To us, Spring is all about brunch with friends and that’s when we love to make asparagus baked eggs on the regular. As the temperatures warm and the birds start chirping, we can’t wait to brunch tableside with friends.Â
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
To kick off this season’s brunching, we headed to Gjelina with a group of friends and fell head over heels for the egg dishes: one with ricotta and squash blossoms and another with a vibrant green sauce. I decided to combine those flavors here for this brunch dish that’s super simple.Â
When it comes to brunch, we’re always looking for recipes that will keep me out of the kitchen like pre-mixed pitchers of cocktails and baked eggs. With these eggs, you could make the puree and the asparagus and assemble them all before your guests arrive. Then just pop them in the oven and bake them up in a few minutes and voila, you’ve just won at brunch!
Recipe Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make these asparagus baked eggs:Â
For The Minty Puree:
- Fresh Mint and Basil Leaves: Use any mix of fresh herbs you prefer (chervil and tarragon, dill and mint, parsley and mint) to bring a bright herby note to the final dish.Â
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Use the good stuff here!
- Lemon Juice: The acid will keep things green and bright!
For The Baked Eggs:
- Butter: Or olive oil to cook the leeks and asparagus.
- Leeks: Or shallots for a subtle onion flavor.Â
- Asparagus: Opt for pencil-thin asparagus as they’ll have a delicate flavor.Â
- Ricotta Cheese: Look for high quality basket ricotta for the best flavor.Â
- Eggs: Simply crack them in mini skillets and broil away!
- Feta (Optional): Not a must have, but adding a pinch of feta will add a salty, tangy bite.
How To Make This Recipe
- Make The Minty Basil Puree: Place herbs in a colander and pour boiling water over the herbs. Rinse under cold water and squeeze out excess water (this helps the herbs stay bright green when they’re blended). Place herbs in a blender along with olive oil, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and blend until smooth (add a few tablespoons of water if needed to help the mixture blend).Â
- Prepare The Asparagus: Cook the leeks and asparagus in butter until the leeks are just wilted.
- Bake The Eggs:Â Divide the cream, asparagus mixture, ricotta, and eggs in each skille then place under the broiler until the eggs are just set.
What To Serve With This Recipe
This asparagus baked eggs recipe would be delicious simply served with crusty bread and some coffee. But, for more of a brunch serve it with:Â
Ricotta Asparagus Baked Eggs with Minty Puree Recipe
Ingredients
For The Mint-Basil Puree:
- 2 cups fresh mint leaves plus a few more for garnish
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves plus a few more for garnish
- 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more for garnish
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
For The Baked Eggs:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 small leeks root and dark green part discarded
- 1 bunch pencil-thin asparagus woody ends trimmed and discarded
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 4 large eggs
- crumbled feta cheese for garnish (optional)
- kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Make The Mint-Basil Puree: Place herbs in a colander and pour boiling water over the herbs. Rinse under cold water and squeeze out excess water (this helps the herbs stay bright green when they’re blended). Place herbs in a blender along with olive oil, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and blend until smooth (add a few tablespoons of water if needed to help the mixture blend).Â
- Prepare The Eggs:Â Heat oven to broil and arrange a rack 6-inches from the broiler. Finely chop light green and white part of leeks and slice asparagus on bias into 1/2-inch pieces.Meanwhile, heat butter in a medium nonstick pan over medium heat. Let the butter cook until it just begins to brown then add the leeks and asparagus and season with salt and pepper. Cook briefly until the leek is just wilted and asparagus is bright green, about 2 minutes. Immediately remove from heat.
- Bake The Eggs:Â Divide the cream among the bottom of four small (about 3.5-inch) cast iron skillets or other small (3-4-inch diameter) ovenproof dishes (such as ramekins). Divide the asparagus mixture among each skillet. Add a few tablespoons of ricotta and crack an egg into each skillet. Top with a pinch of feta and a drizzle of oil. Place the skillets under the broiler until the eggs are just set, about 3 to 5 minutes. Top each skillet with a spoonful of the herb puree and serve.
