Eggs en Cocotte with Pesto and Marinara

I've been having the Eggs en Cocotte every morning, they are my new favorite thing. I tried 2 variations this week, one with pesto and one with marinara.

Pesto Eggs en Cocotte

Marinara Eggs en Cocotte

I've also been making them in mini Pyrex containers, which are easy to take to work and reheat.

I thought the pesto version would be amazing, but it turns out the marinara was the winner.

Here's the nutrition breakdown for the regular version:

Calories 185

Carbs 1.5

Protein 10

Fat 15

Sodium 160

Eggs en Cocotte

Ingredients:

Eggs
Heavy Cream
Cheese
Salt and Pepper


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and put a cup of water in the microwave for 2 minutes.

Butter ramekin, or spray with cooking oil. Put about a tablespoon of cheese in the bottom. I've used parmesean and feta which were both good. Break egg into ramekin, taking care to not break the yolk, and top with a bit of salt and pepper.

Pour a Tablespoon or so of heavy cream or half and half on top of the egg until just covered. Place all of the ramekins in an ovenproof casserole. In the larger casserole, but not in the ramekins, carefully pour the boiling water so that it reaches a half to two-thirds up the sides of the ramekins.

Carefully place the casserole, uncovered, in the preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the white is set but the yolk is still hot and a bit runny.

Variations:

• Use a sharper cheese, like Gruyere.not meatless, but oh so good! And a great way to use up a tiny bit of leftover meat)

• Add a tablespoon of pesto to the bottom before adding the eggs

• Saute a bit of spinach in olive oil and garlic and add to the bottom of the ramekin to make Baked Eggs a la Florentine

• Add marinara to the bottom of the cup (or top and bottom) for an Italian Baked Eggs

• Add chopped meat or fresh herbs

Microwave Poached Eggs

This is so simple I can't believe I didn't learn it sooner. So much easier than hard boiling eggs. Especially with my pastured eggs, they are fresh from the farm so the shells don't come off well with hard boiling. I poach 2 eggs in the microwave then throw them in a glass dish and take them to work.

Ingredients:

• 1 large egg
• 1/8 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/3 cup water
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Add the water and white vinegar to a 6 ounce custard cup.

2. Break egg into cup, pierce egg yolk with toothpick, and cover dish loosely with plastic wrap.











3. Place in microwave and cook for 50 seconds or until desired doneness.

4. You may need to experiment with cooking times based on the wattage of your microwave and taste preference.

5. Immediately remove egg from hot water with a slotted spoon as it will continue to cook.












6. Serve with salt and pepper to taste.