Pesto Eggs in a Nest
Whether you call these Pesto Eggs in a Nest (or toad in a hole or eggs in a hole ), your family will just call them good. The perfect easy breakfast for 2!
Servings 1
Equipment
- donut cutter
- cast iron or heavy skillet
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon butter or as much as you need to butter the bread
- 1 slice Italian bread cut into approximately ½" slice
- 1 eggs
- 1 teaspoon pesto I use Kirkland's from Costco but any store-bought or homemade works
- salt and pepper to taste
- cherry or grape tomatoes drizzled with olive oil, optional
Instructions
- Slice enough pieces of bread per the number of eggs each person would like.
- Crack the egg into an individual custard cup. Set aside.
- Butter both sides of the bread.
- Using a biscuit cutter, the rim of a buttered glass or a donut cutter (center piece removed), carefully cut out a hole in the center of the bread. Keep the center as you'll be using it later. [If you accidentally end up splitting the crust, cut another piece of bread and start over otherwise the egg will leak outside the bread. Save the broken piece for another use like breadcrumbs.]
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once heated (the edge will be warm), lay your bread into the skillet. Let it cook for a minute or so.
- Add the cut round of bread to the skillet to toast along with the tomatoes if using.
- Into the center of the hole, swirl 1 teaspoon of pesto until its warm and heated.
- Gently pour the egg into the center of the bread. Cook for 2-3 minutes or so until the bread is toasted on the bottom. The egg will appear cooked white through on the bottom and clear on top. A spatula will also under the bread easily. That's when you know its ready to be flipped.
- Flip the bread over and cook on the other side until the egg is cooked through about a minute or more.
- Serve hot. Mangia!
Notes
- I have made these using almost any kind of bread from Italian, sourdough, whole grain...even English muffin bread. And you definitely could use your favorite gluten-free bread too.
- Here is the donut cutter that I use to cut the bread.
- If you use extra large eggs, use a piece of bread that is on the larger side.
- Swirl the pesto in the pan first for a minute or so.
- Lay the bread with the hole cut out over the pesto.
- Pour an egg into the hole and continue to cook as noted above.
