We're making Meatless Monday awesome with Spinach & Cheese Baked Eggs. A bed of fresh spinach is topped with a layer of cheese and two eggs. Then it's all baked to perfection. Add an extra layer of flavor with garlic herb breadcrumbs. Finally, a pile of toasted ciabatta brings it all together. Get into it.
Can you believe it? I ate a vegetable and actually enjoyed it. My life-long struggle with veggies has been well-documented on this blog. It's a struggle and a source of shame. I definitely feel like there's something wrong with me. I'm a freak, but I don't know how to change it. It probably holds me back professionally as well. As an aspiring food blogger, this a big hole in my experience.
People often ask me if I can post more healthy recipes or ways to make indulgent food more healthy. The short answer is no. Mostly because that's not the kind of food I like. I only put recipes on my blog that I believe are truly awesome. I use this site for my own dinner planning, and if I'm not excited to eat something again, I don't think it's worth sharing.
Moreover, I don't believe in taking great food and making it gross because someone told us we should feel guilty about eating it. If you want cheese or sugar, eat it. If you want to be more healthy, just eat less of that stuff. Don't try to make your brownies healthy. They'll never be as good. Just cut them smaller and share them with more people. I know some people have serious medical issues, and they can't eat certain things. Trust me, there are plenty of other bloggers out there serving what you need. I share the food I love, and I hope you like it. If you don't, that's fine. To each their own. I still love you.
What makes Spinach & Cheese Baked Eggs so awesome?
This recipe, though, is something I didn't expect to like. These Spinach & Cheese Baked Eggs with Garlic Herb Breadcrumbs were actually delicious. As I weighed out the spinach, I was like, "Yeah, that's a lot of green stuff. This can't be good." I was so wrong. Served with fingers of toasted ciabatta, the mix of flavors and textures was awesome.
I adapted this recipe from the first book by Jessica Merchant of How Sweet Eats. Seriously Delish is filled with recipes that bring a great balance of healthy and indulgent. I show up for the latter, but she's starting to win me over with the former. Her original recipe uses fontina cheese, which is difficult to source and expensive in Glasgow, so I opted for mild cheddar. I also added a little extra cream because it felt right. Finally, I switched out fresh herbs for dried ones in the breadcrumb mixture because I'm lazy. It's super simple and super tasty.
We're always growing and changing. That's the way it was meant to be. Spinach & Cheese Baked Eggs today. Next, world domination. It's gonna be awesome.
Spinach & Cheese Baked Eggs
Difficulty: Easy2
servings20
minutes20
minutesIngredients
3 ounces fresh spinach
4 ounces shredded mild cheddar
4 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons single cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 small garlic clove
¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried parsley
1 small loaf ciabatta
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 200 C (400 F) and spray two large ramekins with non-stick spray or oil. Place your ramekins on a baking sheet for easy transfer.
- Divide your spinach between the two ramekins and spread it evenly along the bottom. The spinach may seem like it's filling the entire dish at this point, but it will cook down in the oven.
- Next, layer an ounce of cheese in each dish. Crack two eggs into each dish over the top of the cheese and spinach. Don't worry if the whites sink down through the layers.
- Season each dish with salt and pepper, then drizzle a tablespoon of cream over each dish. Finally, layer each dish with another ounce of cheese each.
- Transfer your baking dish with your two ramekins to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. I baked mine for 15 minutes, and the yolks were just set. You know how you like your eggs, so just keep an eye on it.
- While the eggs are baking, add your buter to a small saucepan. Over medium heat, whisk the butter slowly until it starts to bubble. Once you start to see some brown flecks, you can take it off the heat. Use a microplane grater to grate your garlic clove into the browned butter. (If you don't have a microplane, just finely mince to garlic). Add the dried herbs and breadcrumbs. Give it all a good stir to combine and set aside.
- Finally, slice up your ciabatta loaf into fingers for easy dipping. Lightly toast the ciabatta in the toaster or under the broiler.
- Once your eggs are baked, sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over each dish. Serve with toast.
Notes
- This can also be made all in one baking dish and plated afterward. just spread everything out in a small casserole or pie dish rather than dividing it between the two ramekins.
Are you looking for more Meatless Monday recipes? This this Egg & Mango Chutney Flatbread.
Blair says
This was fantastic and so easy!! I added some sliced tomato. I baked in a glass baking dish, and my eggs could have used a bit more than 15 minutes. I will definitely be making this again!
Renee says
I'm glad you found a way to make it your own. Perfect eggs are a bit different for everyone, and slight variations can change the cooking time. It's always best to trust your instincts with something like that.