Weekend Food Prep: Broccoli Cheese Egg Bake

I don’t always have time to cook my eggs fresh in the morning, but I still want to be sure to get my breakfast protein. Balancing my breakfast with sufficient protein has dramatically improved how satiating my morning meals are–I can easily go the 4 or so hours necessary until my lunch break without becoming totally famished. (Research backs this experience up and suggests most of us benefit from getting a good “bolus” of protein in the morning, at least 30-40 grams, or about what you find in a serving of this egg bake plus a serving of oats.) You can do most of this prep the night before and pop it into a hot oven first thing, if you want to reduce the wait time before breakfast.

Broccoli Cheese Egg Bake

one. Preheat the oven to 350^oF,

two. Use 1-2 tsp. softened butter or a bit of neutral-flavored oil to lightly grease the sides of a large casserole dish. (I use a glass 9×13 baking dish.)

three. Whisk together until completely incorporated (you can do this directly into the casserole dish):
6 whole eggs
3 cups egg whites
1 cup soy milk or dairy milk⁽¹⁾
a dash of salt

four. Evenly distribute throughout the custard: 6 cups cooked, chopped broccoli (I use frozen broccoli that I thaw in the micr0wave a few minutes)

five. Dot the top with 2-3 oz. shredded or crumbled cheddar cheese, about 1/2 cup

six. (Optional) Dust with a little garlic powder, or I’ve been using Penzey’s Pizza Cheese Sprinkle a lot lately with my eggs. If you come by some, I recommend it!

seven. Bake at 350^oF until just set in the center, 50-60 minutes. Allow to rest 5-10 minutes before serving.

Yields 6 servings.

⁽¹⁾ _{I recommend 2% dairy milk or full-fat soy milk. Fat serves an important role in custards, helping the proteins in eggs to avoid becoming ropey and rubbery. You could sub in another kind of non-dairy milk or skim milk, but the final product will not be as nice.}