As far as I’m concerned, pesto is the undisputed queen of condiments. If I could, I’d make it a tiny belt with a giant gold buckle and then sew a little cape with a big letter P on the back. But I can’t. Sooo, I’ve just been making this Fried Egg Spinach Pesto Toast for breakfast instead.
Why do I love pesto so much?
For starters, it’s delicious and versatile. Pesto on my veggies? Don’t mind if I do. A light pesto glaze on some al dente chickpea noodles? You know it.
Pesto works on all the foods.
Putting on my dietitian hat, I also think a lot of people sleep on pesto.
Yes, it’s a bit high in calories. But most of the calories come from heart-healthy unsaturated fats. The jury is still hung on the question of whether saturated fats are bad for your heart, but most experts agree that unsaturated fats are better.
To put that into context (and depending on the recipe, of course) one tablespoon of pesto is likely healthier for your heart than one tablespoon of butter.
Definitely worth a try at least, if you’ve never tried pesto on your toast! Who knows, maybe it’ll become the condiment queen of your heart too.
Fried Egg Spinach Pesto Toast
Yields: 2 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
• 2 cups (60g) spinach, packed
• 2 slices of whole wheat bread
• 4 sundried tomatoes, rehydrated
• 2 eggs
• 3 teaspoons pesto
• salt and pepper
Directions:
Rehydrate sun-dried tomatoes by covering them with hot water and letting them stand on the counter for 5 minutes.
Add the spinach and 1 teaspoon of water to a small saucepan and cover with a lid. Allow the spinach to steam on medium-low heat for 3 minutes. Stir and once the spinach has wilted, remove from heat.
While the spinach is cooking, spray a frying pan with a little oil. Place the pan over medium heat. Crack the two eggs into the pan and lightly season with salt and pepper. For a running yolk, cook the eggs for 2-3 minutes and for a firm set yolk flip the egg and cook for another minute.
Meanwhile, toast the bread in the toaster.
To assemble, chop the sundried tomatoes and spinach. Spread 1 ½ teaspoon of pesto on each slice of toast, top with the wilted spinach and sundried tomatoes, and place an egg on each.
Tip: For a Paleo-friendly version, replace the bread with sliced pieces of sweet potatoes and toast them in the toaster.
Want a printable version of this recipe, complete with nutrition facts and a scannable MyFitnessPal code? Click here!
One of the great things about this recipe is that it’s so easy to swap out ingredients to suit your tastes.
I’ve subbed kale for spinach, added sauteed mushrooms, used egg whites in place of the eggs…
But ain’t no way I’m leaving out the pesto.
Try it out and let me know what you think!
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