Category: Egg Dishes

Breakfast, Egg Dishes, Recipes

Sweet Potato and Kale Egg Bake

Sarah

Since this week has been all about breakfast so far, why not continue the trend? For Friday, this meal is a little less sweet than the waffles and oatmeal I shared before, but less sweet does not equal less tasty. No, no, no. Sweet Potato and Kale Egg Bake is a hearty, cheesy, veggie-filled breakfast that you do NOT want to miss!

Sweet Potato and Kale Egg Bake | The Pajama Chef

This easy egg casserole can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It is just so good! I filled the classic bread-egg-milk bake with healthy kale, tangy red onions, and two kinds of potatoes! I personally thought the shredded sweet potatoes added a ton of flavor, while the roasted white potatoes  [I used Russet, but use whatever you have on hand] were a great base for all the yummy veggies. Oh! And what egg bake doesn’t get better topped with a big handful of sharp cheddar cheese? This one is no exception.

Sweet Potato and Kale Egg Bake | The Pajama Chef

We enjoyed this egg bake for dinner one night, then saved the leftovers for breakfast over the next few days. It heats up beautifully and is a great start to your day! Enjoy! 🙂

Sweet Potato and Kale Egg Bake [a TPC original]
click to print

Ingredients:

  • 2 large Russet potatoes, cubed
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 a large red onion, diced
  • 1/2 a bunch kale, rinsed, dried, and chopped into bite size pieces
  • 6 eggs, beaten
  • 2 cups skim milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 ounces day-old bread, cubed
  • 1 large sweet potato, shredded
  • heaping 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Place cubed Russet potatoes on a large baking sheet. Season with freshly ground black pepper, then drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Roast in oven for 30 minutes, tossing halfway through.

In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until soft, about 4-5 minutes. Then add kale and toss to coat with oil, then cover for 2-3 minutes and cook until wilted.

In a large bowl, gently stir together eggs, milk, seasonings, bread cubes, and sweet potato. Pour mixture into prepared pan, then add roasted potatoes. Top with onion and kale mixture, pressing into the eggs. Cover with shredded cheese and more pepper as desired.

Bake, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes or until cooked through.

Time: 75 minutes [10 minutes active].

Yield: 8-10 servings.

Lemon Herb Eggs in Ciabatta | The Pajama Chef
Breakfast, Egg Dishes, Recipes

SRC: Lemon Herb Eggs in Ciabatta

Sarah

For the month of November, my Secret Recipe Club assignment this month was Aly’s fun and fashionable blog, Cooking in Stilettos. As I say every month, I love being part of the SRC. It’s a fun way to try new blogs and recipes and be part of a great community. If you’ve missed my past SRC posts, the premise is this: you’re assigned a different member’s blog every month. You visit their blog, choose any recipe you want, then make it and share it on your blog… all while keeping your assignment a secret! Everyone else posts about their secret blog the same day. It’s fabulously fun to try out new blogs. If you have a blog, definitely check it out and consider joining! I highly recommend it.

Aly has an amazing collection of recipes on her blog. I had such a hard time just picking one! She is a self-taught cook and draws inspiration for her food from the people and places around her–most notably her grandfather, or as she lovingly called him, her Bampa. I just love Aly’s tribute to him on her blog–I feel the same way about my own grandpa. If I had planned ahead, it would have been fitting to make one of his recipes, but alas–I did not. Instead, I made pretty much the awesomest brunch dish EVER.

Lemon Herb Eggs in Ciabatta | The Pajama ChefThis impressive looking Lemon Herb Eggs in Ciabatta looks complicated, but is in fact quite simple to make. [Just don’t tell anyone!] And you know what? It’s as tasty as it looks [even if it sounds weird].

Despite any preconceived notions you might have about what should go with egg, you should definitely give this recipe a fair shot. It’s the most light and refreshing egg dish I have ever had. And eggs aren’t something I would consider to be heavy… but there’s just something about the lemon-herb combo that just squeals “refreshing!!!”

Lemon Herb Eggs in Ciabatta | The Pajama ChefSince lemon isn’t actually mixed with egg, this dish isn’t quite as bizarre as it sounds. The lemon flavor is baked into the crust, also known as the shell for a snappy herb egg bake. In order to achieve this, the ciabatta shell is brushed with a mixture of herb-infused olive oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest… then toasted, prior to adding the egg-herb-bread filling. This gives the bread maximum flavor for minimum effort… especially if you purchase the bread from a bakery, like I did.

Lemon Herb Eggs in Ciabatta | The Pajama ChefI infused my olive oil with an Italian seasoning that is actually intended for olive oil, you know, those gourmet food shop seasoning containers that you’re supposed to add to olive oil for bread dipping and whatnot? Well, that’s all I’ve used mine for actually. Then, for the herb-in-egg mixture, I used fresh parsley, since that pairs so well with lemon. We all know it’s more than that! Aly used chives, but I couldn’t find any fresh so I improvised.It’s not too often that a dish highlights parsley, and I didn’t want the parsley to feel like it was just a garnish. And here, it is so good.

Lemon Herb Eggs in Ciabatta | The Pajama ChefI just don’t have anything more to say about this dish except that it’s so beautiful and stunning and EASY that you should make it this weekend and impress everyone you know. Even those of the feline variety. I was just trying to impress Ben on a recent Saturday morning, but the kitty wanted in on the action too.

Lemon Herb Eggs in Ciabatta | The Pajama Chef

Lemon Herb Eggs in Ciabatta

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Print

from Cooking in Stilettos

Ingredients:

  • 1 loaf fresh ciabatta bread
  • 2 tablespoons herb-infused olive oil [I just mixed a bit of Italian seasoning with some good extra virgin olive oil]
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • zest of half a lemon
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using a paring knife, hollow out the loaf of bread. Reserve for later. Then, mix together olive oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Brush on inside of ciabatta, then place on a baking sheet. Toast for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut reserved bread pieces into 1 inch pieces. Next, whisk the eggs, then stir in parsley, Parmesan, pepper, and milk. Add the bread cubes and stir gently to combine.

Remove toasted bread from oven, then pour in egg mixture.

Return to oven and bake for 35-45 minutes or until eggs are fully cooked. Cut into pieces and serve immediately.

 

Notes: This is best fresh, but leftovers aren’t bad. Just toast in the oven to reheat. Also, original baking time was listed as 35-40 minutes, but mine definitely took 45. If it starts to brown too much on top while baking, just cover with foil.

Be sure to check out the other fabulous recipes posted today [click below] for this week’s SRC reveal. Have a great day!



Breakfast, Egg Dishes, Recipes

Sausage, Apple, and Egg Casserole

Sarah

Happy Leap Day! Speaking of holidays, my family always has the same egg casserole, Easy Cheese Souffle, on Christmas morning. [Yes, I know it’s February, and I’m talking about Christmas. So what? And is Leap Day a holiday? I’m pretty sure it is, right?] It’s a pretty simple make ahead egg casserole dish–full of layers of cheese, eggs, and bread with a little bit of spice. There’s so much cheese in Easy Cheese Souffle that it rivals the eggs for prominence in the name. In fact, cheese is such an integral part of my Christmas breakfast experience that I have a hard time reconciling breakfast casseroles that include meat and do not include cheese. Even if I’m eating said egg casserole and it’s not Christmas.

So it came to me as a shocking surprise that I was drawn to this recipe for Sausage, Apple, and Egg Casserole.

No cheese? Whaaaaat?

Did I read that right?

Sausage, Apple, and Egg Casserole #breakfast #brunch /// thepajamachef.comI had to check myself from throwing some cheese in there out of habit when I was prepping it on a Friday night for Saturday’s brunch with friends. And you know what? I am so glad I didn’t add any cheese.

[Cue another “whaaaaat?”]

See, not adding cheese allowed the other flavors–bread, sausage, apples, eggs, onions, milk, and pepper–to stand out. And with only seven ingredients [and no cheese], everything had a chance to shine in every bite. The maple sausage added an extra level of wow to this dish, and it’s definitely going to be a keeper in my breakfast repertoire–even without cheese!

Question of the day ~ Are there certain recipes you feel just have to be so, like me and egg/cheese casserole?

Sausage, Apple, and Egg Casserole

  • Servings: 8
  • Print

from The Brunette Foodie [blog disabled now]

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound ground maple sausage
  • 1/3 baguette, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1/2 cup onion, minced
  • 2 Gala apples, diced
  • 1/2-1 1/2 cups skim milk
  • 8 eggs
  • freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Then, cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking the sausage as it cooks. Meanwhile, place the baguette cubes in a single layer in the baking dish, then evenly add onion and apple on top.

After sausage is cooked, drain grease then add sausage to baking dish. In a bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup milk and eggs, making sure that yolks break. Pour mixture over top everything else, and add up to 1 additional cup milk if needed. I used more of a softer baguette [which is more like Italian bread], but if you use a true baguette you probably won’t need the extra milk–mine just needed more moisture.

Top with some freshly ground black pepper, then cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours.

In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and then bake, uncovered, for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown.

10 Minute Lunches, Breakfast, Egg Dishes, Recipes

10 Minute Lunch #1: Fried Eggs on Pesto Parmesan Toast

Sarah

10 Minute Lunches. The solution to my problem and yours–the ever-challenging quest of finding a quick, tasty lunch to eat at home during a busy day. A lunch that is better than those mystery leftovers or that boring sandwich you could make. A real lunch, instead of random handfuls of cereal and trail mix. [Or spoonfuls of peanut butter or “small” bowls of kettle chips (just one more) or xyz that is okay in moderation, just not as standard lunch fare.] 10 Minute Lunches is a new series here that I hope is helpful, and can of course be adapted for quick meals any time of the day. Don’t expect complex, 15 ingredient recipes or long preparation/cooking time. These lunches will be things you can really make during a break from the workday. Most are so simple that they are non-recipes. Pictures will be complements of Instagram… cause I gotta get back to work too! So if that sounds good, read on, friends!

Fried Eggs on Pesto Parmesan ToastFried Eggs on Pesto Parmesan Toast. Sounds like a mouthful… and while it is [yup, no denying it], it is really easy to assemble and contains lots of fresh ingredients for a filling, healthy break to your day. Much better than regular eggs and toast, without much more effort. Simply make some whole grain toast and fancify it beyond butter with parmesan and pesto. Add some leafy greens like spinach, top with protein-packed eggs and sit down to enjoy your meal. Spilling several spoonfuls of parmesan on the floor, flinging a pesto-covered knife across the kitchen, and breaking an egg yolk while flipping are completely optional.

What do you like for lunch at home? What about at work? I need ideas!

Fried Eggs on Pesto Parmesan Toast

  • Servings: 1
  • Print

Ingredients:

  • 2 slices thick multigrain bread
  • 2 eggs
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • butter
  • grated parmesan cheese
  • pesto
  • fresh spinach

Non-directions:

  • Toast bread lightly in toaster.
  • Prepare fried eggs as desired–I like mine just over medium, topping with a sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper on top while cooking.
  • Butter toast and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Pop under the broiler for a minute or two, until golden. Then spread with pesto.
  • Top toast with spinach, and place egg on top.
  • Enjoy!

Time: 10 minutes or less.

Yield: 1 delicious lunch

 

 

Breakfast, Egg Dishes, Recipes

Baby Bella, Spinach, and Bacon Frittata

Sarah

It’s Christmas week. And we all know what that means. Lots and lots and lots of cookies. And I’ve been cookie baking up a storm lately. So… yeah. I’ve been enjoying a few too many cookies as of late. For breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And snacks. And desserts. Basically, all the time. However–yes, there’s a however, even with cookies involved–real meals are still important. Real quick meals so there’s more time for making cookies. Yep, that’s how I’m thinking nowadays.

My favorite quick meal of the year 2011 has been the frittata. Therefore, I thought a frittata was a relevant and delicious meal for this busy time. This frittata is a little fancy and rich tasting, with gooey cheese, special mushrooms [not that kind of special], and bacon yet still healthy enough thanks to an abundance of spinach to count as a real meal during cookie season. Yes! Win-win. Everybody [and every meal, and cookie] is happy and a winner. Enjoy!

Baby Bella, Spinach, and Bacon Frittata [inspired by Life’s Ambrosia with technique from my Kale Frittata for Two]
printable version

Ingredients:

  • 4 slices bacon
  • 1 cup Baby Bella mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 cup spinach, tightly packed, chopped
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 2-3 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • scant 1/4 cup Swiss cheese, shredded or torn [I used one thick slice of deli Swiss cheese and tore it up]

Directions:

Cook bacon to desired crispness on a skillet over medium heat. Set aside to degrease between paper towels on a plate. Reserve 1-2 teaspoons bacon grease.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add bacon grease to a small (8 inch) oven proof skillet set over medium heat. Cook mushrooms for 2-3 minutes or until softened. Add spinach and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until spinach just begins to wilt.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together eggs, water, and rosemary. Season with black pepper as desired [I like a lot of black pepper, but do what you like best]. When spinach has wilted a bit, add bacon to pan and then pour egg mixture over top and gently stir to incorporate eggs with mushrooms, spinach, and bacon. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the bottom of the frittata begins to set, then use a thin spatula to lift the edge of the frittata. This allows the uncooked egg to transfer below to cook. When eggs are almost set, top with cheese and place in the oven to cook for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and the center is set. Cool briefly before cutting, then serve warm.