Quick, healthy(ish) breakfasts are hard to come by when you can’t have dairy.

Smoothies take time and cleanup, yogurt is out, and eggs require cooking. That’s why most mornings I just throw in the towel and get an almond croissant from Maison Kayser. (Croissants definitely don’t have dairy in the form of pounds of butter ok? Don’t try to tell me otherwise.)

Eggs cooked in muffin tins are a well-known solution to this conundrum–I won’t pretend I’ve invented them.

But I will put forward a particular combination that’s so flavorful it tastes like something you might eat sitting down on a Saturday morning, not on a Tuesday speed-walking downtown because you finally lost the game you play with yourself called “How late can I wake up and still make it to work at a socially acceptable time?”

Caramelized onion, kale and turkey sausage egg cups

(Portioned for six because I only have ½ a muffin tin…if you’d like to double, just be advised that 10 eggs may be too much liquid…I would start with 8 and work your way up depending on your preferred ratio of egg-to-stuff)

1 medium-sized yellow onion, sliced
2 cups shredded kale, removed from stalk
4 links frozen turkey sausage (or more or less depending on what brand you use–I use Brown N’ Serve which probably makes truly health conscious people cringe but you know…whatever)
5 eggs
3 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium high heat. Add onion and reduce heat to medium low. Cook until caramelized, anywhere from 20-40 minutes. I talk about caramelizing onions here; just don’t fall into the trap of cooking them over higher heat to try and speed the process–you’ll end up with burned onions.

Once onions are caramelized, scoop into a bowl and set aside. Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil if needed. Add kale and sauté at medium heat until wilted and slightly crispy.

Add to the bowl with onions. Add turkey sausage links to pan and cook according to the instructions on the box. Remove, and cut into small pieces–I cut my links in 4 and cut each quarter in half. Add to bowl with vegetables.

In a separate bowl, whisk together 5 eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Add eggs to the sausage and vegetables and stir to combine.

Grease your muffin tin. Pour egg mixture into each cup about 3/4 of the way, being careful to keep an even ratio of egg-to-stuff (i.e. you don’t want your last cup to be all egg because that would be sad).

Bake for 12-15 minutes until just set. Let cool and refrigerate.

Reheat in the microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute.