Caprese Muffins

Caprese muffins are proof positive that muffins are not just a breakfast food. These tomato basil muffins are great when you feel like something savory for breakfast, but they also make a great accompaniment to soup or a salad for lunch or even in a bread basket served with your favorite pasta dish for dinner.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 3 cups Bisquick
• 1 cup milk
• 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup finely cubed mozzarella cheese*
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Preparation:

In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Stir in the Bisquick, milk, oil and tomato paste. Stir until the Bisquick is just moistened. Stir in the cheese and basil.

Evenly divide the batter among the sections of the muffin pan and bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove the muffins from the pan immediately and cool completely on a wire rack.

You can serve the muffins right away, store in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days, or place in a freezer bag between two sheets of wax paper and freeze (defrost before serving and warm for a few seconds in the microwave, if needed).

* When testing this recipe I first used shredded mozzarella. It melted into the batter as the muffins cooked and didn't add much of a cheesy flavor. I next tried fresh mozzarella which worked better than the shredded, but I found that finely cubing a firm block of mozzarella worked best because the cheese stayed more intact during cooking and it added a heartier texture and cheesier bite to the muffins.