Baked Eggs

I got this idea from a post on 101 Cookbooks. She posted a recipe for poached eggs on rice. While her recipe looked really good, I wanted something a bit easier for me to put together (no poaching, plus I had no greens or some of her ingredients) and to use up my left over rice. This means you should experiment and use what you have available.

I started with my left over basmati rice (about 2/3 of a cup) added some diced shallot (3 T), some of my roasted tomatoes (6), chopped broccoli (3 T) and a little fresh parsley (1 T).  Amounts are estimates, I just did what looked right to me - you do the same!

I took 3 ramekins and put some left over fire roasted canned crushed tomatoes (about 2 tablespoons, it would also be good to stir some into the rice mixture, maybe a tablespoon or 2) in the bottom with a little butter (1/2 t). I also added a little hot pepper relish, which added a little heat and sweetness. You could use instead a bit of pepper jelly or just leave it out.

I piled the rice mixture on top of the tomatoes added a bit more butter, cracked some eggs and put them on top, more butter and a teaspoon of 1/2 and 1/2. Sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Popped it all in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Good idea to put them on a baking pan, that way they don't fall into the cracks on the rack and are easier to slide in and out of the oven. Cooking time varies depending on how done you like your eggs. When ready I sprinkled some Parmesan cheese on top.  They turned out good and I had an easy breakfast with minimal fuss.

Tip: Crack eggs in a separate bowl and then slide them onto the rice mixture. This helps me because sometimes I don't like the look of the egg or I get some shell in it or I break the yoke when I don't want to.  Thus I don't mess up my entire ramekin concoction.