Fabulous Egg Souffle
Inspired by Savory Experiments
Fabulous Egg Soufflé was a great starting point for my first attempt at any kind of soufflé. I was super hungry for one of our celebration foods, Panera’s Egg Soufflé, however, due to C-19 we haven’t had one of those in well over a month.
Speaking of celebration foods, it is actually GOOD for you to have one meal a week (not one meal a day), where you enjoy a favorite food and don’t worry about the nutritional profile.
We call this a Celebration Meal. Why?
- First it helps you to not feel deprived of some foods you have enjoyed most of your life.
- Second, it allows you to be more social without being a food snob; which is important for you and your family and friends.
- Third, your body adapts to changes and having a celebration meal each week can promote weight loss. Just make sure you aren’t celebrating with something that you are sensitive or allergic to. Don’t hurt yourself as you celebrate.
- Fourth, it’s fun! God gave us tastebuds to enjoy food. So enjoy!
This soufflé is a celebration meal. If you would like to enjoy a soufflé more frequently (like every day)… I suggest our Fabulous Dairy Free, Gluten Free Soufflé.
What is a Soufflé?
You might be asking yourself, what in the heck is a soufflé anyway, sounds kind of “Julia Childs”…
A soufflé is a light and fluffy egg dish with cheese and any other goodies you want to add. Kind of like a frittata or an omelette only lighter than a cloud and full of flavor. Yummy.
Savory Experiments have great recipes for those who don’t have food allergies or intolerances. I’ve reworked this recipe for some of my students who must avoid dairy, cheese, wheat, gluten and ham, Fabulous Egg Soufflé Gluten Free Dairy Free here.
Honey, this ain’t no diet food!
This particular soufflé is rich, fatty, cheesy and absolutely perfect! It’s easy to make, especially if you do your prep the day before; then it’s just a matter of whipping the egg whites and folding it all together and baking.
Read up on Soufflé’s before you start
I highly suggest reading Savory Experiments blog if you’ve never made a soufflé. DO THAT BEFORE you start making it! You’ll be happy you did, also read completely through mine.
So … get your cup of Peppermint Tea or whatever your favorite is, look through this recipe and also read through her blog on Savory Experiments.
You could just use her recipe if you don’t have a problem with wheat and you only want ham and cheese. Savory Experiments Souffle recipe.
Mine is a bit of a healthy upgrade, that said, this isn’t really a healthy dish, it’s a Treat! Enjoy celebration foods once a week, so you don’t feel deprived…HOWEVER, if you have a wheat, dairy, or any type of food allergy that makes you sick – then don’t eat them! You don’t celebrate to make yourself sick, right?
What did I do differently in this recipe?
What is the difference between Savory Experiments recipe and mine? All organic ingredients, raw cheese, organic uncured ham and lots of extra veggies.
Half and Half/Raw Cheese
I used half and half instead of milk, mostly because that is all I have! I used raw cheese, it is sharp so you don’t need as much for flavor, which is really what the cheese does for the soufflé. Raw cheese is easier to digest for some people because the enzymes are not destroyed by pasturizing. Learn more about Raw Cheese, I highly suggest you try it!
White Spelt Flour
I use white spelt flour instead of wheat flour, spelt is never genetically modified or hybrid, it is an ancient form of wheat and some people who can’t tolerate wheat can tolerate spelt. I alternate between gluten free and spelt. I use spelt for anything bread-like, pizza crust, sprouted spelt bread and when wheat would be a better option. I use gluten free flour where the end result is unaffected.
Cooking Time
My cooking time is much different. She used a 200 degree F cooking time and honestly this did not work for me; after the 30 minute recommended cooking time my shuffle’s sat there looking just like they did when I put them in! So I bumped up the time to 350 degrees F and in 20 minutes they were fat and happy!
Dish Size
I also used 2-cup dishes, hers were 4 ounces so that could make a difference. The cooking time was only 8 minutes at 350 F when I made the dairy free, gluten free version in medium muffin cups. The 2-cup sized dishes made 3 soufflé to her 6. A light eater might find that too much. I think it could easily be split between 2 people. Again, the dish size may have affected cooking time.
Prepare Ahead
I’m all about doing prep ahead so your meal prep goes fast. Here are the things you can do ahead for this soufflé.
Here is what you can do ahead, read on to see how to do the prep.
- Separate your eggs
- Cook your veggies
- Make the Roux (which would include grating cheese, etc)
Eggs
Separate eggs, put whites in a glass container and store in fridge. You will need to bring them to room temp before you whip them up. The yolks will go into your Roux.
Roux
What is a Roux you might ask? It’s a thickened milk sauce. In the recipe you make this super easy thick milk sauce and add your cheese and veggies to it. This is the most time consuming part of the soufflé.
The recipe calls for nutmeg in the Roux…I wasn’t too sure about this, it’s just a 1/4 teaspoon. I found it brings all the flavors together and you don’t really have a “nutmeg” flavor. My recommendation…don’t leave it out!
- Make your Roux the day before.
- Add your chopped veggies, ham and cheese.
- The next day (serving day) all you have to do is bring everything to room temp and then fold together, put in your baking cups and bake! That will take about 15 minutes. Simple!
Grate cheese, you will add to your Roux.
Veggies you will add to your Roux. Chop veggies and lightly sauté.
Idea! Plan a stir fry the night before you want to make your soufflé and sauté about a 1/2 cup extra veggies, whatever you like, and save for your soufflé. Easy! You will add this to your Roux as well. Mushrooms, Kale, Onion and Broccoli are my favs.
Ham, chop ham into little pieces if necessary, pre cook with your other veggies, this removes excess liquid. You could also use bacon, turkey, chicken smoked fish, whatever you like, or no meat at all…it’s YOUR Way!
Whaaattt???? Ham???
If you know me you know I preach against any kind of pork as a regular food. Honestly ham is not one of our go-to foods. We have ham or bacon or pork of any kind less than a few times a year, but since it was Easter and we are quarantined…well….
Occasionally throughout the year we will buy a package of Simple Truth Uncured Ham for use in omelettes, beans or this Soufflé.
Why Uncured Ham?
“Cured meats have been a target for health concerns recently. The evidence suggests that in cultures where the diets include regular (daily) consumption of meats that have been cured, smoked, and salted have higher risks of stomach cancer. It is difficult to separate the exact cause and effect of this relationship because of the many variables. It is known that smoked foods contain a variety of potential cancer-causing compounds, and high salt intakes cause damage to the stomach lining that may be related to cancer progression.”
The Simple Truth Uncured Ham is technically cured, however it is cured with celery, which naturally creates nitrites and acts as a preservative.
Read more about how to avoid nitrates and the health hazards of cured meats from Dr. Josh Axe. 2
Learn More
Processed meats and cancer
(1) bestfoodfacts.org/3-things-you-need-to-know-about-processed-meats-and-cancer
(2) Alternatives to processed meats
What Are Nitrates? Reasons to Avoid Nitrates (and Better Alternatives)
Fabulous Egg Souffle
A wonderful celebration meal with some nutritional upgrades.
Servings: 6 Large Ramekins
Calories: 265kcal
Cost: $6.00
Equipment
- sharp knife, cutting board, electric mixer, ramekins or muffin cups
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter organic
- 2 Tablespoons spelt flour organic, white spelt
- 1 cup half and half organic
- 4 Large eggs pasture raised
- 8 Tablespoons ham chopped
- 8 Tablespoons veggies chopped sautéed
- 1/8 teaspoon salt pink or celtic salt
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- dash cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon vinegar white or rice vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons herbs chopped
- 1/2 cup raw cheddar cheese organic, grated
Instructions
Prep
- Eggs: Put whole unbroken eggs in a dish of hot (not boiling) water for 10 minutes to bring to room temperature
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Grease ramekins with butter
- Chop veggies
- Chop ham
- Grate Cheese
- Sauté veggies and ham in a splash of butter until fork tender
Separate eggs
- Put whites in the mixing bowl, if doing a day ahead, See Notes
- Put yolks in a cup and whisk until golden and thick or use an immersion blender
Make Roux
- Melt butter in a sauce pan or skillet
- Whisk in spelt flour and stir until thickened
- Slowly add half and half, whisk until smooth and thick
- Add salt, nutmeg, cayenne to Roux, stir to blend
- Add egg yolks and stir until blended
- Stir in grated cheese, veggies and ham
- If you are making soufflé immediately, set this mixture aside, see notes if you are making next day
Beat Egg Whites
- Make sure your bowl is water and grease free
- Add 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar or rice vinegar to egg whites - helps them not to collapse
- Beat egg whites until fluffy and form a peak
- Gently fold Roux (with cheese, ham and veggies and egg yolk) into the egg whites
- Divide mixture into greased ramekins to about 3/4 full. Will fill six-4 oz ramekins or three-16 ounce ramekins, or 16 medium sized muffin cups.
Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes
- Use a clean knife in the middle to see if the mixture is set, knife should come out fairly clean
- Should look tall and beautiful
- Allow to cool about 5 minutes before serving
Notes
- Prep the Day Before
If you are making soufflé immediately put whites in the mixing bowl, if doing a day ahead, put whites in a glass jar, cover and refrigerate. - If you are making the next day, store in glass container, allow to cool, cover and refrigerate.
Nutrition
Sodium: 407mg | Calcium: 138mg | Vitamin C: 19mg | Vitamin A: 798IU | Sugar: 1g | Fiber: 1g | Potassium: 221mg | Cholesterol: 166mg | Calories: 265kcal | Saturated Fat: 12g | Fat: 22g | Protein: 12g | Carbohydrates: 5g | Iron: 1mg
