Baked eggs with buckwheat and spinach Recipe
This dish looks like a small breakfast casserole, but it will easily fill you up for dinner too. Buckwheat, spinach and eggs baked together in one little dish are a bit like an English breakfast, only in a Polish, more grain-based version. Ideal when you have some cooked buckwheat left over from dinner.
Combining buckwheat, spinach and baked eggs in individual dishes makes for a hearty, comforting meal that cleverly uses leftovers and brings a Polish twist to the idea of baked eggs.
Chef's tips
Don’t overbake the eggs if you like runny yolks – every oven is different, so start checking early. If the top browns too quickly, you can loosely cover the dishes with a piece of foil.
How to serve
Serve directly in the baking dishes with crusty bread and a simple salad of tomatoes or cucumbers for a complete meal.
Ingredients
- cooked buckwheat groats can be from the previous day - 1 cup
- eggs - 4 pieces
- fresh or frozen spinach baby spinach leaves or chopped frozen spinach - 150 g
- onion - 0.5 pieces
- garlic can be omitted - 1 clove
- 30% cream or milk for drizzling over the buckwheat - 3 tablespoons
- cheese e.g. gouda, cheddar - 40 g
- butter for frying the onion and greasing the dishes - 1 tablespoon
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (top and bottom heat). Lightly grease two small ovenproof dishes or ramekins with butter.
- Peel the onion and cut into small cubes. Peel the garlic and chop finely.
- Heat the remaining butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and fry for 3–4 minutes until soft and slightly translucent but not browned.
- Add the garlic and fry for about 30 seconds more, stirring, until fragrant.
- Add the spinach. If using fresh spinach, fry for 2–3 minutes until the leaves wilt. If using frozen spinach, cook until completely thawed and the excess water has evaporated. Lightly season with salt and mix.
- Put the cooked buckwheat into a bowl. Add the sautéed spinach with onion and garlic, season with pepper and, if needed, a little more salt. Mix well.
- Divide the buckwheat and spinach mixture evenly between the dishes. Drizzle each portion with 1–1.5 tablespoons of cream or milk.
- Use a spoon to make a shallow well on top of each portion and crack 2 eggs into each dish.
- Sprinkle the top with grated cheese. Place the dishes on the middle shelf of the oven.
- Bake for 12–18 minutes, until the egg whites are set and the yolks remain slightly runny (or longer if you prefer fully set yolks). Start checking after 12 minutes by looking into the oven.
- Serve immediately, straight from the oven – be careful, the dishes will be very hot.
Storage
No storage information available for this dish.
This is one of those recipes that turn yesterday’s buckwheat into a cosy, almost restaurant-style breakfast or supper with very little effort.
