Two things that are always in my refrigerator and freezer are eggs and frozen spinach. I haven’t had creamed spinach in quite some time, so when I decided to make some the other day I figured I’d throw a few eggs on top and bake it all up into a delicious brunch delight. Why not? Oh, and I had some feta too, so I threw that on top for extra flair. The feta definitely took these Creamed Spinach Baked Eggs from “this is pretty good” to “Yassssss girl.”
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Do I Have to Use a Cast Iron Skillet?
I’m using a 10″ Lodge Cast Iron Skillet, but you don’t have to make this recipe in a cast iron skillet. Any other oven-safe skillet will work, OR you can just transfer the creamed spinach to a small casserole dish before adding the eggs and feta, and tossing it in the oven.
Baking Time May Vary
The bake time for these eggs is a little variable, so take the suggested 15 minutes with a grain of salt. You’ll want to watch the eggs closely starting at around 12 minutes and take them out when they reach your level of doneness. I decided last minute to broil my dish for a few minutes to get some browning on top, which ended up cooking my yolks through.
Normally I would have left the yolks runny, but it was still great with them fully cooked. If you do want some browning from the broiler, I would take 5 minutes off the bake time before switching from bake to broil (middle rack) and again, watch the dish closely.
Creamed Spinach Baked Eggs
Servings 4Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.27)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.02)
- 1.5 cups whole milk ($0.57)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg ($0.02)
- Freshly cracked pepper ($0.03)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan ($0.41)
- 3/4 lb frozen chopped spinach* ($1.27)
- 4 large eggs ($1.08)
- 2 oz feta ($1.12)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Add the butter and garlic to a skillet and sauté over medium heat for about one minute. Whisk the flour into the melted butter and continue to cook and stir for about two minutes. The butter and flour should form a paste that will foam and bubble as it cooks.
- Whisk the milk into the butter and flour mixture until there are no lumps. Stir in the salt, nutmeg, and some freshly cracked pepper (about 10 cranks of a pepper mill).
- Allow the milk to come to a simmer, whisking often, at which point it will thicken to a gravy-like consistency. Whisk in the grated Parmesan until it has melted. Add the frozen chopped spinach (no need to thaw) and continue to stir and cook until it has heated through (about 5 minutes). Taste the creamed spinach and add more salt if needed.
- Use a large spoon to create four wells in the creamed spinach. Crack one egg into each well. It’s okay if the whites run outside of the wells. Sprinkle the crumbled feta over the entire skillet.
- Bake the spinach and eggs for about 15 minutes in the preheated 400ºF oven, or until the whites are mostly set. Spoon the creamed spinach and an egg into a bowl and serve as is or with toast for dipping.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Creamed Spinach Baked Eggs – Step by Step Photos
Begin by preheating your oven to 400ºF. Add 2 Tbsp butter and two cloves of minced garlic to a skillet. Sauté the garlic in the butter over medium heat for about one minute, or just until the garlic becomes very fragrant. Whisk in 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour and continue to whisk and cook for about two minutes more. The flour and butter mixture will create a paste that foams and bubbles as it cooks.
Whisk 1.5 cups whole milk into the butter and flour mixture until no lumps remain (you will still be able to see the minced garlic pieces, just make sure there are no flour lumps). Add 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, and some freshly cracked pepper (about 10 cranks of a pepper mill).
Continue to cook and whisk over medium heat until the milk comes up to a simmer, at which point it will thicken to a gravy-like texture.
Stir in 1/4 cup grated Parmesan until it has melted into the sauce.
Add 3/4 lb. frozen CHOPPED spinach (no need to thaw). I highly suggest frozen “chopped” spinach as opposed to frozen “cut” spinach, which has larger pieces and tends to be a bit stringy.
Continue to stir and cook the spinach and sauce until it is heated through. Give the spinach a taste and add more salt, if needed.
Use a large spoon to make four wells in the creamed spinach, then crack one egg into each. It’s okay if the egg whites run outside of the wells. Sprinkle 2oz. crumbled feta over the entire skillet.
Bake the creamed spinach and eggs for about 15 minutes in the preheated 400ºF oven, or until the whites are set (this will vary depending on your oven and your preferred level of doneness for the eggs). If you want a little browning on top, I suggest switching the oven’s setting from bake to broil at about 10 minutes and finish it out on the broil setting. Broiling can brown the top and cook the eggs quickly, though, so watch it closely.
Scoop the creamed spinach and an egg into each bowl and serve as is or with some toast for dipping!
I make this about once a month for our family, and is one of our go to Budget Bytes recipes. I sub oat milk instead of whole milk and it tastes delicious. I serve it with roasted chickpeas to sprinkle on top for extra protein or sausage if we want meat. It’s so simple!
This is so rich and delish! I used heavy cream, added mushrooms, and served it over steamed creamer potatoes. So good!
I want to know where you are buying eggs for $.27 apiece!
This recipe is older (published in 2017) and the estimated recipe cost is presumably not consistent with today’s grocery store prices. We calculate the costs manually for each recipe when it’s published, and it would be impossible for our scrappy little team of 4 to keep all 1200+ recipes updated. Not only that, prices for certain ingredients can vary wildly depending on where you live. That’s why Beth created a handy step-by-step guide explaining how to recalculate them for yourself! Here’s the link: https://www.budgetbytes.com/how-to-calculate-recipe-costs/
~ Marion :)
This was delicious. I successfully used almond milk, you just need to let it simmer for longer. It will eventually get creamy. I made the no knead bread recipe for dipping. 🤤
Definitely broil at the 8-10 minute mark! It won’t be pretty like the photos if not.
About how much fresh spinach would you use for this?
I’m not sure, unfortunately. I’d need to test it to see the volume after sautéing the fresh spinach (you’d want to do that before adding it to the cream sauce).
Hey, great recipe! My gf loves this recipe. Just recently experimented by adding penne pasta and some chicken to make a quite delicious pasta. Added a bit more garlic to help bring out the flavor and exempted the eggs. I wouldn’t mind some broccoli with it as well personally. Just an idea if it sounds appealing to anyone.
Also just want to say thanks for all the great ideas. You’re the only cooking website I have a profile with so I can save all the recipes and look forward to ones as well! P.S. Not being bombarded with adds is a huge win, keep up the great work!
My family & I thoroughly enjoyed this recipe. We were intrigued how creamed spinach and eggs go together, but it works well. We will definitely make this again. 5 stars.
Thank you for this recipe! I really wanted to try something new at the start of this year, and this recipe was perfect. As many of your readers, I also added some bacon in it, just before I added the spinach. My spinach was pre-portioned and it took a little longer to incorporate, so I will defrost it partially next time. I served it with a hot polenta – but that might be too much for those who want more texture in their food.
This was delicious! I added about a 1/4 cup of real crumbled bacon bits (from a bag) and used an Italian blend cheese instead of feta. Everything else the same.
Plus it’s so quick and easy! Making this one again! Thank you for such delish and easy on budget and time recipes!! I have never been disappointed in any of your recipes 😊
This looks soo yummy! What could I sub for the feta though? I have mozz, muenster, provolone, and cream cheese, (and the parm of course). Thanks!
Provolone would be delicious!
Hi Beth!
My husband recently refurbished our cast iron pan and we finally have one again, yay! I’d like to make this recipe, but am wondering if it can be made in a 12″ skillet. Our skillet measures 12″ at the rim, but 10″ at the bottom (the actual cooking surface). I never know which measurement to go by when skillet size is mentioned. Is my pan too big for this recipe? Does this recipe need a skillet whose RIM measurement is 10″?
Thank you in advance!
Tiina
Description measurement is from the rim (not the base). Seriously, I wouldn’t worry about it being “too big” to use.
Yum!!! This was delicious and so easy to make! We enjoyed it so much we didn’t leave any leftovers!
Yum!! This was so good I could not stop scarfing it down. I didn’t have nutmeg so I added a dash of cinnamon, and I LOVE rosemary so I added crushed rosemary just for the heck of it. Also added chopped up breakfast sausage, everything else stayed the same. Popped some rosemary sourdough bread and regular wheat bread into the toaster and me and my mom spooned the stuff onto toast. It was SO GOOD. To those commenting on over cooking it, I think mine took about 13 min, just keep an eye on it and take it out when the tolls have turned white. I have leftovers but whenever microwaving eggs, they cook more. Any suggestions on how to heat it up without making the eggs all rubbery?
There’s not a whole lot you can do when reheating eggs, except making sure that you’re not reheating to the point where it’s blazing hot. Just reheated until it’s just heated through and try not to go further because then the eggs will start cooking more.
We have tons of kale in our garden, I steamed it about 10 minutes and added to sauce, I also added bacon and onion. Yummy! Thanks for the recipe.
Delicious!
can i use corn starch for thickening as i don’t use flour?? i looks really good and i’d like to try it…
I’ve never used cornstarch in this type of sauce, so I’m not sure how that might affect it.
Usually, you may need to use half that the quantity for flour when you choose corn starch or potato starch instead. Also, it burns faster as the texture is different, so you also have to reduce the cooking temperature before adding the milk and the rest. I received a large quantity of corn starch and I hate to waste food, so now you know the facts too!
I have taken frozen cut spinach and chopped it myself while still frozen with good results.
Mmmmmmm. I made this for lunch today and nearly licked the bowl. It was amazing! Thanks for the recipe.
Would it work ok with fresh spinach?
I can only find whole leaf frozen spinach here.
Yes, I would chop the spinach a little first, then just stir it into the sauce until it has wilted.
Question – how good is this leftover? My boyfriend won’t touch spinach (more for me!) so I hoped I could make this for work lunches, but does it reheat well?
I thought it was good. :)
I have never eaten creamed spinach before, the name sounds downright disgusting to me, however I took a chance on this recipe after reading the ingredients and seeing that it had eggs and was served with toast dippers. It was a hit! My kids loved it, I loved it, and after working outside on a friends car all day, my husband popped his head inside and said “that smells really *bleeping* good!”. Thanks for the great recipe!
😂 I’m glad you ended up liking it!
Great recipes and so easy/quick, especially if you keep frozen spinach on hand (always). I added some crushed red pepper to give it a little kick.
I like scrambled eggs to get the eggs cooked could I just mix it all together?
I’m not quite sure what you mean.
I would thaw spinach even in the microwave for a few minutes. I’m not sure waiting around and stirring it in the skillet while it thaws really does much for flavor.
This was a big hit with my carnivor husband and son. Great comfort food without weighing you down. This is going into our regular rotation.
Would using almond milk in the recipe work?
I don’t think almond milk will be creamy enough for this one.
Great recipe. I’ll make it again for sure. I subbed chicken stock for about half the milk to make it a little more savory. Also added Crystal Hot Sauce for some bit. My eggs were overcooked after 12 minutes, so I’ll try a little less next time.
No nutritional values? Always good for diabetics.
Why not just use FRESH spinach? Easy, easy, easy, n tastes better I think.
Do you think the creamed spinach would work with skim or lowfat milk? We don’t usually buy whole milk in my house
I’d go with low fat instead of skim. 2% low fat will work, it just won’t be as creamy or rich as the whole milk.
This was great! I used asiago cheese instead of the parmesan and didn’t add any other cheese on top. We served it with a raisin walnut loaf, yum!
got-dam that go
This recipe has all of the benefits of a quiche without the caloric crust. I’m trying it this weekend for Easter breakfast along with a side of melon. Love the artichoke hearts as a bonus idea! I am going to try
I made this in an elecric skillet and the eggs were well done in under 10 minutes – but I guess I’ll know better for next time!
I rarely have feta on hand, but I bet this would be delicious with chunks of cream cheese on top. I’d also love to try it with some tofu, chicken sausage, or even lobster!
this was good and I’m going to make it again. The feta really made it. Unfortunately, I had never baked eggs before and I overcooked them. I did the 15 minutes at 400º and they had a transparent look so I did 3 more minutes and they still looked translucent but I took them out and I guess that’s just how they look cause they were like rubber by that point. I still ate them though ;-) I’ll just cook them less next time.
I love baked eggs! They are my new weekend go too, and this version of them looks amazing! Thanks for the recipe!
Can you use fresh spinach instead of frozen? If so is it the same amount as frozen or something different?
Yes, you can use fresh, but I’d sauté it down in a skillet first until it is fully wilted. I’d probably use the same weight (3/4 lb.) just keep in mind that it will be a much larger volume before it is wilted.
Can you cook this recipe like you would for shakshuka? Ie – just letting the eggs cook through in the creamed spinach on the stovetop? Our oven is on the fritz at the moment, but I would love to give this recipe a try nonetheless!
Yes, that should work okay! :)
Yum! This looks so luxurious and delicious
Can you make this dish without the Parmesan cheese?
I suppose, but it won’t be as flavorful. You might need to add a bit more salt to the sauce.
I juts made this for dinner. It came out ok. I ended up putting in too much salt when I tested it first time and it felt blend.
The Feta cheese brought it up a notch I was not expecting.
Also, I would say this would feed 3. Or 4 with a lot of bread.
The toast is a must with this dish.
You said that you always have eggs & spinach in your freezer. How do you freeze your eggs? And how would you defrost them?
If you can freeze eggs…consider my mind blown!! lol
Haha, I actually meant eggs in the refrigerator and spinach in the freezer. Ooops. That being said, I have seen several different places that raw eggs CAN be frozen (shells removed). I’ve just never tried it. :)
This looks delicious. I love your posts. I have tried several recipes and have not been disappointed once.
Is there any other veggie you suggest to substitute for spinach? I know it’s super versatile but my husband won’t eat it. It’s easy to sub something else in other recipes but I’m scratching my head as to what else goes with eggs.
Any veg goes with eggs! The most obvious substitutions here would be chopped broccoli or kale, but you could also dice and cream leftover potato (I’d add some sauteed diced onion, bell pepper, and/or mushrooms to the potato). I also think some sort of creamed succotash would be good, ie corn with sauteed diced red bell pepper or tomato, onion, and a handful of lima, fava beans, or even cut green beans, as this sub would depend on color as well as taste.
I’ve stopped buying dried Parmesan cheese in those green cans–chunks of the fresh sort keep a long time in the fridge and are easy to grate up on demand–often on special at about $10 a lb, but a quarter lb chunk will last for weeks. Another good option is pre-packaged shredded Parm in the cheese section at the supermarket. They aren’t Parmegiano Regiano, but they are good in a pinch and very cost effective–5-6 oz often on sale for $2-3 per lb and can be kept mold free in the freezer until needed. The shreds are larger than I want, but I dump what I need on a cutting board and use my chef knife for a few seconds to chop the shreds–easier than grating and the shreds from the package are perfect for salads
That’s $2-3 per package, not per lb
I really think this is a spinach specific recipe. Perhaps you can try a shakshuka instead? Here is a recipe for my Smoky White Bean Shakshuka (you can always do it without beans, if you prefer).
Does he eat other greens? Just made a dish inspired by this using greens from my CSA box–some arugula, some baby kale, some baby chard, some other unknown greens. That worked out wonderfully, but is pretty close to spinach.
Made it for lunch! I added a random can of artichoke hearts from the cupboard when I dumped in the spinach, and ate my share with toast. Amazing as always.
My mom used to do this for us all the time, it tastes even better with some onion and red pepper.
This just looks so delicious!
Because there is no way I am going to get hubby to have spinach and eggs I am going to make this up and divide it just for me and do an egg at a time… Do you think I can freeze the creamed spinach and jsut add my eggs when I want a treat?
Hmm, I’m not sure how well the creamed spinach will freeze. Sometimes creamy sauces tend to break down when frozen.
First of all: this looks absolutely amazing! Second, I just found your blog on bloglovin and I must say that I really love the concept of cooking really good food on a budget! Keep up the good work :D
Thank you!
This looks sooo good! Looks like a perfect breakfast (or brunch) for the weekend.
x Annabelle
travelsandtea.com
My husband isn’t a huge fan of feta, although I love it. Do you think I could use goat cheese instead? They seem fairly similar but he never complains about it.
I find them to be quite different BUT I do think that goat cheese would be AMAZING in this as well. :) I do a creamy spinach pizza that has goat cheese on it and it’s divine.
It was quite amazing with goat cheese and my husband loved it as much as I did. Our kids even tried it and asked to have some the next time I make it. You never know with kids 😆
Thanks for another amazing recipe to add to the rotation!
Yummy!!! I LOVE creamed spinach!!! :-)
This looks amazing! The feta does sound like it adds that extra something special.
I’ve always wondered about baked egg dishes–if I’m not going to eat all four eggs at once, would it reheat as you’ve cooked it here, or would it be better to make the spinach and then bake in smaller dishes with an egg each time I’m going to eat it?
I guess it just depends on how picky you are with the texture of the eggs. I accidentally cooked my eggs all the way through the first time, but still reheated mine in the microwave (which further cooks the eggs) and I still loved it. :)