Eggs Florentine {Healthy + Easy}

This is what you are serving the next time you have friends over for brunch.

Or, tomorrow, just for yourself – but only if you are the type to like a healthy, filling, well-balanced breakfast in minutes.

I love scrambled eggs, but they are a hands-on proposition. Not that time consuming, but definitely hands-on. I am always looking for food that kind of makes itself, so I can spend those minutes prepping something more fussy at the same time… or loading the dishwasher, or blow-drying my hair, or answering email… multi-tasking is just my speed.

This dish has three simple components: A toasted English muffin serves as the base, topped with lightly sauteed baby spinach, capped off with the main event – a fluffy baked egg or two egg whites. A sprinkle of salt and pepper and you are good to go, or try a light pico de gallo or Avocado “Hollandaise.” Do you have a sauce left over from a weekday meal? Try it! There is a pumpkin curry sauce from a restaurant in Charlottesville that I would put on pretty much anything. I bet it would be awesome on this dish. Oh no, now I want to drive to Charlottesville tomorrow.

I found the idea for this dish when paging through my pile of “recipes to make.” How had I let it sit in that stack since 2010? It’s amazing. And how had I never baked an egg before? Have you baked eggs? Why did no one tell me?

For this recipe, you can bake one whole egg, or two egg whites, per English muffin half. I think I prefer the egg whites, because they are lighter and fluffier, and a bit thicker than the one egg. I also found with the whole egg that it was hard to get the yolk to be cooked to my liking – if you leave it in the oven a bit too long, it will start to cook through. But if you like yolks cooked “over hard,” this may be the recipe for you. They are also more photogenic, if, say, you are writing a blog post.

To bake the eggs, you need a small oven-proof bowl. Measure it roughly against an English muffin – you want the egg to sit nicely on top when it’s cooked. Like this.

The small cups shown below were $.99 at World Market, and are probably about the same at other stores – you may want to grab a few to have around the kitchen. I have a set of glass “oven to freezer” storage containers from Costco, and the smallest round bowl from that set worked perfectly as well.  Just make sure whatever you use says that it is safe for use in the oven – just check the bottom of the dish!

Spray the bowl or cup lightly with olive oil spray, and then fill it with 1 Tablespoon of water. Crack an egg, or two egg whites, directly into the cup. It will need about 15 – 18 minutes in the oven – cook the egg until it is set (feel free to take it out and poke at the sides of it if you are not sure!). The below picture demonstrates the one part that needed attention from me when I was making this recipe. I kept thinking the eggs were not done, but it turns out that the sprayed oil and the water rises to the top – so be sure to tip the bowl a bit when you are checking to make sure it’s done, so the water and oil run off and you can see the egg. The eggs in the below picture, though they might not seem it, are completely cooked through (minus the yolk, which I wanted a bit runny).

While the egg is cooking, saute some baby spinach, and prep any topper you might want to use, like the Avocado “Hollandaise” pictured below or pico de gallo or salsa. How about sauteed mushrooms, or crumbled bacon? We are talking about eggs here – your possibilities are endless.

Eggs Florentine {Healthy + Easy}

 

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Have 20 minutes? Make this healthy and impressive breakfast. Serve with fruit or cheese grits. For breakfast on your way out the door to work, one half of an English muffin is probably enough; for a leisurely weekend brunch, budget one whole English muffin per person.

Author: myutensilcrock.com

Recipe type: Breakfast + Brunch

Ingredients

• 2 eggs or 4 egg whites
• 1 English muffin
• Big handful of baby spinach (~1 c)
• Toppings of your choice (pico de gallo, avocado, etc.)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Lightly spray two small oven-proof bowls with olive oil, then put 1 T of water in each.
3. Crack one egg or two egg whites directly into each bowl.
4. Place the bowls on a small cookie sheet (which will be easier to handle than the small bowls when you are wearing oven mitts), and place in the preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes.
5. Toast the English muffins in the oven at the same time the eggs are baking - but keep an eye on them! {If you want them browned, you may need to broil them for a minute or two when the eggs are done - but don't walk away while broiling!}
6. While the eggs are in the oven, heat a medium skillet over high heat. When it is heated, spray with olive oil. When the oil has heated, fill the skillet with the baby spinach, and saute until wilted.
7. Place the English muffin halves face-up on plates, and divide the spinach among them.
8. Lightly blot off a bit of the remaining water from the eggs with a paper towel, and using a spoon, lift the egg from the bowl and top the spinach.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 egg or 2 egg whites on ½ English muffin, with ½ c baby spinach (sauteed after measuring)

3.2.2704

This post is part of Our Growing Edge, a monthly blogging event to encourage us to try new food related things. This month is hosted by Eva from Kitchen Inspirations. New for me this month – baking eggs! Who knew.