Eggy casserole… fancy fritatta… I wasn’t sure what to call it but our “eggs for dinner” series continues with this new favorite. I realize this looks like a pile of greens (and it very much is), but there are thin layers of egg baked in between the light and flaky chard leaves.
The trick is to toss the whisked eggs with the chard leaves raw. In the oven, the greens on the bottom wilt down, the ones on top stay a little bit crispy… a perfect mix of textures.
The eggs are mixed with garlic and my favorite part – dijon mustard. I just love how dijon adds richness without having to add tons and tons of cheese. Cremini mushrooms add a meaty bite and the whole thing gets topped with pecorino and panko breadcrumbs.
This would would be great for brunch or, in our case, an easy weeknight meal.
adapted from Food & Wine
swiss chard & egg casserole
- a bit of olive oil, for the pan, to cook the mushrooms
- 1 cup sliced cremini mushrooms
- 4-5 large chard leaves, stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup scallions, chopped
- 6 tablespoons freshly grated pecorino cheese
- ¼ cup panko bread crumbs
- 5 large eggs
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- a few pinches of red pepper flakes
- salt & pepper
- serve with: crème fraîche, or lemony yogurt: (plain yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, a little minced garlic)
- Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 7?x11? baking dish (or similar size), and set aside.
- In a medium skillet heat the oil. Add the mushrooms and a few pinches of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until they’re golden and soft. Remove from pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Stir in the minced garlic and dijon mustard. Then add in the chard leaves (they should be still raw), mushrooms, scallions, 3 tablespoons (half) of the cheese, and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Toss to coat all of the leaves.
- Transfer mixture to the baking dish and bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes, until the eggs just start to set.
- Mix together the remaining cheese with the panko. Sprinkle it on top of the casserole and bake it for about 10 minutes more, until the cheese starts to brown.
- Sprinkle with a few red pepper flakes and serve with a dollops of crème fraîche or lemony yogurt on the side.
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How many servings does this make. What changes to make it serve 20+?
It serves about 5-6 as a side dish. (The baking dish I used was 7×1). So probably quadruple the recipe and bake it in 4 separate baking dishes.
What about using the stems, too? Hate to waste them!
I don’t think the stems would be great in this particular recipe – the leaves form these crispy delicate layers and the stems would not create the same texture. I love to use chard stems when I’m sautéeing the chard (like in this recipe: http://www.loveandlemons.com/2014/04/04/rainbow-chard-and-wheatberries/), or I’ve pickled leftover stems too: http://www.loveandlemons.com/2014/05/13/pickled-chard-stems/. Personally, I would save them for one of those uses later in the week!
I made this for my family’s brunch on Sunday…and we absolutely loved it. The flavor was fantastic. I am thinking about giving this casserole to an expecting mom for an easy pop in the oven meal after the babies birth. Do you think it would freeze well?
Hi Kara, so glad you and your family loved it!
I’m not so sure eggs would freeze and thaw well. They might be a little rubbery upon reheating.
I made this last night – it was great! I don’t know if I used more veggies than the recipe called for or not, but I liked the way it turned out to be high on veggies held together with a little egg, rather than the opposite. Super delicious. Having leftovers for breakfast.
so glad you liked it! Yep, mine was the same way – I loved how my greens were a little crispy on top vs. the texture they’d be if they were completely within the egg.
Love this! How simple, nutritious and perfectly easy! We’re going to feature this on our Facebook page and link here so people can see how you made it, and your lovely photography. Please come join our greens revolution and LIKE us on Facebook for more recipes and tips on super healthy greens like kale, chard, beet, mustard, turnip, collard and other green leafies.
–Your friendly Southern California farmers at Cut ‘N Clean Greens
https://www.facebook.com/Cut.n.Clean.Greens
I started using swiss chard in my breakfast burritos when I ran out of spinach one day; it goes so well with eggs! Thoughts on substituting with egg whites or some egg whites/some whole eggs? Cooking for somebody with high cholesterol. Thanks!
I’m always looking for more ways to incorporate chard into my diet. This is a great idea… and I need to eat more eggs too 🙂
Beautiful. Pinned it 🙂
I made this today for brunch and it was great! I had my chard leaves leftover from making stir-fly (not all of them fit in it!) and this was a great way to use them. I used a 9×9 and canned mushrooms. I like that it didn’t have milk in the recipe, and the chard leaves cooked beautifully. Thank you for another way to eat our swiss chard!
Swiss chard is so good with eggs. I love that this is a casserole, perfect for easter brunch this weekend.
I made this today for my bf’s mom’s birthday brunch… it was a big hit!! I added a few extra eggs to make to it go further, and threw in some asparagus. Can’t wait to make it again!
oh so glad it was a hit!
Do you think that baby spinach could be used in place of the kale or chard?
This sounds so good! And healthy too!
Hi Joan, I haven’t tried spinach or kale. I do think the chard is perfect because it’s a heartier leaf than spinach and not as hearty as kale. I would wonder if the tender spinach leaves would burn easily… and I wonder if kale would make it a little bit dense.
The recipe sounds delicious and the pictures look amazing. I’m making this for brunch tomorrow. Do you have a recipe for the lemony yogurt? I want to introduce my household into savory yogurt, trying to do away with sour cream, and I don’t want their first experience to be a bad one. Thanks!
ooh, sorry I missed replying to this earlier — I listed it at the bottom of the ingredient list but it might have not been noticeable enough:
I mix plain yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, a little minced garlic, sometimes some minced onion or chopped chives or scallions. I don’t have exact measurements but just add a little of each, taste and add adjust to your liking.
No problem, Jeanine. I pretty much did made it by taste and everyone loved it.
BTW, I had kale on hand so that’s what I used and it turned out great. Thanks again for sharing!
I think you just determined what I am making for dinner tonight! I really wanted something like this for breakfast, but chose an extra hour or two in bed over cooking. I don’t have any chard, so kale it is! Thanks for the beautiful and easy inspiration.
I hope you like it! Let me know how it goes with kale, (I was wondering).
I think I will be making this as breakfast for dinner as well! It looks delicious!
But since I’d be making it for only myself, do you think it would keep well in the fridge for a day or two? Or should I just scale down the recipe?
Hi Rebecca,
It was great the next day, maybe not as crispy, but I definitely enjoyed it on day 2.
I hope you like it!
I love egg-y casseroles, especially with mushrooms. This is so vibrant, perfect for these chilly spring days. Gorgeous!
This pictures are so beautiful, it’s hard to concentrate on a recipe 🙂
This sounds like a perfect brunch dish! I love the idea of mixing up eggs with a boatload of intense greens. 🙂
I do like my greens 🙂
Eggy casseroles are wonderful for feeding a crowd, and I love that this is filled with two of my favorite ingredients – mushrooms and kale.
This looks awesome. I’ve never actually made a casserole. They always seem a little scary to me. I will go check out the recipe on camille styles today. Hopefully it won’t be that daunting. The photos are lovely as usual.
xo Quinn
Quinn Cooper Style
oh it’s so easy (at least this one is). Mix it all together and pop it in the oven.