Bacon and Egg Lettuce Cups

Ingredients

Instructions

1. 1

   Separate, wash, and thoroughly dry the butter lettuce leaves so they stay crisp. Slice the avocado and finely slice the chives. In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the cream cheese, salt, and black pepper until mostly smooth; a few tiny cream cheese bits are fine and will melt into the eggs.

2. 2

   Place the bacon in a cold nonstick frying pan in a single layer, then set over medium heat. Starting in a cold pan helps the fat render evenly. Fry for 4-6 minutes, turning once or twice, until deeply golden and crisp.

3. 3

   Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towel to drain for 1 minute. Pour off all but about 1 tsp of bacon fat from the pan.

4. 4

   Reduce the heat to low. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and cook gently, stirring slowly with a spatula, for 2-3 minutes until softly scrambled and just set. Take the pan off the heat while the eggs still look slightly glossy; they will finish from residual heat. Fold in most of the chives, reserving a little for garnish.

5. 5

   Arrange the butter lettuce leaves on plates. Divide the avocado slices among the leaves, then spoon in the scrambled eggs. Break or fold the bacon into shorter pieces and tuck it into each cup.

6. 6

   Scatter over the reserved chives and serve immediately while the bacon is crisp and the eggs are warm.

Nutrition per serving

Notes

• •For the best texture, keep the eggs softly scrambled rather than dry; overcooked eggs will make the lettuce cups watery.
• •If your avocado is very large, use only enough slices to fill the cups neatly so they are easy to pick up.
• •These are best eaten fresh, but you can prep the lettuce, chives, and egg mixture a few hours ahead for even faster assembly.
• •For extra richness, spread a very thin layer of cream cheese directly onto the lettuce leaves before filling.

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