Baked Eggs in Zucchini (The Vegetarian Epicure)

Submitted by BarbryT

"A little labor-intensive, especially if serving topped by a sauce, but just delicious. Hollandaise, Mornay, Bearnaise all are possibilities."

 

• Ready In: 40mins
• Ingredients: 6
• Serves: 3-6

ingredients

• 4 lbs zucchini
• 3 -4 scallions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 eggs
• salt and pepper

directions

1. Take 6 large eggs from frig to bring to room temperature.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Wash zucchini. Coarsely grate them. Toss zucchini shreds with 2 t salt and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Take handfuls, squeezing gently to remove all excess water and pile on paper towels to drain.
5. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped scallion. Sauté until almost tender. Turn heat to medium high; add zucchini and some freshly ground pepper and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring almost constantly. Remove from heat.
6. To serve as a starter, butter 6 small individual casseroles or ramekins. Divide the zucchini among them and make a shallow hollow in the center of each one. (If it is meant as a main dish, use slightly larger oval oven-safe dishes and make two hollows in each.).
7. 15 to 20 minutes before you want to serve, break one egg carefully into each little hollow. Sprinkle the eggs with a little salt and pepper. Bake them for about 15 minutes at 350°F.
8. The white should be completely set and the yolk still a little soft inside.
9. If upgrading the dish :-) by using hollandaise or another sauce, spoon sauce over each egg when you take them out of the oven, and serve immediately.

Reviews

[Garden Gate Kate]

I love eggs and have made many omelets filled with veggies like onions, peppers, tomatoes, asparagus, and spinach. This is my first time combining eggs and zucchini. I enjoyed this egg dish much more than an omelet because, unlike an omelet, baking the eggs preserves the creaminess of their yolks. Initially, four pounds of zucchini seemed like a lot but it cooked down to a much smaller amount. Grating the zucchini with my food processor grater blade made prep so quick and easy. I added six scallions for extra onion flavor. This recipe is very versatile. Instead of six servings for breakfast, I made two servings for lunch with three eggs per person. I prefer it without a sauce, but if I were entertaining company, I love the hollandaise option for a refined flair. Likewise, a selection of toppings like cheddar or parmesan cheese, sour cream, salsa or marinara would offer low effort options. Thank you, BarbryT, for a delicious recipe with a sophisticated presentation!

 

[NM Patricia]

Not sure why this didn't turn out as well for me as for the other reviewers. Rather than squeezing out the zucchini, I drained it for the resting period in a colander in some cheese cloth. Then I just wrung out the cloth and drained the zuccini on a towel. (Hate to use paper towels!). It was definitely OK, but not sure I would do it again. Just not great.

 

[KateL]

These were mighty tasty, I tried with ranch dressing and then with grated parmesan cheese. This lost one point due to my aversion to having to wring out water from the grated zucchini (I am very sensitive to "hassle factor".) I think the salt should be included with the ingredients. But this recipe tasted Mah-vel-ous! Thanks for posting this recipe, BarbryT! Made for Top Favorites of 2008 Tag, based on Sharon123's recommendation.

 

[SrtaMaestra]

Yum! I too scaled the recipe down to 1 egg and wished I had made more! I will make this again, with one of the recommended sauces. Thanks for posting this. Made for PRMR.

 

[Sharon123]

I am impressed! This was so delicious! I scaled the recipe back to 1 egg, and wished I had made more! I used a little more scallion too. Thanks so much for posting this one. I will definately make again! :) Made for PRMR game.