Spinach Egg Bake
If you’re trying to make having breakfast a priority this year, then this low-carb Spinach Egg Bake is just what you are looking for. It’s so easy to make ahead for meal prep, just pop the casserole in the oven on the weekend, then reheat slices of it on busy weekday mornings.
I even enjoy it cold too! The sharp white cheddar cheese, smoked paprika and garlic make it ultra savory, you’d never even guess that it’s healthy! {Keto friendly and grain-free.}
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Table of contents
Grain-Free Meal Prep Breakfast
Last January my husband and I did a 30 day health challenge through the gym where I teach BodyPump. My husband wanted to lose some weight and I was totally game to dive in with him.
This wasn’t a crash diet or cleanse or anything like that. This was more about returning to awareness of what we were eating, getting out of the habit of mindless snacking while watching TV.
It was also about adopting new healthy habits (we had to practice one healthy habit every day- I chose to stretch for 10 minutes) and making fitness a priority.
As far as the food, we cut out all sugar and grains for the month! Plus, we had to get protein and veggies at every meal. Guess what: My husband lost 8 pounds!
I would say the hardest part was finding a grain-free and sugar-free breakfast for us. Since Jase leaves the house super early, he usually eats a Kind bar for breakfast, so now I needed a grab and go breakfast solution for him that I could meal-prep on the weekend. What I quickly fell in love with were egg bakes! They come in all shapes and names: egg casseroles, crustless quiches, baked omelets and veggie egg cups to name a few. All I know is, call them what you want, they were a lifesaver! You make them ahead on the weekend, then you can heat them up in the morning for a fast grain-free breakfast.
Okay, so I admit, I did not stick with the stretching after the challenge was over {*pauses for a five-minute stretch break*} but the egg bakes… That I stuck with!
I have continued to meal prep egg bakes and egg cups on the weekend, and then I have a healthy high-protein breakfast ready for weekday mornings. I am sure to include veggies in them. Try it, I think that you’ll agree that a breakfast that includes protein fills you up for so much longer!
Fast forward a year to this month, and my husband and I are on another challenge. This one is more for me though. If you follow along on my instagram account, or you are a subscriber to my email list then you know that I am working on getting to the bottom of my GI issues this month after a lifetime of GERD and more than a decade of IBS.
We are doing a paleo diet for January. That means the egg bakes are back in full effect around these parts! It also means I am scouring the internet for paleo recipe inspiration.
So if you have a favorite paleo recipe, leave me a note below. After a week+ I am starting to miss desserts. These Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies are next on my list. If you have one you love let me know. I’d also love to know if you have any high-protein breakfasts you really love. Leave me a comment below! (Thanks in advance!)
How To Make Spinach Egg Bake
- Frozen Spinach: Don’t bother with fresh spinach. In the spring or summer when spinach in season, obviously fresh spinach would be great- just make sure to use 10 ounces of wilted spinach for the recipe. But today, it’s the middle of winter and fresh spinach has to come in on a refrigerated truck from California. Frozen spinach is just as nutritious as fresh spinach and uses far less packaging. Even awesomer if you have locally grown spinach in your freezer.
- How to Thaw Spinach: Thaw the frozen spinach in the fridge if you have the time, it can take more than a day because it is so densely packed. Or thaw it in the microwave for a quick option. Either way, make sure to squeeze out all the extra moisture once it is thawed. If you use the microwave option, note that you’ll have to let it cool before squeezing the moisture out- you can do that quickly by running cold water over it in a fine mesh colander.
- Egg Mixture: The egg mixture is super easy to make: just whisk the eggs together with seasonings: I used garlic to give it a delicious savory flavor. Plus I added in smoked paprika, salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Nutmeg goes great in egg and cheese recipes. You may not notice it, but you would miss it if it was gone.
- Cream in Egg Bake: I used a little half and half in the egg mixture to add richness. It is not necessary but I think it really helps! If you want to skip it, just use 3 tablespoons water instead.
- How to Assemble the Egg Bake: Coat a baking dish with cooking spray, or brush it with butter, oil or ghee. Then layer on the spinach. Take a quick moment to break the spinach into clumps. It will all be stuck together after squeezing it out, so breaking it up into smaller clumps will help the overall final texture of the egg bake.
- Add Egg Mixture: Pour the egg mixture over the spinach, and then top with shredded cheddar cheese. I used sharp cheddar cheese because it has the most rich cheesy flavor. That means you can get away with using only 4 ounces of cheese, but still taste that cheddar flavor in each bite!
- Bake it!: Transfer the egg bake to the oven and let it bake until the center is set. The sides will rise in an impressive way. It will take about 45 minutes. You can always temp it with an instant read thermometer if you are not sure. It should be over 160 degrees. Let it cool on the counter top on a cooling rack. Don’t worry it will deflate!
- Meal Prep: You can eat it immediately or you can cut it into wedges and store servings in the fridge for up to 5 days.
More Meal Prep Recipes to Try this Month
- Meal Prep Power Spinach Salads with Chicken,Beets and Kohlrabi Great for lunches at the office
- This Broccoli Egg Bake is like a sister recipe to this one! Don’t miss it!
- Sheet Pan Moroccan Salmon Dinner Everything cooked on the sheet pan! So easy and so tasty!
- Meal Prep Wasabi Glazed Salmon Power Salad A flavor explosion- better than take out for lunches during the week.
- Sheet Pan Balsamic Chicken A super easy recipe and more reading why getting protein is important!
- Chard Egg Bake Very similar to this recipe, but made with fresh Swiss Chard! So delicious when chard is in season.
If you’re up for it I have an entire Meal Prep Menu you can use too. You just print out the shopping list, follow my instructions for prep on the weekend, and you’ll have five weeknight meals ready with only 20 minutes of kitchen time each weeknight!
PrintSpinach Egg Bake
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Spinach Egg Bake made with sharp cheddar cheese, frozen spinach and eggs for a grain-free breakfast that you can meal-prep on the weekend, then eat for a low-carb high-protein breakfast during the week.
Ingredients
- 1 10– ounce block frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 12 large eggs
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated on a microplane grater
- 1/4 cup half and half
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, optional
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black or white pepper
- Pinch nutmeg
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese, 1 cup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a deep dish pie plate with cooking spray.
- Squeeze excess moisture from spinach. Transfer the spinach to the prepared pie plate.
- Whisk eggs, garlic, half and half in a large bowl. Add mustard, paprika (if using) salt, pepper and nutmeg and whisk to combine until the spices are blended into the eggs and there are no large clumps of mustard. Pour the egg mixture over the spinach. Top with cheddar.
- Carefully transfer to the oven and bake until the mixture is set in the center, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool at least 10 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving. Or cool completely, slice and store, covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
To substitute fresh spinach, cook spinach in a large pot with a small amount of water until wilted. Drain, let cool and then chop. You will need to weigh out 10 ounces once it is cooked and drained.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 45
- Category: breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 egg bake
- Calories: 245
- Sugar: 2 g
- Fat: 17 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Carbohydrates: 3 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 19 g
Have you tried making in muffin tin? Does recipe or ingredients need to be adjusted? TIA!
I haven’t tried that but I think the ratios here would work. I have a couple other egg muffin recipes on the site here and I have found that pouring the beaten egg mixture can be a little tricky and messy. To make it pour more easily, I like to strain the egg through a fine mesh sieve. This will break up the proteins a bit and make it less gloppy. Pouring from a measuring cup with a spout helps too. Make sure to grease the pan very well to prevent it from sticking.
Hello. What is the best method to reheat this? It sounds delicious.
You can reheat slices in the microwave. Timing varies, but I would start with one and a half minutes for a 1600 watt microwave. Or the oven works as well. If using the oven, keep covered with foil and bake at 325 until it is steaming hot.
Very tasty and easy to prepare. I cut the recipe in half due to the amount of ingredients I had on hand. I omitted the half and half and instead added a tablespoon of whole milk. I also diced and sautéed a quarter of an onion, which I added on top of the spinach before pouring the egg mixture on top. Also used a Mexican cheese blend as it was all I had on hand. Egg mixture flavors are great with the spinach. Not sure this will last the week!
cAN YOU USE CANNED SPINACH?
Super easy to make and have on hand for a grab ‘n’ go breakfast… Could change up by adding mushrooms, onions, switching out spinach for broccoli, etc…
I love the idea of adding mushrooms to this. I’ll have to try that! Thank you for rating and reviewing Julie!
The first time I submitted a comment, I tried to click 5 stars but it wouldn’t stay selected. It kept clearing out to none…I’m trying again.
Hi Stephanie. Thank you for the above review and then also for rating! I appreciate your persistence. I have not tried freezing it, but my guess is that as long as you fully reheat it once it’s thawed, it will be fine.
Thank you for such an easy, tasty, low carb breakfast recipe! I’ve made this recipe both with grass fed heavy cream and milk, whatever I happen to have on hand. Since organic, fresh spinach is always available, I use it. I steam it, then squeeze out as much liquid as I can. I don’t have to chop it afterwards. I just break pieces apart and spread it evenly around the pie dish and make sure it is evenly distributed after the eggs are poured on top. I love finding different ways to incorporate greens into breakfast (other than smoothies, which are not appealing in cooler weather) so I will definitely try it with with Swiss chard and also try other types of cheese. Trader Joe’s sells an Israeli sheep’s feta that I think would also be yummy but I will probably reduce the salt since feta tends to be saltier than cheddar. Adding sauteed red onion would be good too. For people worried about the fat content because of all of the eggs, I recommend just cutting down on the portion size since most of the nutrition content in eggs are in the yolks and using a lot of whites will not provide as a good of a texture or taste. Has anyone tried to freeze this?
Can you substitute feta for the cheddar?
Hi Jo, yes you can. I did just that- to make it sort of like a spanakopita. I also added in a little chopped mint. We liked the feta- but the mint was a bit strange. So I say go for it!
Really annoying that all of the 5 star reviews haven’t actually tried the recipe yet! Very misleading…
If using fresh spinach, what would be the equivalent? Thanks
Hi Dee, So nice of you to come by. I recommend using 10 ounces of wilted fresh spinach as a substitute. To wilt it, you can steam it in a saucepan with a few tablespoons of water. Drain it, then chop it before proceeding. Please come back to let me know how it goes.
This looks great! The fat content is pretty high, though. Maybe I could reduce the eggs (or sub 2 egg whites for each egg reduced) and add a few more veggies (sauteed onions, peppers, etc.) to make it a little healthier???
Hi Kim, You can definitely sub in some whites. And you could also drop the amount of cheese to 2 ounces if you want. Or use an ounce of grated Parmesan instead of 4 ounces of cheddar. As far as the other veggies, I think that should work, but it may not hold together as well since there will be more veg to egg. Please let me know if you try it and how the changes work out.
I will, and thanks for replying! I’ll even add a pic. Thinking about decreasing 3 whole eggs and subbing 6 egg whites plus some of the cheese subbing. Thanks!
I love adding spinach to my eggs. This recipe is perfect.
Love any easy meal prep recipe and this is one of them!
We’ve been doing up the meal prep like mad around here too. It’s so helpful in the busy seasons of life.
I love this idea of having an easy and healthy breakfast ready to go!
Hi Anne. I am thrilled you like this recipe. Thanks!!
Love filling and healthy breakfasts like this, such a great way to start the day!
Hi Hope! Having a good breakfast really helps me eat healthier all day. Otherwise I am a snacking machine by 2 or 3 pm.
Yes, squeezing out the spinach and half and half, yum! This is just great to have on hand for every meal of the day.