Baked Eggs with Spinach and Ricotta

• 400gspinach
• 250gricotta
• 40gParmesan or vegetarian hard cheese, finely grated
• 2garlic cloves, 1 finely grated and 1 halved
• 1/4 tspfreshly grated nutmeg
• 1lemon, zested
• 15gbasil, leaves picked
• 200gcherry tomatoes, halved
• 8eggs
• 2 tbspolive oil
• 1/2 tspchilli flakes, to serve (optional)
• fine salt
• black pepper
• 4thick slices sourdough bread

Method

1. 1Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan. Put the spinach in a colander in the sink and pour over a full kettle of just-boiled water so it collapses. Run the cold tap over it, then squeeze it in fistfuls until it is as dry as you can get it and chop it roughly. Wet spinach makes a watery ramekin, so squeeze harder than feels reasonable.
2. 2Mix the spinach with the ricotta, Parmesan, grated garlic, nutmeg, lemon zest and half the basil torn up. Season with a good pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper.
3. 3Brush 4 large ramekins or small ovenproof dishes (about 300ml) with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Divide the spinach mixture between them, press two hollows into each with the back of a spoon and tuck the cherry tomatoes around the edges.
4. 4Crack 2 eggs into the hollows in each dish and season the eggs. Sit the ramekins on a baking tray and bake for 14 to 16 minutes until the whites are set and the yolks still wobble. They keep cooking in the hot dish, so take them out a minute early rather than a minute late.
5. 5While the eggs bake, toast the sourdough. Rub each slice with the cut side of the halved garlic clove, drizzle with the rest of the olive oil and add a pinch of salt.
6. 6Scatter the rest of the basil and optional chilli flakes if using over the eggs and serve straight away, with the toast for dipping into the yolks.

Per serving

kcal

491

protein

32.4g

fibre

4.7g

carbs

24.1g

fat

30g