Egg Bake

Spinach-Pesto Egg Bake

My family and I live on acreage that backs onto Crown land. We have plenty of space, and have filled it with three kids, two dogs, two cats, and sixty chickens. Yes, sixty. We started out having chickens for our own egg consumption and were told by many people that if we were ever to sell eggs, they would buy them. There are only a few people who sell farm fresh eggs in our small town and those eggs are in high demand. My husband ordered fifty chickens last spring and even after they all started producing eggs, he still has a wait list. We have more baby chicks arriving next month and the people on the wait list cannot wait until they start producing eggs in the fall.

We only sell the eggs without any imperfections, so the ones with hairline cracks in the shell (with the membranes still intact) go into our fridge for us to use. I decided to branch out beyond the usual boiled or scrambled egg routine and browsed through the recipes on the Life Made Delicious site. One look at the Spinach Pesto Egg Bake recipe and I knew I had to try it. I made a few modifications, as we're not huge on recipes with nuts and I love pairing pesto with goat cheese. Also, I don't have any custard cups or ramekins, so I used two small glass baking dishes. I made this on the weekend and it is a bit rich, but the freshness of the tomatoes balances it out.

Here's my take on it:

Ingredients:  

1 cup frozen cut leaf spinach, thawed, squeezed to drain
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup basil pesto
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup milk
1 medium tomato, chopped
Goat cheese, sprinkle at will

Directions:  

Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly spray 2 small baking dishes with cooking spray and then place dishes on a cookie sheet.

In medium bowl, mix spinach, cottage cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and pesto. Stir in eggs and milk until well blended. Divide mixture evenly among dishes.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until set. Cool 2 minutes. Top with tomato and goat cheese.

Enjoy!