Over the weekend I perusing Pinterest for Sunday breakfast inspiration. While there were tons of both decadent and healthy ideas that I loved, there was one concept really stood out to me--baking your eggs. If I had to describe a baked egg, it's essentially a hybrid between a poached egg (appearance) and frittata (method of cooking). It looked absolutely delicious and easy to make so I immediately got to work creating my own recipe.
Sunday morning I went out to pick up the ingredients for my baked egg dish and made a stop at Sur La Table on my way home to pick up supplies for another project that I am currently working on. While shopping around the store, I came across the most fabulous (and adorable) Mini Lodge 6.5 inch Cast Iron Skillets. I had originally planned on using creme brûlée dishes for this recipe, but had a change of heart when I saw these pans were only $11/each. Sold!
This recipe was super easy and tasted delicious. Usually when I am creating a recipe, I will have to taste test 3-4 different versions depending on the complexity. That was certainly not the case with this recipe. One and done! My husband and I both gave this dish an emphatic thumbs up and the adorable mini skillets put the presentation over the top! This recipe is great for serving 1, 2 or 4 individuals, very filling, healthy and takes little time to make. Most definitely a recipe that I can see quickly becoming a breakfast staple in our house.
Ingredients
- 4 Large Eggs
- 2 5oz Packages of Baby Spinach
- 3-4 Cloves Fresh Minced Garlic
- Lemon
- Olive Oil
- 8 Cherry or Grape Tomatoes
- Feta Cheese (Parmesan works well too)
- Fresh Thyme, Rosemary and/or Parsley (whichever you prefer)
- Salt and Pepper
- Toasted Ciabatta Bread (Store bought or Homemade)
Instructions (Serves 2)
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit
- In a large 12" skillet heat 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil on medium heat
- Once hot, add minced garlic and allow to cook for 2 minutes, stirring intermittently to avoid burning.
- Add both packages of baby spinach with a pinch of salt, and allow spinach to wilt down
- Once spinach is wilted, turn off heat and remove from burner
- Grease a 6 1/2 inch oven safe dish with olive oil (spray or bottle). I used this Lodge Cast Iron Pan, but this petite oval au gratin dish works well too.
- Transfer half of the wilted spinach and garlic mixture to each dish and spread evenly across the dish/pan
- Using a microplane, zest a small amount of fresh lemon over each bed of wilted garlic spinach.
- Crack 4 eggs in a bowl (in case any shell falls off, it's easy to pick it out of the bowl instead of having to sift through the dish), gently pour two eggs on top of each bed of spinach
- Slice the tomatoes lengthwise and divide evenly between both skillets
- Add Feta or Parmesan cheese
- Finish with either fresh thyme, rosemary or flat leaf Italian parsley. (*I opted for thyme with my dish, but all 3 herbs work beautifully)
- Bake for 10-15 minutes (depending on how firm or runny you like the egg yolks)
- Once baked, remove from oven and garnish with fresh cracked pepper and salt
- Serve with a piece of toasted bread (I recommend ciabatta) on the side.
