Eggs in a mini casserole: Ready in minutes!

I won't reveal anything new if I tell you I love eggs cooked any way. And it's no surprise that I'm crazy about quick, easy, no-fuss recipes. Well, these eggs in mini casserole are truly a brilliant breakfast, or a delicious and super-fast lunch or dinner! Not only are they tasty, but the difficulty in preparing them is nonexistent.

Want a nutritious, complete breakfast but don't feel like making it complicated? This is your recipe. Can't think of what to make because you always have the same dinner? This is your recipe. Have guests and don't know what dish will surprise them? Definitely, this is your recipe.

So you can see I'm not kidding, here it is. So you can discover it, replicate it, transform it and adapt it to your taste with the sides you prefer, the spices you like best and the way of preparing it that suits you according to the time, mood and ingredients you have on each occasion.

Ingredients for 4 people

• 8 large free-range eggs
• Extra virgin olive oil or butter
• 4 slices of smoked salmon or cured ham
• Kale leaves, stemmed (or a few baby spinach leaves)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• To garnish: roasted cherry tomatoes, some sprouts, grated Parmesan cheese or chopped chives or parsley.
• And of course, bread to serve.

Preparation

1. Put a little extra virgin olive oil (AOVE) or a knob of butter in the bottom of each mini casserole and line the inside with the kale leaves or the spinach.
2. Next, crack two eggs into each mini casserole and distribute the strips of smoked salmon or cured ham
   
3. Season to taste and cover.

Microwave cooking... In just a few minutes!

1. Put the mini-casseroles in the microwave. In the microwave, the time is about 2,5 minutes per mini-casserole (if you make them at the same time, you'll need about 9 minutes for them all to cook). They really cook super fast, and what is important is that, after about 3-4 minutes, you lift the lid of the mini casseroles to release the steam they've contained; otherwise the lid pops off and part of the egg explodes (possibly dirtying the microwave). So, all you have to do is lift the lid at a minute and a half after starting if cooking them individually, or at 3 or 4 minutes if you make the eggs at the same time: stop the microwave, lift the lids of the mini casseroles for a second, cover again, and continue cooking.

Oven cooking

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
2. Place the mini cocottes on the middle rack of the oven and bake at 190 ºC for 15-20 minutes (or until they're set or cooked to your liking).
3. When they're ready, remove the mini cocottes from the oven and garnish with a roasted cherry tomato, a little grated Parmesan, finely chopped parsley or chives, or some sprouts of your favorite microgreens.
4. Serve hot accompanied by a good slice of homemade bread, and enjoy!

Notes

• You know that, if the recipe allows, I always encourage adapting it to your taste. You can add some sliced mushrooms, cut the ham or salmon into not-too-small cubes, swap the salmon for some shrimp tails, or the ham for some chorizo or turkey, use Swiss chard, kale or even some chopped green beans... the only limit should be your imagination, or the ingredients you have in the pantry!
• I mentioned serving the eggs with some roasted tomatoes or peppers. For this, it's ideal if you want to put a Naturals tray (or another mini cocotte if you have one) with some vegetables seasoned with salt, pepper and oil, and put them in the oven at the same time as the mini cocottes. That way you prepare the perfect side dish at the same time!
• This recipe looks great presented in the beautiful mini cocottes by Le Creuset. But you can also make it in bowls or ramekins and cover them with plastic wrap or parchment paper.
• In the original recipe the eggs were baked in a water bath. You can do it that way if you want a gentler cooking of the ingredients, but it will require a few more minutes of baking.