Jalapeño Pesto Egg-In-A-Hole Toasts

Consider this the breakfast you didn’t know you needed.

But… YOU DO.

And it’s as awesome as it looks.

Egg-in-a-hole toasts combine two of my favorite things into one neat little package, so it was high time I made a variation of my own. And while on first glance this might seem a bit boring. Or dare I say… basic. It’s actually totally badass and ready in just 15 minutes.

You start by prepping a jalapeño pesto, which you can now officially use on EVERYTHING. Pasta, steak, a spoon? Yes to all three. It’s a fiery mix of classic pesto ingredients — basil leaves, pignoli nuts, olive oil — with diced jalapeños thrown in for an incredible punch of heat. As written this pesto is HOT, so if you’re a little shy when it comes to fire, go easy. Start with just 1 diced jalapeño, then taste-test after pureeing to see if you can handle a bit more. The goal is for this to make you feel warm and spicy, not like you’re dying. So proceed with a touch of caution to make sure this tastes exactly how you please.

With the pesto prepped, it’s time to tackle the toasts. A lot of egg-in-a-hole recipes call for skillet preparation, but I decided to bake mine in the oven. Not only is this method a hell of a lot simpler, it’s also less time consuming. So you can down more mimosas while still consuming the same number of toasts, so that’s a total win-win for me.

Use a cookie cutter to cut a round out of each slice of bread, then transfer to an olive-oil greased baking sheet. Use a pastry brush to coat the top of each slice with more olive oil, then toast until the bottoms are golden, about 5 minutes.

When you’re ready, flip the toasts — golden-side up! — then neatly nestle an egg into each exposed hole. This process might result in a few cracked yolks (or like three, in my case) but DON’T STRESS. This is breakfast, not nuclear physics. Have a few extra eggs on hand if shit goes awry, and continue to swig that mimosa. Anyway, once the eggs are inside each hole bake for another 3 – 5 minutes until the whites are set and the yolks are as you please. Then it’s time to eat.

Slather your toasts with jalapeño pesto, pile on halved tomatoes + grated sharp cheese, and eat! The combination of zesty pesto, creamy egg, crisp toast, and fresh tomatoes is like the best of summer, all in one dish. It’s fresh, fast, and EASY, even a few yolks get crushed along the way. Xo

Jalapeño Pesto Egg-In-A-Hole Toasts

Ingredients:

  • PESTO SAUCE:
  • 1 1/4 cups fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
  • 1 – 2 large jalapeños, diced
  • 2 tbsps pignoli nuts
  • 1/4 cup grated pecorino cheese
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • TOASTS:
  • 4 slices good quality white bread
  • 2 1/2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup sliced mini heirloom tomatoes
  • 2 tbsps pecorino cheese
  • a pinch of salt & pepper

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400F.
  2. Begin by preparing the pesto. In a food processor combine all pesto ingredients and blend until smooth. Start with just 1 diced jalapeño (should yield about 2 tablespoons worth), then test to see if you can handle one more! I used 2 jalapeños, but that might be too spicy for some tastebuds.
  3. Using a 2-inch cookie cutter, cut 1 round circle out of each piece of bread. Next, using a pastry brush coat the bottom of a baking sheet with a thin film of extra virgin olive oil, then coat the bread in the remaining EVOO. Bake on oven middle rack for 5 minutes until just beginning to brown/crisp, then flip each slice. Crack an egg into the center hole of each piece of bread, then return to the oven for 3 – 5 minutes more until the whites are set and the yolk is as desired (3 minutes for runny, 5 minutes for soft-boiled).
  4. Slather a thick schmear of jalapeño pesto onto each toast. Top with sliced tomatoes, pecorino cheese, and a pinch of salt & pepper, then eat!