Spinach and Mushrooms Eggs en Cocotte

April 24, 2023.

By Lindsay Moser
Lindsay Moser, also known as The Hunger Diaries, is a viral digital content creator bringing joy to eating and cooking with her delicious, easy-to-follow recipes and enthusiastic appetite. Check out all her recipe videos on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, and even more appetizing posts (especially if you love pasta like Lindsay does!) on her website TheHungerDiaries.com.

Today we are making a super easy and satisfying breakfast called Eggs en Cocotte, with savory shiitake mushrooms, spinach, nutty gruyère cheese and fresh thyme. Inspiration courtesy of a set of “Foodie Dice” I got as a gift last year! They’re designed to help you come up with unique meal ideas by rolling the dice and using the ingredients that you come up with. Naturally, I decided to call the game CCC, or Cafe Casino Cooking, because it’s cheeky and who doesn’t want to have some fun while they’re cooking? It’s the game that wins you a delicious meal, and I’m here for it.

The dice feature multiple seasonal veggie dice along with a protein, grain, herb, cooking method, and bonus ingredient dice. Just roll the dice, see what ingredients you get, then use your creativity to come up with a meal idea that incorporates those ingredients.

What makes the dice so fun is how limitless the possibilities are! I’ve used them to come up with completely random, new ideas, and this time I decided to call an audible and add bread to the mix (the grain dice doesn’t include bread — wth?!) because let’s be honest, a baked egg (or eggs en cocotte) just begs for a crusty slice of bread to sop up all the creamy, yolky goodness.

I took the rest of the dice (blowing on them for good luck, of course) and rolled to see what surprise I’d get. The results led me to create this recipe for “Eggs en Cocotte with Spinach, Mushrooms, Gruyere, and Thyme”. So easy, so much fun, and so perfect for spring!

Now, let’s talk about the recipe! To begin, you’ll preheat your oven to 400° F and grease four oven-safe ramekins with butter, placing them into a deep sided casserole dish. Then, you’ll sauté the mushrooms and thyme in a pan with butter and olive oil. Once the mushrooms are golden brown, add the baby spinach and cook until wilted. You’ll then divide the spinach and mushroom mixture between the ramekins and add a tablespoon of shredded gruyere cheese to each.

Next, you’ll crack an egg into each ramekin, then drizzle a tablespoon of heavy cream into each one. Then, you’ll pour boiling water into the casserole dish surrounding the ramekins, creating what’s called a water bath. This ensures everything cooks evenly. You’ll pour the water until it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins, then cover the casserole dish with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked to your liking.

While the eggs are baking, fry slices of crusty bread in the remaining butter and oil until golden brown and crispy on the outside, and soft and chewy on the inside. Once the Eggs en Cocotte are done, remove them from the oven, garnish with more thyme, and serve with the bread. Seriously, how easy is that?!

This recipe for Eggs en Cocotte with Spinach, Mushrooms, Gruyere, and Thyme is a delicious and easy dish to make for breakfast or brunch. The combination of savory mushrooms, fresh spinach, and sharp, nutty Gruyere cheese make for a hearty and satisfying meal, while the soft baked eggs add the perfect richness from the jammy yolk. It’s so easy to scale up or down, depending on how many people you’re feeding. You can make several for a crowd, or a single serving for yourself to dig into while you play one of many Cafe Casino online slots. It’ll be like you’re in Vegas, but from the comfort of your own home! Enjoy and, of course, have fun!

EGGS EN COCOTTE WITH SPINACH, MUSHROOMS, GRUYERE AND THYME RECIPE

Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 tsp + 2 tbsp butter (divided)
• 4 eggs
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (divided)
• 8 oz shiitake mushrooms
• 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 4 tbsp gruyere cheese (shredded)
• 4 tbsp heavy cream
• 4 slices crusty bread

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat your oven to 400° F, then grease 4, 4 oz oven-safe ramekins with a tsp of butter each. You can also use cooking spray if you’d like. Place ramekins in a deep-sided oven safe casserole dish.
2. Add 1 tbsp each of butter and olive oil to a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and thyme, season with salt and pepper, and saute until golden brown. You can also add minced garlic here if you’d like.
3. Add the baby spinach to your mushrooms and continue cooking till wilted but not shriveled down to nothing (about a minute).
4. Divide your spinach and mushroom mixture between all 4 ramekins, scooping them onto one side of each dish.
5. Add a tablespoon of shredded gruyere in a pile next to your spinach and mushrooms in each ramekin, then crack an egg into the empty space left in each and drizzle a tablespoon of heavy cream into each ramekin as well.
6. Pour boiling water into your casserole dish till it comes about halfway up the sides of the ramekins, then cover with foil and bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked to your liking. Keep in mind, the eggs will continue to cook a bit after they come out of the oven, so try to remove them just before your desired doneness.
7. While the eggs are baking, fry your crusty bread sliced in remaining butter and oil until golden brown and crispy on the outside, and soft and chewy on the inside.
8. Remove eggs from the oven, garnish with more thyme, serve with bread and enjoy!

Notes

• To keep your yolks from continuing to cook when they come out of the oven, break into them immediately.
• If you’re cooking less eggs (or more) the cooking time will change. For instance, if you’re only cooking 1 egg, it may only take around 15 minutes to cook. Keep an eye on them if you’re making those adjustments.
• If you’re using a convection oven, bake at 375° F instead.

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Next recipe: Giant Meatballs