Green Eggs and No Ham Recipe with Southwest Pesto Sauce

Will you eat them on St Pat's? Will you eat them wearing hats?
I do so like them, Sam-I-Am, I do like green eggs and no ham!

-- Modified from the Dr Seuss classic "Green Eggs and Ham"

The Southwest pesto takes this breakfast classic - Eggs in a Basket* - to a whole new level!  It can turn your St Patrick's Day breakfast into Top 'O The Mornin' And the basket shape of the bread makes this a perfect Easter basket breakfast or brunch!

Steaming the spinach makes the pesto smoother and darker green. I used  spinach and no basil to make this sauce more budget friendly. And I love a little lemon zest to brighten the taste, but the jalapeño is the ingredient that sets this pesto apart from the rest. A kick of heat and spice!

I blended the pesto in my blender for a smoother sauce, but you can use your food processor for a more traditional rustic texture.

** FOR 50 QUIRKY NAMES FOR THIS TRADITIONAL EGG AND TOAST DISH, SEE THE END OF THIS POST!

EGGS IN A BASKET WITH SOUTHWEST PESTO SAUCE

Cook and prep time about 30 minutes; serves six

8 large eggs, divided
½ cup milk
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
6 slices day-old firm white bread
8 cups chopped spinach
1 handful of cilantro leaves
1 jalapeño, with or without seeds*
3 cloves garlic
1 lemon
⅓ cup pine nuts
1 ounce Queso Fresco cheese, crumbled
A few dashes Tabasco sauce
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spray a large cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. In a pie pan or other shallow pan, mix 2 of the eggs, milk, garlic powder, smoked paprika and ½ teaspoon salt. Dip each bread slice in egg mixture for about 10 seconds on each side. Place soaked bread slices in muffin tins, forming a "basket," with corners of bread sticking up out of muffin tin slightly. Crack one egg into all 6 muffin tins. Bake for 15 minutes for eggs that will have slightly soft yolks, or bake longer as desired to make egg yolks firm.

Place spinach in a glass bowl or ceramic dish, cover with plastic wrap and then microwave for about 90 seconds, or until completely wilted. Remove 1 teaspoon zest from lemon and 2 tablespoons juice from lemon. Place juice and zest and all remaining ingredients in blender (for a smooth sauce) or food processor (for a more rustic sauce). Blend until smooth.

Serve egg baskets on a plate, drizzled with pesto sauce.

*Note about 'Eggs in a Basket': This dish is traditionally made by cutting a round hole out of a slice of bread, placing the slice in a skillet and cracking an egg into the center. I made a more 'basket-y' shape buy soaking the bread slices in a French toast custard mixture and then pressing them into muffin tins.

** Check out all the quirky names for this dish: One Eyed Jack. Eggy in a Basket. One Eyed Pirate. Gashouse Eggs. Egg in a Window. Egg in the Hole. Pirate's Eye. Toad in the Hole. Adam and Eve on a Raft. Bird's Nest. Bull's Eye. Cave Entrance. Camel's Eye. Eagle Eye. Egg-Holey-O. Egg Castorini. Egg in a Blanket. Egg in a Frame. Egg in a Hat and Coat. Egg in Bed. Egg in a Nest. Eggy Toast. Eye of the Beholder. Gaslight Eggs. Hobo Toast. Hobo Eggs. Nest Eggs. O'Johnnies. Submarine Egg. Victory Egg. Rocky Mountain Toast. Yolky Pokey. Hole in One. Man in a Boat. Baby in a Hole. Eggs in a Bonnet. Bird's Nest Eggs. Knothole Eggs. Moon Over Miami (from the Betty Grable movie) Ox Eye Eggs. Chicky in a Nest. Navy Eggs. Breakfast Bulls Eyes. Egg in the Middle. Sunlets. Boy Scout Eggs. Kellogg Eggs.

*Leave the seeds in the recipe for a sauce with more heat.

Other food bloggers' takes on this egg classic:
One Eyed Jack, aka Eggs in a Basket, For the Love of Cooking
Eggs in a Basket with Wonton Wrappers, Green Lemonade
Eggs in the Basket, A Series of Kitchen Experiments
Gashouse Eggs, Kitchen Parade

-- posted by Donna