Grab your cast iron skillet.
Baked eggs, eggs on cocotte, or coddled eggs whatever you like calling it, but all names for deliciousness in a cast iron skillet. This dish is not only beautiful to look at with it’s vibrant green sautéed kale, rich golden egg yolks, red sun-dried tomatoes, and caramelized sweet onions, but it tastes delightful as well. I love the rustic presentation of serving Baked Eggs with Garlic Kale and Sun-dried Tomatoes cooked and served in a cast iron skillet. This dish is perfect for entertaining with the beautiful presentation and rustic family style of serving to the simplistic recipe.
Baked Eggs are wonderful because you have endless ingredient options to choose from (try using left over vegetables in the fridge), flexible recipe guidelines (my favorite), and different ways to eat. Baked Eggs with Garlic Kale and Sun-dried Tomatoes is one of my favorite flavor combinations, it’s salty, sweet, rich, bold, cheezy, and hearty all in one bite. If you’re like me, you’ll like eating this dish best right out of the cast iron skillet with fork in hand. If you’re feeling friendly, you could share.
Besides enjoying this right out of the cast iron skillet, you could also enjoy this by toasting fresh bread (gluten-free is my option) and dip the bread in the eggs, especially if the yolk is a little runny. Also, top with kale to make an open faced sandwich, or scoop an egg with the kale, sun-dried tomatoes, and caramelized onions on top of a bed of fluffy quinoa, millet, or wild rice for a more filling meal. I love servings this particular recipe with creamy avocado and fresh tomatoes. There’s also a lot of flexibility with this skillet meal, you can easily add in whatever veggies you have left in the fridge that week- asparagus, cabbage, sweet potatoes, fresh tomatoes, etc. are some of my favorites.
The star ingredient of this dish is the egg, therefore make sure you’re purchasing QUALITY eggs preferably from a local farmer you’re in contact with or from humanely raised chickens. I’m not a fan of other farming practices and mass factory farming of chickens to produce eggs, and don’t recommend supporting this practice by purchasing from companies that operate in this way. I challenge you to befriend and get connected with your local farmers, farmers market, or seek out local eggs in your grocery/health food store to consume! You’re not only supporting your community and positive farming practices, but the egg quality and nutrition is superb. Keep in mind, the flavor and color of the egg yolk tells all! The deeper and more rich in golden color the egg yolk, the more nutrient dense.
Buy // Food labeling can be tricky and misleading. Keep it simple and look for organic, pasture-raised, or humanely raised. When in doubt, ask where and how the chickens are raised! Check out these two resources to help you start: Eat Wild and Local Harvest.
I often hear of people avoiding eggs simply based on the cholesterol contained in the yolk, you’ll also be missing out on great quality vitamins and minerals such as vitamin D, zinc, iron, B12, B5, B2, choline, selenium, iodine, vitamin A, and omega-3’s. We simply cannot single out one food that makes or breaks our cholesterol levels, it’s about the overall and bigger picture of our diet, our lifestyle, stressors, genetics, and physical activity.
- 4 cups organic kale, chopped and sauteed
- 4 whole eggs
- 1/2 cup almond milk (or of choice)
- 1/2 cup sweet onion, sliced
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
- dash of cayenne
- ground black pepper to taste
- sea salt to taste
- top with cheese of choice (cashew cheese, vegan cheese, dairy cheese, etc. optional)
- mixed vegetables such as cabbage, asparagus, sweet potatoes, etc (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- CHEEZE SAUCE //
- In a small saucepan bring the milk, nutritional yeast, mustard, pepper, sea salt, and 1 clove of garlic to a simmer.
- Take off heat after this cheeze mixture has reached a simmer.
- Set aside.
- CARAMELIZING ONIONS //
- In a large skillet, add coconut oil and sliced onions.
- Add sea salt and pepper.
- Cook this mixture, stirring occasionally on medium heat (the goal is to have soft and sweet onions)
- When onions start to caramelize, add in remaining 3 cloves of minced garlic.
- Add in the chopped kale and sun-dried tomatoes and cook until softened.
- ASSEMBLY //
- Pour the prepared CHEEZE mixture into the cast iron skillet (with the kale and onions)
- Crack open each egg over the sauteed mixture, one at a time.
- Transfer the same cast iron skillet (or oven safe skillet) into the oven to bake.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until the mixture is bubbly and golden brown just on the top (note: the less time baked, the more “runny” the yolk will be).
- Serve as 1 serving or share with 2 (you can easily double the recipe for more servings)
- Enjoy!
Myth // There’s a myth that brown shelled eggs are more nutritious, this is not a fact. Brown, green, spotted, blue eggs other than white in color simply reflect the genetic differences in the chicken. Just like you and I have different skin color, so do the chicken egg shells.
This recipe and post was inspired by my dad who built his own large chicken coop in the backyard filled with four beautiful and happy chickens, giving and supplying the family with enough eggs. When an animal is treated with love, and goes on to produce foods we consume, you can tell!
Share below where you purchase eggs and if you’ve ever thought of starting to purchase from a local farmer!
Have an EGG-cellent day!
xo McKel
