Also known as eggs en cocotte this is a classic recipe and one I can’t believe I’ve never made before! My baked eggs with spinach and cheddar take no time at all to make; it’s on the table in under 15 minutes. Don’t be fooled though, this simple recipe is seriously luxurious and packed with comforting flavours.
Once your fork (or spoon!) hits that runny yolk it mixes with the soft spinach, melted cheese and double cream and it is truly a joy to eat. The egg white should be just set and the yolk still runny. They are delicious served on their own but served with some crusty bread for dipping you really can’t go wrong.
Top Tips
As the recipe is one egg per person this recipe is so easy to scale up or down depending on how many mouths you need to feed. The quality of ingredients you use is really important for this recipe. I used beautifully fresh, free range eggs, organic double cream and some strong crumbly cheddar.
The eggs need to be baked in a bain marie. In other words, the ramekins need to be surrounded by hot water as they bake. It can be tricky getting a pan full of boiling water into the oven but half filling the tray first, then taking it to the oven and filling it up there makes things much easier.
Variations
Try different vegetables like peppers, tomatoes or cooked mushrooms. If you want to make it a little lighter, try using low fat crème fraîche rather than double cream. Almost any leftovers you have could be used for this recipe: smoked fish, cooked ham, different cheeses. I like these baked eggs with spinach and cheddar as it’s a classic combination but you really could do almost anything you like!
If you like the sound of these baked eggs I made a similar filling for a carrot tart. Full of fresh herbs and cheese my rainbow carrot tart takes this flavour of baked eggs to a whole new level.
Baked Eggs with Spinach and Cheddar
Equipment
- 2 small ramekins
Ingredients
- 1 handful spinach
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp double cream
- 50 g cheddar cheese grated
- salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp butter for greasing
Instructions
- Add the spinach to a dry saucepan and cook over a low to medium heat for a few minutes or until wilted. Using the back of a spoon squeeze the spinach against the side of the pan to remove any excess water.
- Lightly butter the inside of two ramekins. Preheat an oven to 180C.
- Divide the spinach between the ramekins then crack an egg into each ramekin.
- Pour one spoon of double cream into each ramekin along with a little salt and plenty of pepper. Divide the cheese between each ramekin and sprinkle it on top.
- Put the ramekins into a high sided baking tray. Pour enough boiling water into the tray so that it comes two thirds of the way up the ramekin dishes.
- Bake the eggs in the oven for 8 minutes. If you prefer a more set yolk then bake for 10 minutes.
- Carefully remove the ramekins from the hot water before serving immediately.
Notes
Pin my baked eggs with spinach and cheddar for later!
I too just had some baked eggs too…so yummy and easy to make!
I don’t know why I don’t make them more often!
I love baked eggs, especialy with sauteed mushrooms. I haven’t made them in ages, but shall now. Thanks for the motivation…
I love them with mushrooms too, perfect for an autumn day.
This is a perfect brunch dish! And, like you said, easy to scale up and down depending on the number of people. There’s something so comforting about the combination of eggs, cheese, and cream!
I don’t think you can ever go wrong with eggs, cheese and cream!
I haven’t made this in such a long time, so delicious and comforting. I love that it’s served in the baking dish too, now that it’s getting colder, it’s difficult to keep food warm on the table, this solves that problem!
It is nice to serve it in the dish isn’t it? Makes it a bit different to a ‘usual’ lunchtime.
Absolutely sharing and pinning this tasty evergreen !
Thank you!
Lovely dish — baked eggs are so good. Like the addition of spinach — sounds wonderful. I haven’t made this in forever — but will again, soon. 🙂
The spinach works really well John, definitely worth a try.
I always forget about baking eggs, and they are so luscious. Thanks for reminding me of this awesome way to make eggs! It’s now on my menu for next week – I love the addition of spinach!
Enjoy Laura! Any veg works well: tomatoes, mushrooms, a few pieces of leftover roast veg from the weekend. Perfect!
Yum, your recipe sounds sort of like Eggs Florentine- a whole meal in one! This looks a little easier than poaching eggs- just crack them in the dish and bake!
Much easier than poaching eggs – I’m not very good at that!