Caprese Baked Eggs

I tried to grow tomatoes last year. Actually, it was a little kit for kids with basil, peppers and tomatoes. We planted the seeds in some containers on the front porch and watched them grow into some pretty pathetic little plants. We got a handful of basil, maybe three tomatoes and one pepper. It was pitiful, to say the least. Black thumb right here.

This year we decided to give gardening another go, but this time we went all out. Four 4 x 8 raised beds filled with rich compost was the beginning to a lush vegetable and herb garden with 10 foot tall tomato plants (I kid you not), eggplants the size of my head, and more squash than I could possibly know what to do with. Throw in some basil, oregano, parsley, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, and cucumbers and we were officially vegetable growing machines.

My basil from the previous year was long gone having not survived the winter, but our cherry tomato plant, with it's lankly limbs, was still hanging out on the porch looking, well . . . sad. I decided to give the little guy a shot in the raised beds and, holy moly, you wouldn't believe the transformation! What once only gave us a measly few tomatoes one season has produced hundreds of perfect sweet little beauties this summer. I paired the garden-fresh tomatoes with some of the fresh basil we are also growing to make these super tasty and decadent eggs that exude the flavors of summer!


Ingredients

1 teaspoon olive oil
2 eggs
1 ounce cubed mozzarella cheese
5 cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon milk
Fresh basil, chiffonaded
Salt and pepper


Directions

Preheat oven to 325°. Drizzle olive oil into the bottom of a small glass ramekin or baking dish. Tilt the dish to coat the bottom and the sides with the olive oil. Gently crack two eggs into the dish. Place the cubed mozzarella and the tomatoes into the eggs around the yolks. Drizzle the milk over the eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, or just until the egg whites are set. The yolks should not be hard. Garnish with the fresh basil and serve immediately.



Notes

I like to leave my tomatoes whole so that the tomato juices don't make the eggs too soggy and wet as they bake.