Eggs in a mini casserole: Ready in minutes!

I’m not revealing anything new when I tell you that I love eggs cooked any way. And it’s no surprise that I’m crazy about quick, easy, and fail-safe recipes. Well then, these eggs in mini casserole are truly a brilliant breakfast—or a delicious, super-fast lunch or dinner! Because they’re not only tasty, but also ridiculously easy to make.

Fancy a nutritious, complete breakfast but don’t feel like making a fuss? This is your recipe. Can’t think of what to make because you always have the same dinner? This is your recipe. Having guests over and not sure how to impress them? Definitely, this is your recipe.

So you can see I’m not fooling you, here it is. Discover it, recreate it, adapt it, and make it your own with the sides you prefer, the spices you like best, and the method that suits you best depending on the time, the energy, and the ingredients you have on hand each time.

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, stem removed (or a few baby spinach leaves)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• For garnish: roasted cherry tomatoes, a few sprouts, grated Parmesan cheese, or chopped chives or parsley.
• And of course, bread to serve with it.

Preparation

1. Put a little EVOO 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 divide 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 all at once, you will need about 9 minutes for them all to cook). The truth is that they 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 have trapped, otherwise the lid pops off and part of the egg explodes (possibly making a mess in the microwave). So, the only thing you have to do is lift the lid after a minute and a half from the start if you cook them individually, or after 3 or 4 minutes if you make the eggs all at once: stop the microwave, lift the lids of the mini-casseroles for a second, cover them again, and continue cooking.

Oven cooking

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

Notes

• As you know, if the recipe allows it, I always encourage you to adapt 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 a little chorizo or turkey, use chard, kale, or even some chopped green beans... the limit should always be your imagination, or the ingredients you have in the pantry!
• I mentioned serving the eggs with some roasted tomatoes or peppers. In this case, it’s ideal if you want to put together 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 ideal side at the same time!
• This recipe looks especially beautiful served in the lovely Le Creuset mini cocottes. But you can also make it in bowls or ramekins and cover them with cling film or parchment paper.
• In the original recipe, the eggs were baked in the oven in a bain-marie. You can do it that way if you want a gentler cooking of the ingredients, but you’ll need a few extra minutes of baking time.