Creamy Baked Eggs

Author Notes

On special occasions or holidays, my mom made shirred or baked eggs. She would make them in individual cups or small baking dishes, and it was one of my favorite breakfasts. This is my updated version of my mom's baked eggs. I added some spinach, bacon, and tomatoes and used a béchamel to make it creamy and decadent. Some grated Gruyère and a short trip to the broiler finishes this dish. —sdebrango

Test Kitchen Notes

This baked eggs recipe is a very luxurious way to begin your day. You'll love the combination of spinach, bacon, and tomatoes—plus a handful of Gruyère that really puts this dish over the top. A simple béchamel of butter, flour, and milk may seem like an extra step, but it's well worth the effort. Cooking the spinach and tomatoes in bacon fat—well, you can't go wrong with that either, can you? This recipe is versatile too, as you can use whatever vegetables you want, guanciale or pancetta instead of the bacon, and your favorite type of cheese if you're not feeling the Gruyère.

If that hasn't convinced you to make this, well, you're missing out on a contest winner. We put out a call for the dreamiest breakfast you can imagine, and this recipe was the winner! From smoothies to delicious oats, soufflés, and even breakfast pasta, we received a lot of submissions, but this was our favorite. The developer, sdebrango, says: "Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day—or, rather breakfast food at any time of day, really. This recipe is versatile and makes a great creamy breakfast, or equally delicious lunch or dinner. How can you not love anything made with a cream sauce? I've made this dish, or a variation of it, so many times. I've tried using different vegetables—Brussels sprouts, zucchini, fried potatoes—pancetta instead of bacon, cheese sauce rather than a basic béchamel... Sometimes using buttered toasted garlic breadcrumbs on top is nice, along with different cheeses—like Taleggio, for example." —The Editors