Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: A crisp bread shell holds a flavorful egg, cheese, spinach, and ham filling. Egg boats are easy to make and so versatile. You can fill your boat with any omelet-type filling you like.
How long it takes: 15 minutes to prep, 40 minutes in the oven
Equipment you’ll need: baking sheet, sharp knife, mixing bowl
Servings: 3
When you think of brunch, what immediately comes to mind? (Besides being the best thing ever.)
I think of quiche (bonus points if it has a cornmeal crust), egg casseroles, maybe pancakes, French toast, hash browns (I also love this air fryer sweet potato hash with candied bacon), and, of course, bacon! Have you ever tried baked bacon? It’s a game-changer. Lately we’ve been loving this crustless quiche.
But how about a egg boat? I think this is what your brunch is missing. With egg casseroles, it’s all the same texture (kinda mushy although absolutely delightful and something I would eat every single day of my life). In contrast, an egg boat offers an ultra crisp outside with a soft, creamy filling.
It’s the best of both worlds and is just the thing for those of you who love variety. I think it will really “float your boat”!
All About Egg Boats
Easy to make. Although they look kind of cool (almost like a quiche), egg boats are easy to make. Simply hollow out a loaf of bread (you can do that ahead of time if you want), and add the fillings. Everything cooks right inside the egg boat. It doesn’t get much easier than that!
Adaptable. It’s easy to substitute ingredients you like or happen to have in the house. I chose a pretty classic combination for this egg boat: salty ham, leafy green spinach and sharp cheddar cheese. If one of those ingredients isn’t your favorite, it’s easy to sub in anything you like. Be creative!
Not just for breakfast. Egg boats are a great breakfast for dinner, aka “brinner”. There’s no better way to help the kids recharge after big school days than with a nutritious dinner featuring eggs. Egg boats are satisfying, fun to eat, and you can make them to order.
Cooking Tip
I don’t want you to think that the inside portion of the bread that you remove to make room for the filling is just thrown away! You can use it to make homemade bread crumbs or the best croutons.Ingredient Notes
- French or Italian Bread: You’ll need a good sized loaf of bread or baguette, about fourteen inches long and wide enough to cut a nice opening in the middle to hold the filling. Think boats when you’re shopping, not skinny kayaks. Whole wheat bread is great, too. If you want to make individual boats, buy smaller loaves of bread, or demi baguettes.
- Ham: Deli ham is fine, leftover ham works great, or substitute cooked sausage or bacon.
- Spinach: Baby spinach leaves cook quickly so there’s no need to sauté them before adding them to your boat. If you’re not a fan of spinach, you can simply omit it or try another veggie instead.
- Eggs: Of course you need eggs for your egg boat! You’ll need 5 eggs.
- Milk: The milk is mixed with the eggs to make the quiche-like filling.
- Salt & Pepper: Season the egg mixture to your taste.
- Dijon Mustard: The mustard adds a bit of zing to the mixture without making it taste mustardy. If you’re not a fan of mustard, simply use less or omit it altogether.
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese: The cheese is sprinkled on top for a nice egg and cheese combo. Don’t care for cheddar? Any type of cheese is fine!
How To Make An Egg Boat
Get ready. Turn the oven on to preheat and prepare a rimmed baking pan to hold your egg boat. I like to line it with foil or parchment paper for super easy cleanup. Also, just in case your boat overflows with filling (I always try to stuff mine way too full!), the paper will contain the mess.
Prep the bread. Use a sharp serrated knife to carefully make a well in the top side of the bread. Leave at least three-quarters of an inch on all sides so there’s a firm container for the filling. Put the bread on the baking sheet.
Make the egg filling. In a bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, milk, and seasonings, including the mustard if you’re using it. The mixture should look like uncooked scrambled eggs.
Fill the boat. Arrange the ham pieces and chopped spinach in the bottom of the well. Carefully pour the egg mixture into the boat, over the ham and spinach. If you end up with a bit too much egg, either discard it or scramble it up separately. You don’t want your boat to be flooded. Top with the shredded cheese.
Bake. Carefully transfer the baking sheet to the middle rack of the oven. It will take about 40 minutes to bake, depending on the size of your boat and how full it is.
Serve. Remove egg dish from the oven, slice into three or four servings, and enjoy for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner!
Cooking Tip
How can you tell when your egg boat is fully cooked? Insert a table knife in the center of the boat. It should come out clean. If the eggs are still runny, they’ll cling to the knife. That means your boat has to spend a bit more time in the oven.
I wish I was eating this right now, to be honest. Who wants to brunch with me? In addition to this egg boat, I propose we dine on citrus salad, and carrot cake muffins. We can sip on hibiscus mimosas and easy hot chocolate. (Be sure to check out my Mother’s Day brunch ideas.)
Recipe Variations
- Sub in a different meat. Try cooked sausage or bacon instead of ham. Chorizo is good, too.
- Try a different veggie. Instead of spinach, use another green vegetable such as baby kale, finely chopped broccoli or asparagus, whatever you like. Add corn or green peas if that’s what you like!
- Make it vegetarian. Skip the ham and add more veggies if you like. Finely chopped bell peppers or onions are really good, and so are mushrooms. They should be lightly sautéed before adding them to the boat.
- Change up the cheese. Use whatever type of cheese you enjoy or happen to have in the fridge. Swiss cheese is a great choice.
Refrigerate: Leftover egg boat can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days. Wrap it securely. It makes a great lunch and isn’t bad eaten cold. If you like cold pizza, you will probably get into cold egg boat.
Reheat: If you want to warm it up, leftover egg boat can be heated in the microwave but the bread tends to get a bit tough and lose its crispness. It’s better to use a toaster oven or your air fryer to reheat leftovers.
Free Meal Plan
Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at my Meal Plan #26. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let me do the planning for you this week!
More Brunch Recipes
Eggs for Every Meal
Check out DishOnEggs.com for dozens of deliciously quick, family-friendly recipe ideas to add to your weekday dinner routine! Eggs aren’t just for breakfast—they add protein, flavor and texture to dinner dishes, too. From tacos and pizzas to salads and pasta, everything is better when you put an egg on it!
Ham, Spinach, and Cheese Egg Boat
Ingredients
- 1 large loaf French or Italian bread (about 14-inches long and thick enough to cut a well in the middle)
- 4 ounces ham, diced (about ¾ cup)
- 1 cup chopped fresh baby spinach
- 5 large eggs
- ½ cup milk (I like to use whole milk or 2%)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (see note)
- ¾ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
- Cut a long well down the middle of the bread. You want a generous ¾-inch or more of bread left on all sides after cutting out the well. Place bread on baking sheet.1 large loaf French or Italian bread
- Sprinkle ham and spinach evenly into the well.4 ounces ham, diced, 1 cup chopped fresh baby spinach
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and mustard until combined. Pour the mixture carefully into the bread over the ham and spinach. If you have extra egg mixture, discard or save to make scrambled eggs. You don’t want the eggs to overflow the boat.5 large eggs, ½ cup milk, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Sprinkle cheese evenly over the top of the egg mixture and bread.¾ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until eggs are no longer runny in the center of the boat.
- Slice into thirds for a main course meal, or into smaller slices if you wish. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
- Mustard: If you don’t happen to have Dijon on hand, it can be omitted.
- Variations: The spinach can be omitted or replaced with another vegetable. Ham can be omitted (make it vegetarian) or replaced with cooked bacon, sausage, or chorizo. Feel free to use any type of cheese you enjoy.
- A note about nutrition information: Since a fair amount of the bread is removed from the loaf, the information below is a little misleading.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
This is a simple and delicious recipe! My only problem is that I need to increase the time by 50% to get the egg to set. Any suggestions?
It could just be variations in oven temperature or the size of the canal you hollowed out in the bread. I’m glad you liked the recipe, though! I hope it was worth the extra time. :)
This looks amazing! However we don’t eat ham and cold cuts though. Can substitute with something else?
Of course! You could substitute with pretty much anything you want! Cooked breakfast sausage would be great, or you could another vegetable for a vegetarian egg boat. Enjoy!
Going to experiment with this recipe using asparagus spears and swiss cheese.
That sounds fantastic!
I’m loving this idea! Sort of like quiche and sort of a strata. Appealing to look at.
that looks really good