Spinach and Roasted Red Pepper Egg Boat

While in Vermont over the summer Raf and I enjoyed a delicious egg sandwich made with scrambled eggs, smoked gouda, roasted red peppers and spinach on a delicious roll. We have recreated this easy and tasty breakfast sandwich at home a few times but I wanted to make something with all the flavor and minimal work for a Sunday brunch at home. This spinach and roasted red pepper egg boat is easy and flavorful, perfect for feeding a crowd with minimal ingredients. 

I had seen an egg boat variation on Spoon Fork Bacon’s blog and thought how could you go wrong with a cheesy egg filling baked in a loaf of bread?! So when I went to make my favorite egg sandwich into an easy crowd pleasing dish I went back to this for inspiration. To keep things super easy, I use roasted red peppers out of the jar and raw spinach that cooks perfectly while the eggs bake (keeping the prep time down). I decided to use a ciabatta loaf because it has a slightly wide shape and is full of air bubbles which are perfect for filling with that yummy egg mixture.  

To assemble this egg boat you start by hollowing out the inside of the loaf of bread. The idea here is that you want to remove enough of the bread so you have room for filling but also keep the loaf intact so it can hold all the goodlies in. I like to toss the bread that is removed in a little olive oil and salt and bake along with the egg boat for little crunchy croutons. Then layer starting with the cheese, followed by red peppers and then chopped spinach (building kind of like lasagna layers). Once all the filling is in, reserving a bit of cheese to top at the end, pour a mixture of milk and eggs into the boat. It may look like there isn't much room for the eggs to go but they seep down under the veggies and fill all the air bubbles and any gaps in the boat. Top with the remaining cheese and bake for about 40 minutes until the eggs are set. You will see the eggs puff up a bit and fill out the boat. Once it is fully cooked, allow to cool for a few minutes, then slice and enjoy!

If you love an easy savory egg dish for breakfast you should check out my Jalapeño Cheddar egg bake. It is full of flavor and perfect to make ahead and bake in the morning!

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Spinach and Red Pepper Egg Boat

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 50 Min

Ingredients

• 1 loaf Ciabatta Bread
• 5 eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup smoked gouda, grated
• 1/2 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
• 3/4 cup spinach, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1. PREP: Start by preheating your oven to 350. Cut a long rectangle on the top of the loaf of bread (not going all the way through) and hollow out the middle, leaving you with a bread boat. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Chop your spinach and roasted red peppers, grate the cheese and set aside.
2. MIX: In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with the milk, salt and pepper until the eggs are broken up and combined with the milk.
3. ASSEMBLE: Start with a layer cheese inside the hollowed out bread. Top with a layer of red peppers followed by a layer of spinach. Repeat until you have used all the spinach and red peppers (save a little cheese for topping). Pour the egg mixture over the veggies in the bread boat and top with the remaining cheese.
4. BAKE: Place the loaded bread boat in the oven and bake for about 40 minute until the eggs have set. Cool slightly, slice and enjoy!