Photo: Claire Lower
If there is one thing moms excel at, it’s figuring out easy meals that can be prepared quickly and with minimal effort, which is why I—a woman with exactly zero children—joined the Trader Joe’s Meal Ideas for Busy Moms group on Facebook.
These moms are great at assembling Trader Joe’s products into meals that are greater than the sum of their parts. Take, for instance, this two-ingredient egg bake, which The Kitchn also covered recently. It’s simple, elegant, and utilizes only two items: the Trader Joe’s Creamy Spinach & Artichoke Dip (found in the frozen foods section), and eggs. The original recipe calls for one container of dip and eight eggs, but—as The Kitchn notes—that ratio can come out a little dry.
I detest a dry egg bake, be it a quiche, frittata, or anything in between, so I dropped the number of eggs down to six, and added little dollops of chèvre. Those tweaks made a big difference; the bake was tender and flavorful, and looked more vibrant than the eight-egg iteration.
The extra cheese—or at least an extra something—is also key. Though the frozen puck of dip provides seasoning, fat, and two (2) types of vegetables, it can get a little muted when combined with a bunch of unseasoned eggs. It does, however, work extremely well as a base from which to build a low-effort egg bake. At the very least, season your eggs with salt and pepper like you usually would, but you can make your bake really shine by including some bacon bits, a little caramelized onion, or—yes—any little bits of cheese you have hanging around.
Once baked, you can eat it like a crustless quiche, slide it onto sandwiches, or freeze into individual servings for easy weekday breakfasts. To make this elegant little it, you will need:
1 package of Trader Joe’s Creamy Spinach & Artichoke Dip6 eggsSalt and pepperCheese, bacon bits, cooked sausage, sautéed vegetables, or any other add-ins you’d like to see in this egg bakeCooking spray (or butter)Heat your oven to 350℉. Remove the frozen dip from its packaging and place it in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for one minute, and break it up with a fork, then heat in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until the dip is defrosted, but not hot. Beat your eggs with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and several grinds of fresh pepper, then beat thoroughly with a whisk, or in a sealed plastic container.
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Prep an 8-inch round or square casserole dish, combine the eggs and the dip, and pour the mixture into the casserole. Dot the top with more cheese, bacon, or whatever you’ve landed on. (I used about two ounces of fresh goat cheese.) Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the middle is just set and the edges begin to brown. Let sit for five minutes, then slice and serve.
