The week has gotten away with you, the pantry cupboards are a little bare, your cooking imagination is at zero and you are hungry. After sifting through the odd cans in the cupboard and leftovers in the fridge you are still uninspired. You’re about to settle for fried eggs on toast, but then you remember the really easy egg recipes you read about on Dining-OUT and your spirit is lifted. Here are three simple but scrumptious recipes with eggs that even the most disorganised grocery shopper can muster.

Frittata

For the uninitiated, a frittata is a close cousin of both the omelette and the quiche. One might say it is something in between. The beauty of this egg recipe lies in the fact that it invites leftovers of all varieties. At the bare minimum, you’ll need some cheese, a couple of eggs and a finely chopped onion. The trick is to cook all the ingredients (be they left over veggies, bacon or chicken, for example) before throwing them in the frittata. So assuming the bare minimum, sauté the finely chopped onion and perhaps a few cherry tomatoes until the onion is soft. Grate some cheese and scramble a couple of eggs (2 eggs per person- if short on eggs, add a little milk to bulk it up a little). Next mix the scrambled egg mixture with the cooked ingredients and cheese, adding salt to taste, and pour back into the pan (don’t forget to pour a little oil into the pan first). Cook on a medium heat with a lid. When it looks like the egg is almost cooked through, and there is only a very thin layer of runny yolk on the top, put the whole pan under the grill and cook until the top of the frittata bubbles a little/ goes slightly brown on top. Finally, tip out of the pan and cut into slices.

Poached egg and baby spinach on rye bread toast

Bring a small pot of water to the boil. Pop a few spinach leaves into the water for about a minute, then remove and pat dry. Either keep this water boiling or boil a fresh pot of water. If you are without an egg-poaching contraption, the fun starts here. Begin swirling the water to create a mini whirlpool. When the water is swirling, crack an egg carefully into the centre and ensure to maintain the swirling motion. When the egg white becomes opaque you can consider your egg poached. This method usually takes a bit of practise, but is pretty satisfying when you get it right. Remove the egg from the water, allowing it to drip dry a little. Once your toast has popped, place the spinach on it, topped by the egg. Season with salt and pepper and serve up a yummy, healthy meal.

Baked Eggs

Line a muffin tray with pieces of puff pastry, throw in the leftovers, perhaps some bacon or spinach from your poached-egg breakfast, and crack an egg into the centre of each piece of puff pastry. Bake the egg and pastry at about 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes or until the whites are cooked and the yolk is done to your liking. Remove the egg pockets from the tray and enjoy. You could alternatively bake the eggs in hollowed out baked potatoes.

Not only are these recipes really easy and convenient to make, they also prevent waste by using up the leftovers!

Photo #1 © wildfeuer/wikicommons #2©Alexa/wikicommons