Lemon-ricotta pancakes with warm blueberries
Tender ricotta pancakes with warm blueberries and the fragrance of fresh lemon.
About 25 min · 415 kcal · 22 g protein per serving
Vegetarian
Spinach, feta and red pepper egg bites
Soft, custardy egg bites made with whole eggs, egg whites and blended cottage cheese, baked a dozen at a time. Three make a small breakfast you can eat in a few minutes, and they come out of the freezer as well as they went in.
By The foodose editorial team. Nutrition calculated from USDA FoodData Central. Checked on paper on 16 October 2026; not yet cooked in a test kitchen or photographed, so the times and yield are estimates. How we develop our recipes
What still needs a real kitchen
- Confirm 12 bites set in 22 to 25 minutes over a water bath at 160°C
- Confirm the air fryer timing of 12 to 14 minutes at 150°C
- Photograph the finished bites
- Time
- About 40 min
- estimated
- Serves
- 4
- see below
- Energy
- 410 kcal
- per serving
- Protein
- 35 g
- per serving
Ingredients for 4 servings
Check off ingredients as you go.
Contains eggs, gluten, milk. Check the labels on packaged ingredients:
- feta. Some feta is made with animal rennet; check the label if you are vegetarian.
- wholemeal bread. Bread often contains soya and can contain milk, egg or sesame; check the label.
Cooking steps
Heat the oven to 160°C / 325°F (140°C fan) and set a roasting tin of just-boiled water on the lowest shelf. Brush a 12-hole muffin tin, or 12 silicone cups, with the olive oil.
Wilt the spinach in a dry pan over medium heat for 2 minutes, tip it into a sieve and press out as much liquid as you can with the back of a spoon, then chop it. Finely dice the red pepper and slice the spring onions.
Blend the eggs, egg whites and cottage cheese for about 30 seconds, until completely smooth. Divide the spinach, red pepper and spring onions between the cups, break the feta into small pieces over them, and pour in the egg mixture to three-quarters full.
Bake on the middle shelf for 22 to 25 minutes, until puffed, set at the edges and with only a faint wobble in the middle. In an air fryer, bake them in silicone cups at 150°C / 300°F for 12 to 14 minutes, in batches. A thermometer pushed into the centre of one should read 71°C.
Cooked when: 71°C / 160°F in the centre. A food thermometer is the reliable way to tell.
Leave them in the tin for 5 minutes; they sink a little as they cool, which is normal. Eat three with a slice of toasted wholemeal bread.
To prep ahead, cool the rest on a rack for no more than an hour. Box three to a container for the fridge, or freeze them spread apart on a lined tray for 2 hours before bagging, so they do not stick together.
The useful detail
The tin of hot water on the shelf below is what makes these soft rather than rubbery. Steam keeps the oven humid, so the edges do not tighten and rise before the middle has set, and the bites bake through evenly.
Make it work for you
One serving is Three egg bites with a slice of toasted wholemeal bread. You can switch to a smaller portion in the ingredients above; it is three quarters of this, and it contains correspondingly less energy and protein. It is an option, not a goal.
Goat's cheese instead of feta
Softer and less salty; it melts into small creamy pockets.
Per serving: about the same energy, about 1 g more protein, about the same fat.
Kale instead of spinach
Chewier. Strip the stalks and wilt it for 4 minutes rather than 2.
Per serving: about 5 kcal more, about the same protein, about the same fat.
Rye bread instead of wholemeal
Denser and slightly sour beside the eggs.
Per serving: about 5 kcal more, about 2 g less protein, about the same fat.
Estimated nutrition
Per standard serving, calculated from the ingredients above. Nutrition changes with substitutions, brands and how much oil stays in the pan.
A breakfast that stacks whole eggs, egg whites and cottage cheese, so three small bites and a slice of toast carry over 30 g of protein.
| Energy | 410 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 35 g |
| Fat | 19 g |
| of which saturates | 7 g |
| Carbohydrate | 25 g |
| of which sugars | 6 g |
| Fibre | 4 g |
| Sodium | 850 mg |
Show calculation notes
Each ingredient’s weight is multiplied by its USDA FoodData Central values per 100 g. The whole recipe is added up and divided by 4. Raw weights are used for meat, fish and vegetables; beans and lentils are drained weights. All of the oil is counted as eaten. Added salt is not included; sodium from stock, bread, cheese and tinned food is.
| Ingredient | Weight used | Source | Energy | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| eggs | 400 g | FDC 171287Egg, whole, raw, fresh | 572 kcal | 50.2 g |
| egg whites | 255 g | FDC 172183Egg, white, raw, fresh | 134 kcal | 28.0 g |
| cottage cheese | 200 g | FDC 172179Cheese, cottage, creamed, large or small curd | 196 kcal | 22.2 g |
| spinach | 150 g | FDC 168462Spinach, raw | 35 kcal | 4.3 g |
| red pepper | 150 g | FDC 170108Peppers, sweet, red, raw | 39 kcal | 1.5 g |
| feta | 80 g | FDC 173420Cheese, feta | 212 kcal | 11.4 g |
| spring onions | 45 g | FDC 170005Onions, spring or scallions (includes tops and bulb), raw | 14 kcal | 0.8 g |
| olive oil | 4.5 g | FDC 171413Oil, olive, salad or cooking | 40 kcal | 0.0 g |
| wholemeal bread | 160 g | FDC 172688Bread, whole-wheat, commercially prepared | 403 kcal | 19.9 g |
| Whole recipe | Divided by 4 | 1645 kcal | 138.4 g |
Per serving the energy is rounded to the nearest 5 kcal, grams to the nearest whole gram and sodium to the nearest 10 mg. Calculation method 1.0, September 2026. How the calculation works.
Storage and reheating
- In the fridge
- Cool, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours of baking. Eat within 3 to 4 days.
- In the freezer
- Freeze them spread apart, then bag them. The FDA chart has no row for egg bakes; freezing keeps food safe indefinitely, and the texture is best if they are eaten sooner rather than later.
- Reheating
- Reheat from the fridge or straight from the freezer, covered, until they reach 74°C / 165°F, steaming hot throughout. Toast the bread fresh.
Checked against US Food and Drug Administration, Refrigerator and Freezer Storage Chart, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Leftovers and Food Safety, FoodSafety.gov, Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures and FoodSafety.gov, Cold Food Storage Chart. UK guidance from the Food Standards Agency is shorter, at two days for most leftovers.
Try another recipe
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Cool vanilla skyr, tender pear and a small scattering of fragrant oats.
About 35 min · 300 kcal · 22 g protein per serving
Vegetarian