Baked Eggs with Butternut Squash, Kale, Split Peas, and Goat Cheese
These veggie-heavy baked eggs are your new easy answer to weekend brunch. If Shakshuka and butternut squash had a fling, this dish would be their hearty and healthy brunch baby.
If you don’t love baked eggs for brunch, are we even friends?! The answer to that is yes, but we’re on thin ice.
The inspiration
Over 10 years ago, a friend and then-roommate stumbled across a butternut squash stew recipe online. Packed with veggies and dolloped with Greek yogurt, it was our go-to Sunday night dinner after a weekend of “too much” pad Thai and waffle fries.
A decade later, it’s still a go-to meal for both of us. I’ve made countless versions of that stew over the years, depending on what ingredients I had on hand. At this point, I’ve made it so many times that I have no idea what the original recipe is or who wrote it. But I am forever grateful! After all these years enjoying butternut squash stew for dinner, I finally tried it for breakfast with baked eggs.
A baked eggs brunch beauty is born.
I love brunch food that highlights a variety and textures and colors. Caramelized butternut squash. Tender kale. Creamy goat cheese. This dish comes together in a bath of split pea-studded crushed tomatoes with swirls of goat cheese. Once the veggies are nearly cooked, you’ll create wells and drop in your eggs. Then transfer the pan to a hot oven until the egg whites = set and the yolks = runny. Crusty bread for mopping up this delicious mess of baked eggs is technically optional, but don’t let me down.
This one is sort of a “non-recipe” recipe; it will gladly accept any odds and ends from your fridge and pantry. Sweet potatoes could stand in if you don’t feel like dealing with the butternut squash. Not into goat cheese? Feta would work! Or leave off the cheese. (But don’t.) This recipe is vegetarian as written. If you’re a meat eater, crumbled bacon on top would not be a mistake.
If you use this recipe to inspire your cooking, send me a note, leave a comment, or tag me on Instagram @cookwithq. I love seeing what you’re creating and connecting with you through food.
Baked Eggs with Butternut Squash, Kale, Lentils, and Goat Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 cups butternut squash cubed
- ½ cup dried split peas substitute lentils
- 1 cup diced onion about half an onion
- a few big handfuls kale removed from stems and roughly chopped
- 28 oz canned whole tomatoes and their juices roughly chopped
- 2 oz goat cheese or ¼ cup goat cheese crumbles
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4-5 eggs
- crusty bread for dipping optional, but encouraged
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Rinse the split peas in a colander, picking through them and discarding any rocks or funky looking peas. Transfer them to a small pot and add just enough water to cover them. Bring the water to a lively simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Continue to simmer the split peas for about 20 minutes until they are tender, but still have a bite.
- While the split peas are cooking, chop the butternut squash into bite-sized cubes (if it isn’t already). In a large oven-safe skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add cubed butternut squash and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly browned and on its way to tender, about 10 minutes.
- Add diced onion, turmeric, salt, and pepper (and more olive oil if needed) and continue to cook for 5 minutes, until the onions begin to soften.
- Toss in the chopped kale and a splash of tomato liquid from the canned tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes until kale wilts slightly, stirring and scraping up any caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan as it cooks.
- At this point, your split peas should be ready. Add the drained split peas and chopped tomatoes with their juices to the pan. Add a bit more salt and pepper, stir the mixture to combine, and continue to cook for about 5 minutes. The butternut squash should be fork-tender and the mixture should be slightly thickened.
- Turn off the heat. Crumble the goat cheese into the pan. Use the back of a wooden spoon to create 4 or 5 indentations in your giant veggie mixture and crack an egg into each one.
- Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until eggs whites are just set, 8-10 minutes. The egg whites may look a bit jiggly when you remove the pan from the oven, but they will continue to cook and solidify as you plate up.
- Brunch is served, hopefully with crusty bread on the side!