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This sophisticated take on the classic Eggs in a Nest recipe is a delightful way to serve a delicious breakfast or brunch this weekend. Creamy feta spinach with dill is spooned into a store-bought croissant then topped with an egg. The result is a gorgeous morning main dish worthy of Easter morning with the gang, your weekend brunch with friends, or an easy Saturday morning with the whole family around the table.
Today, we're combining all the flavors and textures we love from a traditional Greek spanakopita with one of my favorite childhood breakfasts - Eggs in a Nest.
Instead of sandwich bread, we're upgrading to a croissant, adding a simple feta spinach mixture to our nest and topping it with an egg. It's still a quick and easy breakfast, but special enough for Christmas mornings or Mother's Day Brunch.
What you'll need to make this recipe:
Full measurements and directions for this dish included in the printable recipe card below.
Step by step instructions for this recipe:
1. Prep croissant
To begin, preheat oven to 400℉. Next, cut a 2-inch rectangle in the top of each croissant and pull out the top, leaving an empty nest in the croissant. Press the croissant nest down to make a good sized frame for your filling. Place hollowed croissants and tops on a sheet tray covered with parchment. Set aside.
2. Make creamy spinach filling
To make the filling, heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add diced scallions and garlic. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, until tender and fragrant.
Add thawed and drained spinach, feta, lemon zest and black pepper and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat.
3. Fill croissants
Scoop about 3 tablespoons of the spanakopita filling to the empty nest of each croissant, ensuring you leave enough room for the egg.
Crack an egg on top of the cheesy spinach mixture inside each croissant. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
4. Bake and serve
Transfer to oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, until egg whites are set, the egg yolk is runny and the croissant is golden brown. Remove from oven. Top with green scallion tops and dill. Serve immediately.
Looking for more brunch recipes?
- Cheesy Grit Cake Recipe
- Stuffed Almond Milk French Toast with Orange and Ricotta
- Smoked Salmon Quiche
FAQ's and Serving Suggestions:
What could I use instead of croissants?
If you have shredded, frozen hash browns, line the cups of a jumbo muffin tin with the hash browns and bake 15-20 minutes, then add the feta spinach to the top of the hash browns and crack a small egg (or quail egg) into the cup. Alternately, if you have bread rolls or hoagie rolls, you can substitute those for the croissants but follow the same directions for the spinach mixture and baking time.
Can I use a different fresh herb than dill?
If you don't like or can't find fresh dill, substitute fresh chives or flat leaf parsley, or a combination of the two.
What can I serve with this eggs in a croissant nest recipe?
I love serving it with a Simple Tossed Salad and a Honey Lime Fruit Salad. The eggs with feta spinach would also be delicious with Jerusalem salad or Marinated Grilled Asparagus.
How to store leftover eggs in a nest?
These eggs in croissants are best served the day they're made. If you have leftovers to store, move eggs in a cup to an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to two days. To reheat, set microwave to medium heat for 30 seconds at a time until just heated through.
Spinach and Feta Eggs in a Nest Recipe
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- Author: Christina
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
Scale
For the spinach filling:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 scallions, diced (about ⅓ cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained
¼ cup fresh dill
⅓ cup feta cheese
1 teaspoon lemon zest
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
For the nests:
4 large croissants
4 small eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉. Cut a 2-inch rectangle in the top of each croissant and pull out the square, leaving an empty nest in the croissant. Press the inside of the croissant down to make a good sized nest for your filling. Place hollowed croissants and tops on a rimmed baking sheet covered with parchment. Set aside.
- To make the spinach filling, heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add diced scallions and garlic. Saute for 3-4 minutes, until tender and fragrant. Add thawed and drained spinach, feta, lemon zest and black pepper and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add a tablespoon or two of milk if the mixture needs more liquid. Remove from heat.
- Add about 3 tablespoons of the spanakopita filling to the empty nest of each croissant, ensuring you leave enough room for the egg. Crack an egg on top of the cheesy spinach mixture inside each croissant. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Transfer to oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, until egg white is set and croissant is golden brown. (Or 15-18 minutes for a well-done egg)
- Remove from oven. Top golden brown egg nests with diced green onions and dill. Serve immediately.
Notes
Cook times for your egg will vary slightly based on the size of your croissant nest and how much filling is included. If you're aiming for a medium egg (cooked whites, runny yolks), start checking your egg nests at about 8 minutes, then every couple of minutes until it has reached your desired doneness.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Easy Recipes
- Method: Oven and Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
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About Christina Jolam
Christina Jolam is a fish-forward recipe developer, photographer, and food writer. She creates easy and impressive seafood-focused recipes that home chefs of all levels can make and share. Her recipes and seafood expertise have been featured on CNNHealth, MSN, Pip and Ebby, Savoring the Good, Eat Blog Talk and more. She spends most of her time in a seaside village in Portugal with her adventure-loving husband, Ramesh.
