shredded Cheddar.

Spoon 2 Tbsp batter into each muffin cup. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Bacon Cheddar Muffins

Grease a 12 cup muffin tin. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 1 ½ cups flour, 1 Tbsp baking powder, and ½ Tbsp sugar; add 1 cup shredded cheddar and 1 pound of cooked, crumbled bacon.

In a small bowl beat together 1 egg, 1 cup milk, and ¼ cup vegetable oil. Add wet ingredients to dry until just combined, don’t over beat. Evenly divide batter among muffin tins. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Mini Chicken Pot Pies

Grease a 12 cup muffin tin. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a medium bowl, combine 1⅓ cup shredded cooked chicken, 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables, 1 (10 ½ ounce) can cream of chicken soup, ½ cup of plain Greek yogurt, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic salt, 2 Tbsp sliced green onions, and ½ tsp pepper; set aside.

From 2 cans of Pillsbury Grand Biscuits (16 total, bake 4 regularly to eat for breakfast), roll out each biscuit on a floured surface into a thin circle. Place a rolled out biscuit into each muffin cup, pressing into the bottom and up the sides. Repeat for all 12 cups.

Take a fork and pierce the biscuit to let air escape. Evenly spoon pot pie mixture into each biscuit cup. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, bake for 1 to 2 minutes longer or until cheese melts.

Here's an extra great muffin recipe you can try!

Cranberry Muffins

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• Author: Moms Who Think

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Description

This cranberry muffin recipe includes a brown sugar cranberry spread to add the perfect homemade jam touch to every bite.

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Ingredients

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• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups chopped cranberries
• 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Spray or grease a 12 cup and 6 cup muffin tin.
3. Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, orange zest, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger.
4. Cut in shortening; stir in juice, vanilla, eggs, cranberries and nuts.
5. Pour into muffin cups and bake for 25 minutes or until brown.
6. Prepare the topping in a saucepan over low heat by whisking together the cranberry sauce, brown sugar and margarine.
7. Cook until heated and smooth. Remove from heat and serve as a spread for the muffins.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©tianalauru/Shutterstock.com.