Spinach Egg Bites

Spinach Egg Bites

Lovers of the sweet, earthy flavor of leafy greens can rejoice in these fluffy egg bites, which are mostly spinach and scallions bound by a little egg. Many great dishes of the world start like this: Spanikopita, the savory Greek spinach and feta pie, comes to mind, as does kuku sabzi, the herby, frittata-like Persian dish. These egg bites are a great make-ahead breakfast or high-protein snack on their own, and they’re also a lovely lunch or light dinner alongside a green salad. They’re adaptable, too: You can swap out the scallions for dill or parsley, and the Parmesan for Cheddar or feta. Make them your own.

Yield: 12 egg bites

Olive oil, for greasing

2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed

4 scallions, thinly sliced crosswise

6 large eggs

2 cups (16 ounces) cottage cheese

¼ cup grated Parmesan

Pinch of ground nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 375 degrees. Generously grease a 12-cup muffin tin with olive oil and place on a sheet pan.

With clean hands, squeeze the spinach over the sink to remove as much water as possible. Drain well and add to a large bowl, along with the scallions, eggs, cottage cheese, Parmesan and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper. Stir until well combined. Add the flour and baking powder, and stir just until incorporated.

Fill the muffin tin with the spinach mixture — ⅓ cup each — and bake until set, 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely before running a sharp paring knife around the edges of each cup to help release the bites. (Alternatively, you could use a silicon muffin mold.)

These egg bites stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, just microwave them for 10 seconds at a time until warmed through.

TIP: I make egg bites all the time, and they used to always stick even after oiling the muffin tray. I find it helpful to place the muffin tin in a baking tray filled with water. This can elongate baking time by 5-10 minutes but the egg bites never stick to the pan!

For some tasty variations on this recipe, which reminds me of a northern Italian spinach torta, you could use ricotta instead of cottage cheese, breadcrumbs instead of flour, the addition of slowly melted onions, leftover rice or potatoes, and fresh herbs. It's very flexible and I've found all variations come out great, and are good cold as an antipasto. You can alternatively use mini muffin tins or a 9 inch pie pan, adjusting baking time.