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DinnerMediterranean · 35 min · 2 servingsClaras al horno con espinacas y requesón

Baked egg whites with spinach and ricotta

Each serving has 240 kcal, 28.8 g of protein, and 2.8 g of fiber, or 12 g of protein per 100 kcal. Ready in 35 minutes; makes 2 servings.

  • High in protein
  • Easy to digest
  • Low energy density
  • Hydrating

Per serving

  • 240 kcalCalories
  • 28.8 gProtein
  • 2.8 gFiber

Calculated ingredient by ingredient from USDA FoodData Central. 12 g of protein per 100 kcal.

Baked egg whites with spinach and ricotta, seen from above
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Published
Sources
7 primary

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Ingredients

2 servings

Plus, with no meaningful nutrition (not counted in the table):

  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • Nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste

Weights are for each food as described on its page: raw, cooked, or drained, as noted. Grams are the reference used for the math; ounces and cups are rounded US equivalents.

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C) and grease a small 8-inch (20 cm) baking dish or silicone pan with a few drops of the oil.
  2. Sauté the spinach with the rest of the oil and the garlic for 2 to 3 minutes, until wilted, then press out the liquid with a spoon.
  3. Whisk the egg whites with the whole egg, nutmeg, salt, and pepper, without beating them stiff.
  4. Spread the spinach in the dish, add the ricotta in spoonfuls, and pour the egg whites over the top.
  5. Arrange the cherry tomatoes cut side up and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the center is set and no longer jiggles.
  6. Let it rest 5 minutes, cut into pieces, and serve warm.

Why it is filling

Egg whites are almost pure protein, and the ricotta and whole egg add creaminess and flavor without loading the dish with fat. The spinach cooks down a lot and adds volume and water for very few calories. Baking gives it a soft texture, like a thick frittata, that is good warm or cold.

In numbers, each serving has 28.8 g of protein and 2.8 g of fiber, with an energy density of 63 kcal per 100 g of the dish. In the satiety index by Holt and colleagues (1995), the foods that were most filling per calorie were those with more protein, fiber, and water and less fat.

High in protein
At least 15 g of protein per serving and 6 g per 100 kcal.
Easy to digest
A soft dish with little fat (20 g or less per serving) and no large amounts of ingredients that often cause gas or nausea. This is an editorial call, not a measurement.
Low energy density
100 kcal or less per 100 g of the dish: plenty of volume for few calories.
Hydrating
At least 85 g of water per 100 g of the dish, not counting cooking water.

If your appetite is small

  • It keeps for 3 days in the fridge: a cold piece is a no-cook dinner or snack with protein.
  • If a full serving is too much, cut it into four small pieces and eat them through the day.

Nutrition facts

Values per serving and for the whole recipe (2 servings), calculated from the ingredients. Protein per 100 kcal: 12 g.
NutrientPer servingWhole recipe
Calories240 kcal481 kcal
Protein28.8 g57.6 g
Carbohydrates9.4 g18.9 g
Fiber2.8 g5.6 g
Fat9.8 g19.6 g
Approximate weight380 g (13 oz)760 g (27 oz)

How it is calculated

Each ingredient contributes its per-100 g values from the site’s food database, multiplied by the amount in the recipe. Seasonings, water, and lemon or lime juice are not counted. It is an approximation: the actual size of the foods and how you cook them shift the result a little.

What each ingredient contributes to the whole recipe.
IngredientAmountCaloriesProteinFiber
Egg whites300 g156 kcal32.7 g0 g
Egg55 g79 kcal6.9 g0 g
Spinach200 g46 kcal5.7 g4.4 g
Part-skim ricotta100 g138 kcal11.4 g0 g
Tomato100 g18 kcal0.9 g1.2 g
Olive oil5 g44 kcal0 g0 g

To plan your meals

More recipes

See all recipes

Sources

Nutrition values for each ingredient (USDA FoodData Central) and the satiety reference, with the access date.

  1. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.USDA FoodData Central: Egg, white, raw, fresh (FDC ID 172183).accessed .
  2. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.USDA FoodData Central: Egg, whole, raw, fresh (FDC ID 171287).accessed .
  3. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.USDA FoodData Central: Spinach, raw (FDC ID 168462).accessed .
  4. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.USDA FoodData Central: Cheese, ricotta, part skim milk (FDC ID 171248).accessed .
  5. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.USDA FoodData Central: Tomatoes, red, ripe, raw, year round average (FDC ID 170457).accessed .
  6. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.USDA FoodData Central: Oil, olive, salad or cooking (FDC ID 171413).accessed .
  7. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (PubMed).Holt SH, Miller JC, Petocz P, Farmakalidis E. A satiety index of common foods. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1995;49(9):675-90.accessed .