Pesto breakfast revolution: The perfect egg and sauce duo
I've realised there's no better breakfast than one featuring eggs as the main attraction. I don't feel hungry for long, and sweets don’t tempt me. There are countless ideas for such a meal, so they never become dull. My latest discovery is the combination of eggs with a well-known Italian sauce.
In my morning meals, I usually opt for soft-boiled eggs. Sometimes, I indulge in classic scrambled eggs, and when I have more time, aromatic shakshuka appears on the table. Very rarely do I eat fried eggs, but I've decided to change that.
An idea for a nutritious breakfast
Italians pride themselves on their famous pesto sauce, which pairs well with almost everything. I tried it with a fried egg, and it turned out to be a very successful combination. Pesto is based on basil, which pairs wonderfully with the delicate flavour of the egg. When you add crunchy toast to it, the composition is complete. It’s a delicious and nutritious breakfast.
What do fried eggs contain?
A morning meal with a fried egg as the star provides protein, vitamins A, D, E, K, and those in the B group, as well as minerals like iron, zinc, selenium, and phosphorus. This helps to boost immunity. Another advantage of such breakfasts is their positive effect on improving memory and concentration, thanks to the choline found in eggs. It’s worth using olive oil to prepare fried eggs. It’s also added to pesto. This ingredient is key in the Mediterranean diet. The monounsaturated fatty acids support heart health and help to lower bad cholesterol.
The best fried eggs
How do you prepare perfect fried eggs? Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil into the bottom of a nonstick pan. Heat it gently so it doesn’t become too hot, then crack the eggs in. When the white is set and the yolk remains runny, the fried eggs are ready. Carefully remove them from the pan with a spatula to avoid breaking the yolks.
The perfect combination for a morning meal
However, preparing this breakfast should start with the pesto sauce unless you already have some in the fridge. It can be stored in a sealed container for up to a week. The recipe for the sauce is simple: blend fresh basil, pine nuts, Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, garlic, and olive oil.
Toast with pesto and fried egg
Ingredients for pesto:
- 1 cup fresh basil,
- 2 cloves of garlic,
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice,
- 3 tablespoons olive oil,
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts, almond flakes, or other nuts,
- freshly ground pepper and salt to taste,
- Three tablespoons grated Parmesan.
Preparation method:
- Blend all ingredients. The mixture doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth.
Ingredients for toast:
- eggs, one per person,
- a slice of bread or roll, one per person,
- olive oil for frying,
- salt, pepper, and paprika to taste,
- chives or parsley for serving.
Preparation method:
- Prepare toast in a pan or toaster to make it crispy. You can drizzle it with olive oil.
- Place a portion of prepared pesto on the pan, about two tablespoons per egg.
- Create a well in each portion of pesto and crack in one egg. Cook until the white is set, but the yolk is still runny.
- Place the eggs on grilled slices of bread, adding the remaining pesto from the pan.
- You can also spread the toast with pesto without heating it and then add the fried eggs.
