Name: Eggs en Cocotte with Spinach and Bacon
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 8 eggs; 6 oz baby spinach; 1 tbsp butter or olive oil; 8 slices bacon; 16 tbsp heavy cream; kosher salt; cracked black pepper

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Eggs en Cocotte, also known as shirred eggs, are an easy way to cook eggs for breakfast or brunch. Add some spinach and bacon, and you've got yourself a nice little meal, with so little effort.

Several servings of eggs en cocotte with spinach and bacon in small cast-iron skillets and serving dishes are displayed on a wooden surface.

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Why does March have to be so cold? I feel like there should just be a switch, and when the calendar says March 1, it should just automatically be warmer. At least the days are getting a little longer, so I'm not doing my entire 5:30am morning meditation, workout, and yoga routine in the dark!

Maybe some sunny eggs will brighten things up? I'm always looking for new ideas for simple recipes for weekend brunch, and this idea for eggs en cocotte came from Rachel Khoo from her show, "Little Paris Kitchen." Have you seen that show? I love it. She does so many things with just a little burner and a small, countertop oven! Goals!

This is a great brunch recipe for when you are feeling so LAZY. It's really easy, but it seems so fancy!

What are eggs en cocotte?

It's a simple, classic French recipe - a cocotte means any kind of small, heat-proof dish that you can use to cook and serve individual portions. The trick is to cook it in a water bath, and to just keep an eye on it depending upon how done you like your egg yolks.

I do my eggs en cocotte in the oven, but Jacques Pépin does his oeufs en cocotte in a covered deep skillet on the stove top. More goals! I am reading his book, The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen, right now - for the third time. I highly recommend it. He has an incredibly interesting life and I can hear his voice in my head when I read it. I love that.

This recipe is easy to customize to whatever you have in the fridge - leftover veggies like mushrooms or peppers, most any kind of cheese, herbs, etc., and that also makes it a good option for breakfast for dinner. I like the spinach here because I always have some around, and it adds nice green to the dish, no matter what time of year.

More egg recipes:

Eggs en cocotte with spinach and bacon in a small cast-iron serving dish with a fork that has broken open the egg yolk. The dish is displayed on a wooden surface.

How to make eggs en cocotte:

Preheat oven to 350.

Grease ramekins/cooking dishes with butter or olive oil.

Cook bacon according to your desired method. I prefer the microwave for this dish. So easy. No mess.

Several small cast-iron skillets and serving dishes containing a small amount of cooked spinach are displayed on a wooden surface.

In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter or add olive oil and quickly wilt spinach. Distribute the spinach evenly among ramekins or serving dishes.

Several small cast-iron skillets and serving dishes containing a small amount of cooked spinach and some heavy cream are displayed on a wooden surface.

Add 4 tablespoons of heavy cream to each dish. I love to make this in my Lodge cast iron mini-servers or my Lodge cast iron mini-skillets.

Several small cast-iron skillets and serving dishes containing a small amount of cooked spinach, raw eggs, and some heavy cream are displayed on a wooden surface.

Make a small indent in the spinach and nestle the eggs into them. Season with salt and pepper.

Several servings of eggs en cocotte with spinach in small cast-iron skillets and serving dishes are waiting to be topped with bacon. They are displayed on a wooden surface.

Place the serving dishes onto a sheet pan or into a casserole dish and place in the oven. Carefully pour hot water into the sheet pan so each dish has water ⅓ to halfway up the sides of the dish. This ensures gentle cooking.

Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until eggs are just set, or longer if you prefer your egg yolks more done in the center. I like mine sunny and runny!

Crumble the bacon and distribute evenly over each dish. Serve immediately.

More brunch recipes:

Eggs en Cocotte with Spinach and Bacon

Eggs en Cocotte, also known as shirred eggs, are an easy way to cook eggs for breakfast or brunch. Add some spinach and bacon, and you’ve got yourself a nice little meal, with so little effort. You can also use whatever veggies, cheeses, herbs, etc. that you have on hand!

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Course: Breakfast, breakfast for dinner, brunch, weeknight dinner

Cuisine: eggs en cocotte, French, French food, Gluten free

Keyword: Easy weekend brunch recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings:

Calories: 552kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

8 eggs
6 oz baby spinach
1 tbsp butter or olive oil
8 slices bacon
16 tbsp heavy cream
kosher salt
cracked black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease the cooking dishes with butter or olive oil.
Cook bacon as desired, set aside. I prefer the microwave for this. So easy. No mess.
In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter or add olive oil. Sauté spinach until just wilted. Distribute evenly among cooking/serving dishes.
Add 4 tbsp heavy cream to each dish.
Create a small well in the spinach, and crack two eggs into each container. Season with salt and pepper.
Cook in a water bath: Place cooking/serving dishes on a baking pan and place it in the oven. Carefully add hot water to the pan so it goes ⅓ to ½ way up the sides of the cooking dishes.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the eggs are done to your liking. Remove from oven, crumble bacon on top. Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

This recipe assumes that your cooking vessels will hold two eggs easily. Just cut ingredients in half if using a smaller container and only cooking one egg in each.

I like to use my Lodge cast iron mini servers or my Lodge cast iron mini skillets for this recipe because the presentation is so cute!!

Nutrition