Do you have too many eggs on hand and not a single idea of how to use them? OK, an omelet could be a good idea, but you might already be sick of omelets. In that case, you just have to find the courage to experiment a little. And, believe me, there are many ways to cook with eggs.
There are times when my parents send me lots of eggs from their farm – usually, I get around 20 to 30 of them at once. I think these are the moments when my daughter hates me. “What are we going to eat for dinner, mom?” she asks. “Well, we’ll have some tasty scrambled eggs with a Greek salad, honey, how about that?”, I reply. “Oh, mom, please, not again!!!”. I already know her answer.
Usually, when I have too many eggs on hand, I like to make breakfast dishes like sunny side up eggs, scrambled eggs, or omelets. But, really, how many eggs can a person eat in 2-3 weeks, before they start to get old? Not to mention the definite rise in your cholesterol levels!
Occasionally I make egg salad or crème Brulee to finish all those eggs which didn’t become an omelet. But one gets bored of eating the same things again and again. Because throwing food is not an option for me, in time, I’ve learned how to manage too many eggs. Here are some ideas you might find useful.
5 recipes to cook when you have too many eggs
1. Deviled eggs
I usually make deviled eggs for Easter meals. But I can never say no to them, no matter the occasion. I’m not always in the mood for preparing them, but when I have too many eggs I feel motivated. Deviled eggs are also one of the easiest appetizers you can make.
Make hard-boiled eggs, cut each of them into halves, remove their yolks, and mix them with mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper. When the mixture is creamy enough, fill the egg whites with it. You can use a spoon or a piping bag. Sprinkle chopped chives or paprika powder on top, and you have your deviled eggs ready! For extra taste, you can also top them with small pieces of salmon or chopped fried bacon.
2. Frittatas
Frittatas are quick and easy to make, they are satisfying, and you can refrigerate the leftovers to enjoy them later. You can make a frittata when you have too many eggs on hand, some vegetables and maybe a little meat to throw in a skillet.
The good part is that you can throw almost anything in your skillet. Open your fridge and look for onions, potatoes, bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, leeks, mushrooms, sausages, leftover chicken, tofu, cheese, or other leftovers you may have in there. Cook them in a cast-iron skillet, taking into consideration their cooking time.
Start with the uncooked meat, then set it aside to add it later. Then, first cook the longer-cooking veggies like onions and potatoes, ending with the softer veggies. When you’re almost ready, add the meat. Season, add shredded cheese and whisked eggs, then transfer the pan to the oven to bake your frittata.
Frittatas are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dinner.
3. Egg casserole
Egg casserole is pretty much a crustless quiche. It’s a smart way to use any kind of leftovers, be it eggs, vegetables or deli meats. You can use ham, chicken sausage, ground turkey, any type of cheese, broccoli, spring onions, onions, bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, or mushrooms. Raw meat should be cooked first, then added to a greased baking pan. Add your veggies, beat the eggs and pour them all over, then just bake everything until ready. If you make a large egg casserole, you can eat it for a week!
4. Quiches
The difference between a frittata and a quiche is the crust. And, because of the crust, you have to cook it differently. A quiche is an unsweetened pie filled with greens, veggies, ham, meat, or cheese. It usually has milk and it always has lots of eggs.
You can use homemade or store-bought crust pie dough for making your quiche. Roll it out and place it in a pie tray, then place a sheet of parchment paper over the dough and fill it with pie weights or dried beans. Bake it according to your recipe. Meanwhile, make the filling. Then, pour the mixture into the crust, and bake until the center of your quiche is just set. You can serve warm or at room temperature.
5. Pound cakes
An easy dessert for those moments when you have too many eggs in your fridge is pound cake. Traditionally, this cake is made with a pound of each of four ingredients: flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. But now you have many varieties to choose from. To make an authentic pound cake, bake the batter in a Bundt pan.
If you want, you can add dried fruit to it. Just make sure you make it beautiful by sprinkling some powdered sugar on it or lightly glaze it.
Pound cake is moist, tender, rich, dense, and decadent. You can eat it as is, or with some toppings: whipped cream, strawberries and mint leaves, lemon curd and pistachio, whipped cream and peaches, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
How long can you keep eggs?
My parents start to gather eggs for Easter celebration one month in advance. I used to think this time frame is too long until I got to read about it. I found out that if your eggs are fresh, collected from your own chickens, or purchased from a farm or farmers market, you can keep eat them for up to 5 weeks from the purchase date.
If you can’t remember precisely when you bought them, test their freshness by dropping them one by one in a bowl of water. If the egg floats to the top, it’s too old and not good for eating, if it stands upright on the bottom, it is still fine to eat, but should be eaten very soon, if it lays on its side at the bottom, it is still quite fresh.
