This Tomato Basil Baked Eggs recipe from The Whole Smiths is bound to be your favorite new brunch or breakfast recipe. It’s perfect for weekends and if you use gluten-free bread, it goes without saying, it will be gluten-free.
I love brunch and breakfast. While I’d be hard-pressed to pick my favorite meal, brunch and breakfast are right up there. There was a time in my life where it was hands down my favorite meal of the day… and then I started eating gluten-free. It seemed that so many of my favorite breakfast dishes weren’t gluten-friendly and I had a hard time maneuvering how to order around that hiccup. I wasn’t a huge fans of eggs and you could never find something as delicious as thee baked eggs on any menu.
Besides, who baked eggs anyways?
Fast forward 5 years and now I’m a pro at gluten-free brunches and breakfasts. Not only have I been able to identify great gluten-free substitutions (Hello Joise’s Best gluten-free mixes! Try their waffles in particular.) I’ve also been able to create some ideal trades. For example, eggs benedict? Gluten-free English muffins and biscuits aren’t readily available so I started asking for it on top of some hash browns instead.
Eggs stole my heart.
I also started falling in love with eggs.
For the longest time, I was very “meh” on eggs. In fact, I was well into my 20’s before I had an egg that was anything but scrambled. Egg dishes were never my go-to choice dining out for breakfast. And let’s be honest, it was the hollandaise in the eggs benedict that really got me going. I see over and over again in healthy eating circles people getting sick of eggs and it doesn’t have to be that way!
Enter baked eggs.
Eggs can be exciting too! And this dish proves it. You just need to think outside of the box a bit. Recipes like my Pumpkin Pie Egg Muffins and Cherry + Apple Frittata are also bound to pull you out of your egg rut.
I was inspired by an Ina Garten dish that I saw Chrissy Teigen make on Instagram and I couldn’t stop thinking about baking eggs after that. I also realized I could pop a few more flavors into it as well as some form of produce. Tomatoes count, right? (I’m also planning to try a version with spinach at some point.)
And it was magic. Pure baked egg, basil, and tomato magic.
Baked eggs serving options.
While I serve mine over the top of my favorite gluten-free toast from Canyon Bakehouse, the rest of my family uses the crustiest, most decadent bread they can find. My husband slices it really thin, crisps it up and smothers the baked eggs over top. If your dietary preference is low-carb or keto you can also make these in individual oven-safe dishes and eat them as-is.
I love using these mini-coquettes for just that. The best part about this recipe is that you aren’t going to destroy the recipe by not using exact measurements. So while this recipe is designed to be made in one large baking dish, you can also roughly divide up the ingredients into smaller oven-safe dishes like a ramekin and serve them individually. Besides, it makes for a great presentation!
However you decide to serve these delicious eggs, they are sure to become a weekend favorite.
How can I add more vegetables to this?
You can double the tomato slices or you can layer vegetables like asparagus, zucchini, or shaved Brussels onto the bread and then top it with the eggs.
Can I use coconut milk instead of cream?
If you don’t mind the flavor you can certainly make that substitution.
How do I know when my eggs are done?
For a slightly runny yolk, make sure that the whites have cooked through solidly. You can gently tap on the egg white to see if it jiggles to get an idea of how cooked through it is.
TIPS
- Keep an eye on the eggs as they are under the broiler. Broiler temps can vary a bit between ovens and you want to make sure the egg yolks don’t cook through. You don’t need to watch them the entire time but check in every minute to make sure it’s cooking appropriately.
- Try some different cheeses like fontina, gruyere or parmesan and herbs like rosemary and thyme to alter the flavor profile.
Tomato Basil Baked Eggs
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter cut into pieces
- 1/4 cup heavy cream or milk
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup grated pecorino romano
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped basil
- 2 Roma tomatoes sliced (any tomato will work, you just need enough to roughly layer the bottom of the dish)
- 6 eggs
- 1/4 cup crushed tomatoes marinara or pizza sauce (whatever you have on hand)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 6 slices of bread toasted (Check out Canyon Bakehouse for a great gluten-free bread option, it’s our favorite.)
Instructions
- Move your top oven rack to about 6 inches below the broiler and turn the broiler on.
- Add the butter and cream to a baking dish (about 7 x 10 a little larger or smaller is ok too) and broil it for about 3 minutes until it starts to bubble and lightly brown.
- While the butter and cream are broiling, combine the garlic, pecorino Romano and basil into a bowl.
- Once the butter and cream are done broiling place the tomato slices into the dish.
- Carefully crack each egg into the dish, making sure not to break any of the yolks and spacing them as evenly apart as possible.
- Sprinkle the garlic, cheese, herb mixture over top of the eggs and season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. (Maldon salt is fantastic sprinkled on this dish.)
- Broil the eggs for 5 to 6 minutes until the cheese is melted and browned and the egg whites are cooked through. Make sure not to overcook as you want your egg yolks to still be runny.
- Remove the eggs from the broiler. Spread a bit of the crushed tomaotes or auce on the toast and serve a portion of the eggs over top. Serve with additional salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Keep an eye on the eggs as they are under the broiler. Broiler temps can vary a bit between ovens and you want to make sure the egg yolks don’t cook through. You don’t need to watch them the entire time but check in every minute to make sure it’s cooking appropriately.
- Try some different cheeses like fontina, gruyere or parmesan and herbs like rosemary and thyme to alter the flavor profile.
When do we add the tomato sauce? Did I miss it in the recipe?
Oh yes! You spread it onto the toast. Let me add that, thank you for catching it!