There is a possibility that I could eat crepes for every meal. They are a light and wonderful substitute for breakfast pancakes. For lunch, I like to tuck vegetables and cheese inside and use in place of grilled cheese. For dinner, crepes can be used in place of tortillas in enchiladas. And of course, my favorite, crepes filled with ice cream.
I make crepes out of any flour I possibly can. Once you get the hang of the consistency of the dough and the pan swirl, the possibilities are endless. These cornmeal crepes have become a favorite version and I've had this recipe for breakfast quite often (thanks to crepes that freeze well!)
PrintGarlicky Spinach Cornmeal Crepes
A light breakfast using lightly sautéed spinach wrapped in a homemade cornmeal crepe and topped with a poached egg.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
- Category: Breakfast
Ingredients
Crepes:
- ¼ cup fine-ground cornmeal
- ¼ cup white wheat flour
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
For each crepe:
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 1 cup packed baby spinach
- 1 poached egg
- Red Pepper Flakes (for topping)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together ingredients for the crepes. Heat 8″ skillet and lightly grease with oil. Place a scant ¼ cup of batter in pan. Tilt the pan so that the batter covers the entire pan and cook for about 60 seconds or so, until golden. Flip and cook for another 30 seconds. Layer done crepes, slightly overlapping, on a plate.
- Heat a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the olive oil to the skillet followed by the minced garlic. Cook for a minute or two, until the garlic is fragrant and golden. Turn off the heat and add the spinach to the skillet. Stir until the spinach is slightly wilted.
- Assemble one crepe with spinach and topped with poached egg and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
Notes
Tips & Tricks: Extra crepes can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days or frozen for a couple months. Place in a container, separating each crepe with wax paper.
Stock up: get the pantry ingredients you will need: spinach, eggs, wheat flour
Nutrition: get the information- crepe recipe + crepe filling
Nutrition
- Calories: 178
- Sugar: 11
- Sodium: 227.7
- Fat: 11.6
- Carbohydrates: 10.1
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 8.9
- Cholesterol: 199.8
Cornmeal Crepes
variations
The spinach in these cornmeal crepes can easily be changed. I almost always have spinach on hand, so it's a good go-to for me. But really, so many different greens and vegetables work well.
Greens: Swap out the spinach for different greens such as kale, chard, collards, or beet greens.
Roasted Vegetables: It's pretty easy to use what is in season. For spring, roast asparagus. During the summer months, roasted or grilled summer squash. During the fall- pureed sweet potato or butternut squash.
Now that you've mastered making crepes, you can cook up a batch and stash them in the freezer. As mentioned in the intro- I use crepes for so many different meals and recipes.
Enchiladas: these cornmeal crepes in particular work really well in place of corn tortillas for enchiladas. The crepes kind of melt away with the sauce making for one delicious casserole-type meal.
Desserts: I will always have a soft spot for dessert crepes. Pair these cornmeal crepes with homemade ice cream or one of my favorites, roasted fruit and honey.
Explore Spinach
Over the years, spinach has become my favorite and go-to green. It grows easily, works well raw and lightly cooked, and can easily be the star of the meal or a simple base for other ingredients. I'll often keep spinach on hand in place of lettuce because it can be added to almost any recipe i make. A few of my favorite spinach recipes:
Red Lentil Masala with Spinach
Sesame Roasted Carrot Summer Rolls
Spinach Pesto Polenta with Smoky Chickpeas
Tori//Gringalicious.com says
This looks and sounds divine!
Maria says
Cornmeal crepes sound genius!! Love that flavor and texture:) Garlic, spinach, and eggs are my main-stay crepe fillings - so I'm excited to try this crepe recipe!!
Nirosha says
Made this for lunch today with spring greens. The crepes were simple to whisk up and make. I need to perfect my poached egg technique and will definitely be making again!
★★★★★
Becki says
Wow! These are great! We loved the flavors of crepe, spinach and poached egg together. Made a yummy supper.
My husband is - surprise! - very skilled at making crepes, and we had enough left for dessert crepes. I had sliced peaches from last summer in the freezer, warmed with a little coconut yogurt and maple syrup.
I made a couple substitutions with the crepes. I used coconut milk and coconut oil in place of whole milk and butter. They're great! And I loved collaborating with my husband to make dinner. Thank you!
★★★★★
Robin says
Would the crepes work with all-purpose gluten-free flour as well? Or another kinds of gf flour?
Erin Alderson says
They would- I've also made oat crepes before (https://naturallyella.com/gluten-free-oat-crepes-with-tomatoes-basil-and-goat-cheese/) and I think you could do a mixture of oat and cornmeal if you like.
Robin says
Awesome, thanks!
Kimberley says
I'm so into this! I totally want to do a gluten-free version or five.
cathusa says
This is our go to 'we haven't organized dinner' meal.... and a breakfast when we have more time, sometimes lunch too....and we LOVE it! I alway need to remember to stir the batter up before I pour out a crepe, or one gets left with all the grits on the bottom. Such a delicious meal - thank you!!
Manon says
I just made this recipe for brunch and it was delicious! Really quick and easy to make as well. Thanks so much for all your fantastic cooking ideas Erin!