Baked Eggs Florentine ~ a simple but delicious dish of baked eggs with spinach. This satisfying low carb recipe makes an elegant breakfast, brunch, or cozy dinner.
Can I just say I love this recipe? And it’s so EASY ~ I saute some aromatics (garlic and shallot,) throw in the spinach just long enough for it to wilt, and pile it all into a gratin dish. I nestle in the eggs, drizzle them with cream, top with a shower of chopped tarragon, and slide it into the oven. When they come out I hit them with a handful of rustic toasted bread crumbs and more fresh herbs. Lots of fresh cracked pepper, too.
I love anything cooked “a la Florentine” ~ it just means in the style of Florence (Italy), and it involves sauteed spinach and some type of creamy sauce. In the US, you’ll often see eggs Florentine as a variation of Eggs Benedict, on a spinach topped English muffin drenched in HOLLANDAISE SAUCE.
In this case the ‘sauce’ is simply a little bit of cream. The idea of baking eggs in a little cream with herbs is very European, and I think it’s the height of effortless elegance.
It only takes about 15 minutes in the oven ~ the whites will set and the yolks will still be perfectly runny.
If you love baked eggs, try my RED PEPPER BAKED EGG GALETTES ~ they’re individual eggs baked in puff pastry ~ they make a fabulous presentation, but are super easy. I do a version with MUSHROOMS, too.
Reader Rave ~
“Oh my, this was just so, so, so delicious! It is dishes like this that assure I’ll never make the leap from vegetarian to vegan: eggs and cream are just too luscious, especially atop my favorite food with herbs from my garden. Thankyouthankyouthankyou, Sue!.” ~ Rusty
*This recipe comes from Williams Sonoma Taste
Baked Eggs Florentine
Ingredients
- 1 slice bread, torn into rough crumbs
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 large shallot
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 Tbsp fresh chopped tarragon
- 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Set oven to 375 degrees F.
- Add a tablespoon of oil to a skillet and stir fry the bread crumbs for about 10 minutes until they are browned and crispy. Hit them with a little salt and pepper, and add the thyme. Set aside.
- Heat the remaining oil in the skillet and saute the garlic and shallot for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Add the spinach and stir until it wilts. Season with a pinch of salt.
- Put the spinach in the bottom of a gratin dish. Make four little indents for the eggs, and space them evenly around the dish.
- Crack an egg into each indent. Pour the cream around the eggs, and top with the tarragon. Sprinkle with salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Finish with a dusting of fresh nutmeg.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until the whites are just set but the yolks are runny. Top with the breadcrumbs and more fresh herbs, if you like. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Notes
- Ovens are notorious for cooking unevenly, so if yours has a hot spot, rotate your dish once during cooking.
- It’s best to stick to gratin style baking dishes for this recipe, if you want to cook for more, do it in multiple dishes. If you try to bake too many eggs in one large casserole, the ones in the center won’t get done.
- I use my classic oval gratin dish for so many things, it’s the perfect size for this egg dish. Many of the best brands are, not surprisingly, French. They come in all colors and sizes, but this 24 ounce capacity is pretty standard. Click on the image for more info.
Thanks for pinning!
This is a great dish Sue! Only recently I had it with sour cream (instead of cream) and then changed it again and used low fat Greek yogurt et …voila! Not too much different, but quite lighter. But to be honest, your recipe with full cream is the best!
I’m interested in the sour cream, Alexandra, maybe thinned out with some lemon juice??
Lemon juice is a very good option. Others could be: kefir, milk, or yogurt thinned with milk. Here the sour cream is different in consistency to the one you have in CA; is thinner and not so sour.
As a final touch I sprinkle chopped chives on the egg yolk.
Could you use kale instead of spinach. I have a garden full.
I thought about that, Mark, and yes, you could, but you probably would saute it a little bit longer in the skillet.
Baked eggs are such a great dish, especially with spinach and herbs. I would enjoy this any time of day!
I’m thinking this would be perfect for Monday night dinner – love the flavors of shallots and thyme!
Gosh I love this dish – the addition of thyme and shallots is perfect. Spinach and eggs is a favorite breakfast of mine! Lovely – sharing and pinning 🙂 Hope you have a wonderful Easter!
This is my kind of brinner Sue, love simple but tasty dishes like this. You sure know how to make me change what I was making originally for dinner in a moments notice.
Haha ~ well, at least it’s easy 🙂
Perfect way to end an ‘overfilled’ day….light, fresh, and GREEN!! Thanks for having ‘breakfast for dinner’!!
This looks fabulous and so easy! I love all things with eggs…runnier the better! Beautiful photos like usual!
Those before pics are as gorgeous as the finished product. I love the simplicity and beauty of this dish, so perfect for a spring breakfast or brunch!
This proves again that DELICIOUS food doesn’t have to complicated! It looks so crazily fresh and tasty, Sue.
I’ve always loved baked eggs, I think the first ones I made were Ina Garten’s.