oven baked eggs (oeffs en cocotte)

Oven baked eggs (oeffs en cocotte) are delicious and make a great brunch or light lunch dish. Easily varied you can any combination of flavours that you like, get creative!

Oven baked eggs (oeffs en cocotte) are a deliciously light dish, also really quick and easy to make, ideal for a lazy weekend brunch or light lunch.

Oven baked eggs, or oeuffs en cocotte as they are known in France, are individual pots of baked egg. You can use ramekins as we have done here, however, equally you can use any small round dish.

If feeding the family I like to prepare a variety of flavourings and then get everyone to assemble their egg with the toppings they want. That way everyone enjoys their egg their way.

Working from home, I enjoy my lunch break and try not to get bogged down eating sandwiches every day.

Eggs always hit the spot for me, scrambled with some grated cheese, a quick omelette or poached and served on top of avocado toast.

These baked eggs are something I enjoy for lunch when I am working, as I can pull them together quickly, using ingredients from the fridge.

Oven baked eggs – recipe steps:

Assembling the oven baked eggs really could not be any easier!

How long to bake eggs in oven?

We like to bake these eggs in the oven for 15 minutes as this will give you a lovely soft set yolk. However if you want a firmer set yolk then cook for closer to 18-20 minutes.

A great use of leftovers!

Get creative with flavours, eggs are so flexible you can add pretty much anything. Just be careful not to overload the egg.

You don’t need much additional toppings either, use what’s lying around in the fridge, they’re a great way to use up any leftovers – a mushroom, a tomato, a slice of salami, a spring of fresh herb, some grated cheese.

Serve these oven baked eggs with a slice of toast, great for dipping into the runny yolk and scooping up the creme fraiche.

Baked egg flavour toppings:

Our oven baked eggs recipe is a great dish to get creative with. Here are some suggested flavour combinations to try:

• saute mushrooms in a garlic butter
• sliced tomato and tarragon
• grated gruyere cheese with leek and asparagus
• smoked salmon with dill or chive
• smoked mackerel with spring onion
• ham, tomato, grated cheddar cheese and chive
• chorizo, roasted red pepper and chilli

Just take care not to add too much of any one flavour, otherwise you will overpower the egg!

Useful hints and tips:

1. You can also substitute the creme fraiche for sour cream or even some thick Greek yogurt if you would prefer.
2. This is not a make-ahead dish, serve these oven baked eggs straight from the oven. The eggs cannot be reheated later as they will overcook and turn rubbery!
3. If planning a family brunch and you do want to get ahead you can always prepare the various flavourings into pots and leave them in the fridge until you are ready to assemble and bake the eggs.
4. We have used ramekins as they are the perfect sized dish for baking eggs. However, do not go out any buy ramekins just for making this dish. I have also seen eggs en cocotte prepared in small bowls and even in teacups.
5. We recommend using a tray with high sides and handles for placing the ramekins in. You are going to be filling the tray with boiling water to cook the eggs and want a tray that is easy to take in and out of the oven without burning yourself.

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Additional recipe suggestions:

If you like this recipe then try some of our other great brunch dishes:

• Curried Baked Eggs
• Savoury Egg Muffins with Parma Ham
• Croque Madame
• Green Omelette
• Chorizo Hash with Chickpeas

Hosting your own brunch then take the stress out of it and head to our Ultimate Guide to Brunch. Here you’ll find all our brunch recipes together with some great advice on how to get started.

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