Preparing eggs in the basic ways can get boring, so I was pleased to find a hundred-year-old recipe for Eggs with Spinach and Cheese. Each egg is served in an individual ramekin which makes an easy to serve, lovely presentation that can turn any breakfast into a special meal. The eggs are embedded between layers of creamed spinach and cheese.
Here is the original recipe:
I’m not sure what a “very moderate” oven meant in 1920, but I interpreted it to mean 350° F. Maybe it actually was higher. The 5-8 minutes baking time called for in the original recipe was not nearly long enough to set the eggs. It took about 15 minutes for them to set.
And, here is the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Eggs with Spinach and Cheese
5 ounces (5 cups) of fresh baby spinach (approximately 1/2 cup cooked spinach)
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used cheddar.)
3 eggs
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 350° F. Wash spinach and put in a sauce pan. There should be some water clinging to the spinach. Using medium heat, cook until the spinach has wilted down (about 2 minutes) while stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside.
In the meantime, in another pan, using medium heat, melt butter; then stir in the flour and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Gradually, add milk while stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the white sauce thickens. Remove from heat, and add the cooked spinach. Stir to combine.
Put 1/6 of the spinach and white sauce mixture in each of 3 small ramekins; then sprinkle with 1/6 of the shredded cheese. Then break an egg into each of the ramekins. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put 1/6 of the spinach and cream sauce mixture on top of each egg; then sprinkle with 1/6 of the shredded cheese on top of it.
Put in oven and cook for 15 – 18 minutes, or until the eggs are set.
A Hundred Years Ago 
Appetizing, healthy and easy on the wallet.
Well stated – One of the things that I like about eggs is how they are inexpensive, yet a really good protein source.
I think our scientists have confused us on the issue of egg dietary safety.
Spinach, eggs, and cheese is a good combination no matter how they’re put together. This would be nice if there’s company to be served, although I wouldn’t do it for myself.
The use of individual ramekins makes a nice presentation, but there probably are easier to ways (such as scrambled eggs with spinach and cheese) to use this same basic combination of ingredients.
This sounds marvelous, though a bit time-consuming for breakfast.
It definitely is a “week-end breakfast” type of food.
Yes, I’ve got this in mind for a nice supper dish. Too much trouble in the morning!
This would work well for a light supper meal.
I am going to share this with my girls, as they like to eat vegetables in the morning. I remember when I couldn’t get them to eat vegetables any time of the day.
I think they’ll like the recipe. It’s interesting how our children’s food preferences change (and expand) as they go from childhood to adulthood.
The thing that is lovely about this dish is that with the cream sauce, even if the egg yolks get a bit overcooked (notorious when baking eggs to the set egg white stage), then the eggs will not be dry. Brilliant recipe!
Until I read your comment, I hadn’t thought about this, but you are absolutely right. It can be challenging to get the egg whites set in a timely manner when baking eggs.
That sounds delicious! I suppose a hundred years ago there were more wood ovens and/or ovens that were harder to regulate temperature wise?
Yes, most people still would have had wood or coal stoves a hundred years ago. I’m sure that it was much more challenging to regulate temperatures, and old recipes never list an exact over temperature. Instead the recipes say things like, a “slow oven”, a “moderate oven,” or a “hot” oven.
I still have a wood stove.
I’m a little jealous. It would be fun to actually be able to try to make some of these old recipes using a wood stove.
Very interesting. We take so much cushiness for granted.
I wish I read this *before* breakfast!! Looks so yummy. I love spinach with eggs.
It’s a tasty recipe.
So simple, and sooo good!!
It’s a nice recipe.
It will soon be spinach time here, nice to be reminded of this simple recipe!
I’m envious. The ground is snow-covered here, and it will be several months until it’s spinach season.
Very appetizing combination!
It was funny to see the term “criscoed ramekins”. Guess back Crisco was used very often to just about anything.
The cookbook that I got this recipe out of was on old promotional cookbook for Crisco that was published by Proctor and Gamble. I guess they were so excited about their product that they decided that Crisco could be used as a verb. 🙂
lol That explains it! 🙂
These would be great for a special brunch – maybe with mimosas. Love the combination of ingredients.
I agree- this recipe would work well for a special brunch.
My daughter would love this, I’ll have to make it for her.xxx
I think that both you and your daughter would enjoy it. It’s yummy.
This is one of my favorite ways to enjoy scrambled eggs. This recipe looks like a winner!!
Eggs, spinach, and cheese are a great combination regardless of whether they are scrambled, in an omelette, or baked.
I definitely want to try baked. But I might add Kale since I am looking for baked eggs with Kale. Actually kale and spinach work together.
mmm. . . I especially like the idea of a kale and spinach combination.
Right?! It would work. 😀
I can’t think of any reason it won’t work. The kale might take a little longer to completely wilt when cooking, but otherwise it seems like it would work similarly to spinach.
It will. I would pre cook the Kale. I wrote about how to prepare Kale. I make cold salads with Kale. Now I want to do a baked egg casserole with it.
https://supperplate.com/how-to-prepare-kale/
My mother insisted that I learn to make white sauce before I left home. Apparently that skill was important to this dish too.
You’ll be prepared to make a lot of hundred-year-old recipes. Creamed vegetables and other foods made using white sauce were very popular back then.
That makes sense about why she was determined to teach me. She was born almost 100 years ago.
Funny about using Crisco as a verb! This isn’t that far off from my Eggs Florentine!
The ingredients are very similar; it’s just assembled and cooked in a different way.
🙂
I’m always looking for new ways to make eggs. Sounds simple and delicious.
It’s a nice recipe. I think that you’d enjoy it.
My Betty Crocker cookbook from the 1950s says 350°F is a moderate oven.
That’s good to know. If confirms what I thought about 350° F being a moderate oven temperature. That said, the author of the old cookbook must have considered “very moderate” to be a temperature substantively higher than 350°. The eggs whites weren’t even close to setting after the 5-8 minutes called for in the original recipe when I set the oven to 350°.
Looks like a nice change up from normal egg cooking. I bet it tasted good too. 🙂
They’re yummy.
This sounds like a recipe I’ve made but the ramekins were placed in a large pan with an inch of water in it – seemed to help cook the whites better….
Thanks for the tip. It sounds similar to the process that I use when making baked custard.
Eggs and spinach a great combo…I saw Crisco in a recipe the other day. It keeps popping up lately not something I am familiar with…I do agree with standing the ramekins in water it does help the cooking. 🙂
Crisco is a vegetable shortening that’s been around for a long time in the U.S. I think that the eggs would cook more evenly if the ramekins were put in water, though it probably would increase the cooking time.
Probably why I haven’t seen it as I come from the Uk…Yes you are right it would increase the cooking time 🙂
What fun! Lovely idea for a blog, too. 🙂
It’s wonderful to hear that you enjoy this blog. I have a lot of fun doing it.
Your recipes remind me so much of food my grandmother cooked for me. I am sure she made eggs like this for me when I was a little girl.
It’s nice to hear that these recipes bring back some nice memories.
What a timeless recipe. It sounds perfect, for today or yesteryear.
How true – Sometimes I’m surprised how timeless some old recipes are.