Switch up your usual eggs-for-breakfast game with these Instant Pot Tomato Basil Eggs en Cocotte! This simple, flavorful French recipe is perfect for breakfast or brunch and is delicious served with runny yolks, a dash of hot sauce, and slices of crusty bread or toasted English muffins.
Brunch Mode: Activate!
It’s that time again – Brunch Week starts in just 3 days! Monday begins 6 straight days of delicious brunch recipe sharing from over 35 bloggers (including myself), but I couldn’t help myself. I had to squeeze in this one since it’s a sneak peek from my new book!!
Besides, let’s not kid ourselves – is it ever really too early to talk about brunch?
Instant Pot Tomato Basil Eggs en Cocotte
Blame my Millennial-ness if you must, but brunch has pretty much become my favorite meal. So many different dishes can be adapted and reworked to fit into any brunch menu. Plus, I don’t know about you, but I personally have no problem eating brunch for lunch or dinner, either.
Brunch is the perfect way to celebrate a special occasion like Easter, Mother’s Day, and birthdays, but getting a menu together for a crowd can be overwhelming. This is where Instant Pot Eggs en Cocotte come in! Using your electric pressure cooker to take care of a recipe or two while you focus on the more involved dishes.
What exactly is brunch?
You may not call it so, but you’ve definitely eaten brunch. Brunch, a combination of breakfast and lunch, is any meal eaten between 10am and 2pm. Brunch originated in England in the late 19th century, becoming popular in the United States in the 1930s and really blowing up in the last 10 years or so.
Blame us basic Millennials for that. Or, you know, thank us.
Champagne or some sort of light cocktail is usually served with it, leaning it more into the lunch category. Sunday is the most popular day for brunch, but don’t let social norms dictate your eating habits!
Meaning brunch all day, every day, my friends!
What is Eggs en Cocotte?
Known as oeufs en cocotte in French, this simple dish is actually named for the ramekins (or cocottes) in which the eggs are cooked. Traditionally, the ramekins are baked until the whites are just set, but your Instant Pot (or whichever cooker you own) will do the job just as easily. How soft you want your yolks will determine how long to set your pressure for – 1-3 minutes is usually perfect!
Eggs en cocotte is a fast and easy recipe made up of very simple ingredients. In this case, eggs, tomato, mushrooms, basil, cheese, some heavy cream, and seasonings. Things you likely always have on hand if you do a fair amount of cooking.
One of the best things about this dish is that it’s super versatile! Much like an omelet or frittata, just about anything can go into the ramekin before you top it with the egg and cheese. Leftover salsa for a Mexican twist, mushroom duxelles with goat cheese…even sausage gravy would be delicious!
Tips for the yummiest Instant Pot Eggs en Cocotte:
- • After spooning your filling into the ramekins, create a small indentation in the middle. Your yolk will fall to the center and cook perfectly.
- • Add any garnishes (like basil and scallions) after removing the eggs from the cooker. The moisture shrivels herbs, and they’ll look much prettier if placed after cooking.
- • Serve the eggs with lots of toppings! Hot sauce, shaved Parmesan, sea salt, black pepper – people love certain flavors with their eggs and will appreciate the options.
- • Don’t forget the bread! Part of the joy of eating these eggs en cocotte is dipping toast or an English muffin into the runny yolk.
I’m so happy that I’m able to share this easy brunch recipe with you – and even happier that you’ll be able to find it in my new cookbook, The Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook for Two! I’m still kind of in awe of the whole process and seeing it all come together since the recipe development and writing portion has come to an end is beyond crazy!
I should be getting my first proof copy in the mail next week, and I can’t wait to show it to you! If you haven’t pre-ordered your copy yet, get on over to Amazon and do so!
Looking for a perfect brunch menu for this weekend? Try this lineup!
- Brunch Sangria Mimosas
- Onion, Bacon & Spinach Quiche
- Baked French Toast with Mixed Berries
- Lemon Blueberry Parfait
- Roasted Vegetable Breakfast Tacos
- Avocado Chocolate Chip Muffins with Pistachio Crunch
Instant Pot Tomato Basil Eggs en Cocotte
Ingredients
- 1 cup grape tomatoes halved
- kosher salt
- unsalted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 3 cups mushrooms chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil chopped
- 4 tablespoons heavy cream
- 4 eggs
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese shredded, optional
- black pepper optional
- hot sauce optional
Instructions
- Place the tomatoes in a fine-mesh strainer set over a medium bowl and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Massage the salt into the tomatoes and allow them to drain for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Add 1 cup water to the pressure cooker and place the trivet or egg rack in the bottom. Coat the 4 ramekins with some of the butter and set aside.
- On the stovetop, heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and brown lightly, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the drained tomatoes. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes until softened.
- Add the lemon juice and sugar and stir to combine. Stir in the mushrooms and cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil.
- Distribute the tomato-mushroom mixture evenly among the prepared ramekins. Add 1 tablespoon of the cream to each ramekin, then crack an egg into each one. Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese over each egg (if desired). Place 3 ramekins on the trivet in a three-leaf clover arrangement, with the fourth one on top of the others in the middle.
- Cover, secure the lid, and select Manual, cooking on high pressure for 1 to 3 minutes, depending on how soft you want the yolks. Quick Release the pressure, then remove the lid.
- Carefully remove the ramekins from the pot. Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce (as desired).
Lisa says
Great recipe, would it work putting the filling in the tomato or does the tomato take more cooking pls?
Ps here in the UK brunch is: a meal usually taken late in the morning that combines a late breakfast and an early lunch
🙂