Savory Cups are a fun and flexible way to turn just about any combination of leftovers, vegetables, meat, and cheese into an easy appetizer or breakfast. Think of them as little edible cups that you can fill with whatever sounds good—or whatever you happen to have in the refrigerator.
The possibilities are almost endless. Use cooked chicken, beef, pork, turkey, sausage, ham, seafood, beans, or even tofu for the protein. Add your favorite vegetables, season everything to match, tuck it into a crescent dough, biscuit dough, puff pastry, wonton wrapper, phyllo, pie crust, or another crust of your choice, then finish with cheese and your favorite toppings.
This is more of a cooking idea than a recipe with strict rules. Try Taco Cups, Reuben Cups, Buffalo Chicken Cups, Chicken Bacon Ranch Cups, Pizza Cups, Chicken Parmesan Cups, or French Dip Cups. Once you understand the basic method, you can create your own combinations based on what you have available.
They are perfect for appetizers, breakfast, snacks, parties, or an easy way to turn leftovers into something completely new. Let your imagination—and your taste buds—take over!
Savory Cups
Ingredients
Protein:
- Use cooked ground or shredded beef pork, turkey, or chicken. Beans, tofu, seafood, sausage, ham, or cooked eggs also work well.
Vegetables:
- Choose chopped onions green or other sweet peppers, hot peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, corn, tomatoes, spinach, sauerkraut, or other vegetables you enjoy. Cook vegetables as needed before filling the cups.
Seasonings:
- Use Taco Seasoning Mix herbs, seafood seasoning, BBQ rubs, garam masala, or any other seasoning that complements your filling.
Crust:
- Choose from crescent dough biscuit dough, puff pastry, wonton or egg roll wrappers, phyllo sheets, flattened bread slices, or pie crust.
Cheese:
- Cheese helps hold the filling together and creates a delicious gooey topping. Try cheddar, mozzarella, Swiss, feta, Pepper Jack, Colby, or another cheese that complements your filling.
Optional toppings:
- Chopped tomatoes sliced olives, shredded lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, or other toppings can add freshness, color, flavor, and texture.
Instructions
- Prepare the fillings. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cook, shred, and prepare your chosen protein. Chop and sauté or otherwise cook vegetables as needed. Season the filling to complement your chosen ingredients.
- Prepare the crusts. For mini appetizer cups, use approximately 3–4-inch squares or circles of dough or other crust and place them into a mini muffin pan. For regular-size cups, use approximately 4–5-inch squares or circles and place them into a standard muffin pan. Press the crust gently into the cups, leaving enough room for the filling.
- Fill the cups. Add your desired combination of protein and vegetables to each crust. Top with cheese. Be careful not to overfill, as the filling may expand slightly during baking.
- Bake. Bake for approximately 14–16 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is hot. Baking time may vary depending on the crust and ingredients used.
- Cool and serve. Let the cups cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before carefully removing them. Serve with your choice of toppings.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Art of Cooking Recipes (Paulson Pursuits} is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
