Baked Eggs For One

Sometimes the things I decide to make in my kitchen are inspired by nothing other than a fridge full of odds and ends leftover from other dishes. Recently, I had a treasure trove to work with: onions (red and white), spinach, arugula,  red cabbage, tomatoes (well, these were on the counter, not in the fridge), zucchini, bell peppers, asparagus, various cheeses, fruits, and more.

I started thinking that I wanted to do something with the tomatoes and spinach, but I didn't want to make a pasta (I'd been eating pasta in different forms for two weeks). An omelette sprang to mind, and then I was off and running thinking of egg dishes. It finally came to me that baked eggs would be perfect with lots of veggies and would make a filling dinner. (Don't you love breakfast for dinner?)

I had made baked eggs once before, but just to be sure I wouldn't mess them up, I did a quick Google search for some baking temperature and timing guidelines and landed on Alicia's recipe. I immediately went to her blog for my sought-after guidance. (Side note: Even though Google has a new recipe search filter, I prefer to just Google under the "Everything" filter, so I can still find the sources I really trust. Thankfully, I have a huge network of talented blogger friends to turn to for guidance and inspiration. And I'm happy their recipes are still coming up in a regular Google search.)

Armed with some idea of how to go about making baked eggs, I gathered ingredients. I grabbed the spinach and tomatoes I knew I wanted to use and then added to those some onion, garlic, zucchini, olive oil, salt and pepper, grated parmesan, and a couple of eggs. I could tell these were the makings of a fabulous dinner. And apparently, I was craving Italian flavors even if I wasn't in the mood for pasta.

Baked Eggs For One (inspired by The Clean Plate Club)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for baking dish
1/4 cup diced Vidalia onion
1 cup diced zucchini
3 Campari tomatoes, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper
1 cup baby spinach
2 eggs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
Toast (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and zucchini to the skillet. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add tomatoes and garlic, and saute for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Toss the spinach on top, cover the pan, and cook until spinach starts to wilt, about 1 minute. Stir the spinach into the other veggies.

Drizzle some olive oil in the bottom of a small oven-safe baking dish.

Transfer the veggies to the dish.

Crack the eggs right on top.

Season with salt and pepper, and top with the grated Parmesan.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until eggs are cooked the way you like them, turning halfway through.

Let cool slightly, about 1 to 2 minutes. Serve with toast, if desired (or, you know, a burger bun, if that's what you have on hand).

If I had to write a chapter in one of those books about eating alone, I could see myself writing about this dish. It was easy to prepare, incorporated a lot of my favorite foods, and absolutely hit the spot.

What do you eat when you eat alone?