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Home » Green Eggs and No Ham Recipe with Southwest Pesto Sauce

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
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 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
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 ounce Queso Fresco cheese, crumbled
A few dashes Tabasco sauce
1/3 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 1/2 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

Filed Under: Main Dishes, Vegetarian Dishes Tagged With: Easter recipe, easy breakfast recipes, eggs in a basket, jalapeno pesto sauce, pesto recipe, southwest breakfast recipe, southwest pesto recipe, Southwest pesto sauce, St Patrick's recipes

Previous Post: « Green Cuisine: Celebrate St Pat’s with Roasted Jalepeño Poppers Appetizer Recipe
Next Post: Southwest Pantry: Roasted Pepper Rings »

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Comments

  1. Bonnie

    March 25, 2010 at 12:10 am

    Donna, It was so fun to meet you at Les Madeleines. Thanks for posting about this blog on the Hive. I love FabFrugalFood and I wish that I knew about this one sooner. We Love southwestern-Mexican food of any kind. Great recipes and tips here.

    Reply

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Sandy is a former elementary educator whose love for cooking has gone out of control. She has completed a degree in culinary arts and is now a food writer, photographer, cookbook author and co-creator of the popular website Everyday Southwest. Read More…

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