Green Eggs No Ham Muffin Cups with Southwest Pesto Sauce

Green Eggs No Ham Muffin Cups are eggs in French Toast Cups baked in a Muffin pan topped with Southwest Jalapeño Pesto. They make a delicious and healthy breakfast or brunch.

What can be more fun for breakfast than Green Eggs No Ham? Well, the eggs aren't green but the Jalapeńo Pesto takes care of that.

Recipe originally posted on March 16, 2010 and has been a favorite ever since!

Post updated on Dec 16, 2023.

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!

St. Patrick's Day Recipe Ideas

Let your potatoes have a little fun! St Patrick's Day is a good excuse to try something new for dinner. Potatoes and chiles are a match made in heaven so kick your dinner ideas with a Southwest spin.

My Potato Enchiladas with Ranchero Sauce is a favorite recipe any time of the year. What's a party without nachos? Change them up with this Irish Nachos Pub- Style Potatoes recipe from one of my blogging friends.

Savory Recipes Baked in a Muffin Pan

I'm always looking for more ways to use the kitchen tools I already own, it saves money AND space in my kitchen. Here are a few ideas for baking savory recipes in a muffin pan-

If you are looking for a "make ahead" breakfast, try these Baked Breakfast Egg Cups. Switch up the flavors by adding the veggies of your choice.

Muffin Pans aren't just for breakfast anymore. Think outside the bun with Chicken Taco Cupcakes. Don't be scared! They are delicious taco seasoned chicken baked in wonton wrapped stuffed with Southwest flavors.

Don't forget dessert! Try these Pumpkin Spice Mousse Cups have an oat crust that is baked in a muffin pan. Use this Oat Crust Recipe for any filling.

How to Make Green Eggs No Ham Muffin Cups

• Spray a large cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
• In a pie pan or other shallow pan, mix the savory French toast egg mixture.
• 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.
• Serve egg baskets on a plate, drizzled with pesto sauce.

Tips for Making Southwest Jalapeño Pesto

• Steaming the spinach makes the pesto smoother and darker green. See recipe below.
• Use spinach and no basil to make this sauce more budget friendly.
• Add a little lemon zest to brighten the taste.
• Jalapeño is the ingredient that sets this pesto apart from the rest, a kick of heat and spice!
• Seeds or no seeds? That is the question. Leave the seeds and "ribs" inside the jalapeno in your pesto of a hotter sauce. Remove the seeds AND the ribs or membranes inside the jalapeńo for a milder sauce.
• Blended the pesto in your 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!

What are Eggs in a Basket?

This recipe is often called Eggs in a Basket. It 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.

This recipe is has a more 'basket-y' shape made 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