Individual Breakfast Souffles
The perfect main dish for that special brunch or breakfast. Don't let the name intimidate you: these souffles are no-fail and can be tailored to a variety of tastes and preferences.
Servings: 4 servings
Equipment
- 4 1-cup ramekins
Ingredients
- 9 large eggs
- 1/3 cup 1/2 and 1/2
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
- a few drops hot pepper sauce (optional)
- 1/2 cup diced ham
- 1 cup baby spinach leaves, chopped
- 1/3 cup mixed red, yellow or orange bell pepper, diced
- 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- chopped chives and additional diced bell pepper for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray ramekins with non-stick cooking spray or spray oil. Place dishes on a parchment lined baking sheet or sheet tray (to keep ramekins from slipping).
- Divide the diced ham, green onions, spinach leaves, bell peppers and cheese among the four ramekins.
- In a medium sized bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, half and half, salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce, if using.
- Pour the egg mixture equally into the four ramekins. Egg mixture should come just about to the top of each ramekin. If you find yourself short on egg mixture, simply whisk another egg or two with a little half-and-half and top off ramekins.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until eggs are set. Remove from oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes. Souffled eggs can be served directly in their ramekins, or, if you prefer, you can unmold them before placing on a plate. To unmold, run a small butter knife around the edges of the ramekin, then, holding ramekin with a dish towel, invert souffle onto a small dish before inverting and arranging on the serving plate.
- Sprinkle each souffle with chopped chives and extra bell pepper for garnish, as desired.
Notes
NOTE: One of the great things about this dish is that it is a great template recipe for a lot of different variations. For example, if you are in a Southwestern mood, use bacon instead of the ham (or in addition to), chopped fire-roasted green chiles, even black beans as your filling. Cooked, crumbled sausage is a nice option. Make it vegetarian and throw in some sauteed mushrooms (drain any liquid from the mushrooms before adding to the ramekins). Broccoli, zucchini...shrimp or crab...anything you can envision in an omelette can be used to customize your dish.