Prosciutto Baked Eggs
Baking is a great way to prepare your morning eggs, especially if you are entertaining for breakfast, as I often do. This method of preparing eggs is great for groups of all size, from 1 person up to large groups of 50 or more. Baking the eggs instead of poaching, frying or scrambling them, frees up stovetop space and valuable prep time. Once the eggs are prepped and popped in the oven, you can spend your time prepping the “base,” whether it is a tortilla or one of the other options I list below, and the “sauce,” of choice.
Egg Options:
The Prosciutto surrounding this baked egg adds to this dish aesthetically and also imparts its distinctive flavor to the eggs. Try this recipe with different meats in place of the Prosciutto. Deli sliced meats like ham (see 2 photos below), turkey and even a thinly sliced salami can add great flavor to the dish. For additional texture, keep some of the meat above the egg mixture so it can crisp at it bakes. Try different cheeses like Gruyère or Boursin, and add other toppings like mushrooms or sliced sun-dried tomatoes for an umami boost to your breakfast. Don’t forget to break the egg yolk with a fork before baking. This will prevent the yolks from turning green. For a vegetarian option, line the ramekin with a browned thin potato pancake instead of meat to form a “potato nest.”
Base Options:
In this recipe, I wrap the finished eggs in a sun-dried tomato flour tortilla. Of course, any flavored or plain tortilla can work here, but I prefer the flavored ones for the additional levels of flavor. Other options I have used include:
- English Muffins
- Naan Bread
- Pita Bread
- Roti Bread (click here for my recipe)
- Potato Pancake
Sauce Options:
Secret Sauce (recipe below): When I cooked breakfasts each morning at our Inn in Camden, Maine, I often served baked eggs with a sour cream-based sauce. Mary Jo came up with the name “Secret sauce” one day, since I hadn’t really even considered a name for it, and of course, that became a source of intrigue. It is a very easy sauce to make with just a few ingredients, but pairs nicely with egg dishes.
Hollandaise Sauce: Hollandaise sauce is one of the five French “Mother Sauces,” and is a versatile sauce that every cook should master. Best known for its use in the iconic breakfast dish “Eggs Benedict,” Hollandaise is great over baked eggs as well. Actually, I prefer an Eggs Benedict with these baked eggs to the traditional poached eggs. Emulsified sauces can be tricky to make, but with a few key tips, I am confident that you can master it. Click here to learn more about Hollandaise Sauce and to see my full recipe.
Other Sauce Options:
- Herbed Sour Cream or Crème Fraîche
- Pesto (click here for my recipe)
- Tomato Salsa (pico de gallo)
- Salsa Verde (click here for my recipe)
TOOL TIP:
These 6-ounce Porcelain Ramekins are the perfect size for this baked egg recipe and many other items like soufflés and baked custards. There are also 3 other sizes available: 4-oz, 8-oz and 12-oz.
This small 4 1/2-inch offset spatula is perfect in this recipe to remove the baked eggs from the ramekins but they have countless uses in every kitchen. I use them for everything from spreading aioli on crostinis and icing on cupcakes, to removing crème caramels from ramekins and precisely placing items while plating up.
Prosciutto Baked Eggs
Course: BreakfastCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings20
minutes25
minutesIngredients
nonstick vegetable spray
8 thin slices of prosciutto ham
3 Tablespoons heavy cream
2 Tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 Tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper
8 large eggs
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 scallion, green part only sliced thin
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 sun-dried tomato flour tortillas (or other flavor)
Splash of extra virgin olive oil
- Secret Sauce
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup tomato salsa
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F. and bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a teakettle or small saucepan. Take four 6-ounce ramekin bowls and spray them with nonstick vegetable spray. Line the inside of the bowls with the two thin slices of prosciutto. Divide the heavy cream between the bowls and sprinkle the bowls with half of the chopped red onion and red bell pepper. Crack two eggs into each bowl and gently break each egg yolk with the tines of a fork. This will prevent the egg yolks from turning green.
- Place the bowls on a baking sheet with sides and place in the center of the preheated oven. Add enough boiling water (about a 1/4 inch) to cover the bottom of the baking sheet. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the egg just sets up firmly.
- Remove from the oven and divide the cheese between the bowls. Sprinkle with the scallions, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Return to the oven for 2 minutes, or until the cheese melts.
- In a large sauté pan, heat 1/2 teaspoon of the olive oil. Toast the tortilla lightly on each side and sprinkle with the Kosher salt. Repeat with the other tortilla, oil and salt.
- To serve, cut the tortillas in half. Roll the tortilla into a cone by taking one end and rolling it from the center of the long edge, following the curve of the tortilla.
- Loosen the eggs from the bowl with a thin offset spatula or thin knife and lift from the bowls. Place the baked egg halfway in the tortilla cone and sprinkle with the remaining chopped red onion and red bell pepper. This dish is great served with either a fresh hollandaise sauce or Michael’s Secret sauce.
- Secret Sauce
- Simply mix all of the ingredients together.
