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Baked Eggs with Swiss Chard and Green Olives

Cooked in warm cream studded with chard and buttery green castelvetrano olives, this stunning baked egg recipe is an easy and luxurious way to enjoy brunch at home.

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    Baked Eggs with Swiss Chard and Green Olives

    Baked Eggs Are The Ultimate One-Pan Breakfast

    Baked in a deeply savory mixture of cream, chard, and briny green olives, the humble egg goes from everyday staple to absolute luxury. Sprinkle some toasted panko breadcrumbs to give it a little textural punch, and some salty feta on top and your breakfast of champions is done. No sickly sweet sugar crash or carb coma to follow, but all the flavor, heartiness and satisfaction you love about a breakfast done right. Pair simply with good coffee and bread for sopping up every last creamy dreg—brunching at home never tasted so good!

    ingredients for Baked Eggs with Swiss Chard and Green Olives, bacon, onions chives breadcrumbs

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    Baked Eggs vs. Oeufs En Cocotte—What’s The Difference?

    You could call these oven-baked eggs either of these things—but we’re calling them “baked eggs” because it’s the simplest, most straightforward moniker. But if you want to impress your friends, go ahead and say you’re making oeufs en cocotte for brunch, because you won’t be lying! You probably won’t be completely surprised to learn that the concept of baking eggs pools of cream (and whatever other little flavor-enhancing ingredients you may choose to add) is French—those smarties, they think of everything. That said, most eggs en cocotte recipes call for you to bake the eggs in tiny ceramic ramekins, and as cute as that is, brunch is more of a “the more the merrier” affair in our house. So our recipe is really more of a baked eggs for a crowd situation—it yields one big dish of oven-baked eggy goodness.

    sautéed onions in olive oil in a pan
    sautéed onions and garlic in a pan with swiss chard
    sautéed onions and garlic in a pan with swiss chard
    sautéed onions and garlic in a pan with Swiss chard with bacon and green olives

    Baked Eggs: Tips and Ingredients

    You don’t need anything too crazy to make this simple baked egg recipe—it’s a breakfast recipe that is made to satisfy all you people out there who, like us, crave salty things over sweet. Olives, feta cheese and bacon (if you’d like to add it) all make this dish absolutely sing with bold, savory flavors. Here’s everything you’ll need to make it:

    • Eggs.
    • Olive oil
    • Garlic
    • Swiss chard. Tip: you can use most dark, leafy greens interchangeably. If you’ve got kale, use kale! If you prefer spinach or collard greens, use those. If you’ve got some beets with the greens still attached, use those wonderfully dark, super nutritious beet greens. In other words, use what you’ve got!
    • Castelvetrano olives. We’re head over heels for these briny, buttery olives. There’s just no comparison. That said, this dish would work well with kalamata olives, too, if that’s what you have available.
    • Feta cheese. Any feta you love will work nicely here.
    • Panko. For a little crunch amidst all the creamy—yum.
    • Chives. For garnish! Nice to have, but not a must.
    • Bacon. If you leave the bacon out, then this dish is a gorgeous vegetarian breakfast (or lunch, or dinner—it’s good anytime!). But if you’re a bacon lover, try adding it!
    raw eggs cracked into sautéed onions and garlic in a pan with swiss chard, bacon and green olives
    cream added to raw eggs cracked into sautéed onions and garlic in a pan with swiss chard, bacon and green olives
    toasted buttery bread crumbs in a pan
    eggs baked into sautéed onions and garlic in a pan with swiss chard, bacon and green olives

    How to Bake Eggs in the Oven

    One pan, ten minutes in the oven—this recipe is so simple and so stunning, we almost can’t get over it. Here’s how to make baked eggs:

    1. Sauté the onions, then then garlic and chard until everything is fragrant and the chard is wilty.
    2. Stir in the castelvetrano olives and cooked bacon pieces, if you’re using it.
    3. Spread this mixture out evenly and make four little wells for your eggs.
    4. Crack one egg into each little well.
    5. Carefully and slowly, pour the cream around the eggs.
    6. Bake! And now, for the million dollar question—how do you tell when baked eggs are done?—the answer is that you should pull the baked eggs out of the oven as soon as you see that the whites are no longer translucent. Baked eggs are all about those runny yolks, so you definitely want to keep a close eye on the eggs as they bake!
    7. Top with panko and feta, and dig in!
    eggs baked into sautéed onions and garlic in a pan with swiss chard, bacon and green olives with chives
    eggs baked into sautéed onions and garlic in a pan with swiss chard, bacon and green olives and panko

    Tools You’ll Need

    More One-Pan Breakfast Recipes to Try

    Baked Eggs with Swiss Chard and Green Olives cream and serves with crusty bread

    Good Morning Sunshine!

    It’s easy to be sunny in the mornings when you’ve got breakfast like this to look forward to! But don’t limit yourself to just enjoying this in the morning—it makes a wonderful easy dinner, too. If you make our baked eggs, let us know how you like it! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!

    Baked Eggs with Swiss Chard and Green Olives

    • Serves: 3
    • Prep Time:  25 min
    • Cook Time:  10 min
    • Calories: 492

    Ingredients

    • 4 thick bacon slices, cut into 1-inch pieces, optional
    • 1 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
    • 1/2 small yellow onion, diced, about 1/2 cup
    • 2 garlic cloves, minced
    • 4 cups roughly chopped Swiss chard leaves, stems removed, about 1 bunch
    • 1/2 cup pitted castelvetrano olives, pitted, sliced, plus more for garnish
    • 2/3 cup heavy cream
    • 4 eggs
    • 1 Tbsp salted butter or olive oil
    • 1/4 cup panko
    • 1/4 cup crumbled feta
    • 1/2 tsp flaky salt for finishing
    • 2 Tbsp minced chives for garnishing
    • 1 loaf of crusty bread, for serving

    Method

    1. Heat the oven to 425°F.

    2. In a medium sized ovenproof skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease.

    3. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Still over medium heat, add the onions, cooking until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and swiss chard, continuing to cook until the chard begins to wilt about 2-3 more minutes. Return the cooked bacon to the pan along with the olives. Remove from heat.

    4. Create 4 wells in the chard mixture. This is where you will crack the eggs. Once all of the eggs are in the wells you created, drizzle the entire dish with the cream. Place the dish in the oven and cook for 8-10 minutes. Just until the white parts of the eggs are no longer transparent, but the egg yolks are still runny.

    5. While the eggs are baking, melt the butter in a small skillet, over medium heat. Add the panko and toss to combine with the butter. Continue cooking and tossing until the panko is golden brown before removing from the heat.

    6. Remove the eggs from the oven and sprinkle the toasted panko over the entire dish. Sprinkle with the feta, extra olives (if desired), flaky salt and fresh chives.

    7. Serve alongside some good toasted bread.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories492
    • Protein17 g
    • Carbohydrates8 g
    • Total Fat47 g
    • Dietary Fiber1 g
    • Cholesterol332 mg
    • sodium960 mg
    • Total Sugars1 g

    Baked Eggs with Swiss Chard and Green Olives

    Questions & Reviews

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    • Grace

      Love this recipe. Great for brunch or even a weeknight breakfast-for-dinner situation.

      Thanks Grace, we are so happy you loved it!

    • Margaret

      Made this today for a special anniversary breakfast. It is so so good, just like every one of your recipes we've tried from the cookbook and online.

      Thanks so much Margaret, that is so kind! So happy you enjoyed this recipe! Happy anniversary!

    • Tracy

      I made this today. The only greens I had were some big fresh Brussel sprouts, so I sliced them thinly in the food processor and used them. This was a delicious dish, I'd definitely do it again!

      Thanks Tracy, happy you loved it!

    • Margaret

      I made this today - from the new cookbook! It is so so good, perfect for a leisurely breakfast/brunch. And it is beautiful. Thank you so much for the wonderful recipes and ideas you give us!

      Aw, thank you Margaret we are so happy to help! Glad you loved this one!

    • Jenn

      I loved this recipe!

      Thank you Jenn, we are so glad you loved it!