Ricotta and Spinach Egg Bake

Name: Ricotta and Spinach Egg Bake
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: butter (for greasing the ramekin); 1/4 cup ricotta cheese; 1/2 cup roughly chopped spinach; 1/2 tsp dried thyme; 1/2 tsp lemon zest (optional); 1 Tbsp olive oil; 2 eggs; salt and pepper; 2 slices bread for serving

Published: Jan 29, 2021 · Last Updated: Feb 22, 2023 by Katie Trant · 25 Comments

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Ricotta and Spinach Egg Bake is an easy, protein-packed meal that's perfect for breakfast or dinner. Baked in individual ramekins, this healthy vegetarian dish goes from oven to table in just 15 minutes.

Where are my fellow egg lovers at??? Can I see a show of hands?

I've started buying eggs in those big flats instead of by the dozen, because I realized between baking with them, making egg dishes, and straight up eating eggs, we were running out all the time.

I eat a couple of eggs almost every day of the week. First of all, eggs are nutrition superstars that provide a ton of high-quality protein, choline (especially important for pregnant ladies), and the omega-3 fatty acid DHA.

And then there's the time factor. Most egg dishes are so fast and easy to make, that even on the busiest day I can at the very least whip up a pan of scrambled eggs and have lunch on the table in a matter of minutes.

Honest to goodness, this Ricotta and Spinach Egg Bake doesn't take a whole lot more effort. It's a matter of throwing together a few basic ingredients, stuffing everything into a ramekin, and slinging it into the oven. 15 minutes later your breakfast / lunch / dinner is ready, and you'll be feeling pretty darn smug about how good it is.

What goes into this recipe?

You'll find a detailed recipe card at the end of this post with specific amounts of each ingredient. Here's what you'll need to make this recipe:

Eggs --> okay, okay, maybe you saw that coming?
Spinach --> yup, we're making green eggs here!
Ricotta --> the surprises just keep coming!
A l'li bit of lemon zest --> for that something special.
Some herbs and some salt --> to spice up your life.

Equipment:

You will need a couple of oven-proof ramekins or bowls for this egg bake recipe.

How do you make Ricotta and Spinach Egg Bake?

Folks, we're looking at a literal five minutes of prep here. This recipe is soooooo easy and soooooo tasty, it's going to make you feel like a genius! Here's what you do:

Grab a couple of ramekins or oven-proof bowls (tip: check the bottom of your bowl, it often states whether or not things can go in the oven right there) and grease 'em up with a bit of butter (I use soft butter from my butter dish and a clean finger to get this job done).

In a larger bowl (above), mix together ricotta, chopped spinach, lemon zest, herbs, and salt. Smoosh this mixture into your buttered ramekins, and using a spoon (or your fingers, let's be real here) create a little groove for the eggs.

Then, crack your eggs on top of the spinach-ricotta mix (above), and let them settle into the grooves you created. Throw your ramekins into a pre-heated oven, and bake for 12-15 minutes.

Now comes the trickiest part of the entire dish...

How do I know when my spinach egg bake is ready?

Here's the thing, my friends: you gotta pull these out of the oven before the eggs have finished cooking. This means going against every instinct and pulling them out when not only are the yolks still runny, but the whites are undercooked as well.

Let them sit on the counter for five minutes, and the heat of the dish will finish cooking the eggs for you for perfectly cooked eggs with runny yolks. This is known as carryover cooking and is also the secret for perfect chocolate chip cookies, just so ya know.

Of course if runny yolks aren't your thing, you're welcome to cook them for a few minutes longer.

See how my yolks are kinda cooked on top but runny underneath? That's because I have a convection oven, and the heat of the fan running across the tops of the egg has that effect.

I love this dish because it’s simple and warm and delicious, it’s elegant, it’s nutritious, and it’s easily made for dinner for one or two or more. It's fairly season-less depending on what sort of greens you stir into the ricotta, and what herbs you choose to go with.

What kind of eggs are best for this recipe?

I always make sure to buy the best eggs I can get my hands on, which for me means free-range hens that are fed organic food and are able to graze outside and eat bugs and worms and other stuff that chickens like to eat.

I recommend always buying large eggs, which is what most recipes call for.

Can I use another type of greens?

Sure! You could replace the spinach with a handful of chard, or with ribbons of thinly sliced kale.

Can I use less ricotta / more greens?

I like to go a bit heavy on the greens because, well, because that’s the kind of girl I am, but if you’re after a richer more indulgent dish, ease up on them a bit and let the ricotta shine through.

Can I make this recipe in advance?

You can prep the ricotta mixture and fill the ramekins in advance, and when you're ready to bake just crack the eggs on top and you're good to go.

Can I make this recipe for a crowd?

You bet! Just adjust the serving size in the recipe card below, and it'll adjust the recipe for you. You can bake a big batch in several ramekins, or use a buttered casserole dish instead.

Hey Nutrition Lady, are eggs good for you?

My friends, eggs are a nutrition superstar!

Eggs are a natural, nutrient-rich whole food and an amazing source of high quality protein. In fact, many public health authorities use eggs as the reference standard against which protein qualities are evaluated.

Eggs contain all 8 B-vitamins, along with folic acid. Vitamin B12 and choline are particularly abundant in eggs. Eggs are also a very good source of selenium and iodine.

But what about the cholesterol in eggs? Well, several large-scale studies conducted recently have suggested that the cholesterol content of eggs in relation to heart disease may be less of a concern than previously thought. Interestingly, a relationship between egg intake and an increase in HDL (good) cholesterol has also been observed.

Is one part of an egg better than the other? As it turns out, the nutrients found in an egg are distributed fairly evenly between the white and the yolk. The white has more protein, magnesium, potassium, and B3, whereas the yolk has more omega-3 fatty acids, folate, choline, B12, and fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, K.

Other egg recipes you might enjoy:

Roasted Vegetable Frittata
Egg in a Squash Hole
Pan-Fried Broccoli with Sesame Egg Ribbons
Vegetarian Frittata with Corn and Tomatoes
Smoky Asparagus Quiche
20 Vegetarian Breakfast Ideas

white ramekins with ricotta and spinach egg bake on blue plates with a baguette

Print Pin

4.80 from 15 votes