Most Saturdays you’ll find us making some kind of bacon and egg breakfast with all the fixings, followed by savoring multiple cups of coffee while sitting on the sofa perusing the latest news, or in my case, aimlessly scrolling through Instagram. This baseball-themed version of green eggs and ham is weekend breakfast perfection – spinach pesto eggs, crisp bacon, and tangy smashed avocado on a pretzel bun.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Nellie’s Free Range Eggs. I received compensation as well as coupons for free products to facilitate this recipe creation. The opinions contained herein are my own and reflect my experience with the products. Your own may differ.
Yeah, I know, a baseball-themed recipe in September? Sure football gets a whole lot of the attention, but September can be a clutch month for us baseball fans. Teams battling it out to get to playoffs. I may not have cable anymore, but I’ll still find a way to keep tabs on my team … which just so happens to be the 2019 AL East champs …
So …
Yes, while I am indeed a Yankees fan, when Nellie’s Free Range Eggs approached me to create a recipe I felt that I had to go with something inspired by their partnership with the Boston Red Sox. That’s right, Nellie’s is the official egg of the Red Sox. But fellow NY team fans, stick with me here. Red Sox fan or not, who can resist a good breakfast sammich? #baseballbrunch. It’s is a thing.
Nellie’s Free Range Eggs are Certified Humane. For info about this certification’s requirements, you can click here: https://certifiedhumane.org/free-range-requirements/. Because the birds have room to move outside this leads to a more varied diet and makes for healthier hens. As such, the egg yolks are more nutritious than their conventional counterparts as evidenced by the bright, deep gold color of the yolk.
Eggs are a nutrient powerhouse with 7 grams of high-quality protein, 5 grams of fat, and 1.6 grams of saturated fat, along with iron, vitamins, minerals, carotenoids as well as disease-fighting nutrients like lutein and zeaxanthin.
Eggs are convenient and versatile too. They’re a good meal whether you go fancy or simple. For a grab-and-go meal on a busy weekday, I love pre-making a batch of Mini Egg Muffins. On weeknights when I have a bit more time I’ll have breakfast for dinner and make a big veggie-packed frittata.
Named after the 37.2 feet high green-colored left-field wall at Fenway Park, this Green Monster has all the makings of a breakfast or breakfast-for-dinner MVP. Let’s start with the bun because it’s key to this whole recipe. Giant soft pretzels are a staple ballpark food for me and they bring this BEC over the top. One of these days I’ll make my own pretzel buns but until then I simply use the ones from the bakery section of my local grocery store.
Fresh spinach pesto is whisked into the eggs to give them their green color. Then, instead of scrambling or frying, you gently fold the eggs, kind of like you would when making an omelet. This way the eggs will stay put when you eat the sandwich unlike scrambled and won’t dribble down your face like a fried egg (not that there’s anything wrong with that). An extra crispy piece of bacon goes on top, followed by a slice of sharp cheddar and then a hearty spoonful of a spicy smashed avocado mixture, all served on a glorious pretzel bun.
Heads up that you will have leftovers of the avocado mixture. It won’t last long before oxidizing, so finish it off within 24 hours or so.
Baseball season or not, you’re going to be a fan of this bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich.
Green Monster Bacon Egg & Cheese Sandwich
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1 avocado
- 2 tbsp fresh chives minced
- 1/2 jalapeno deseeded and minced
- 1/2 lime juiced
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 cup spinach roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 eggs
- 2 strips bacon
- 2 slices cheddar cheese
- 2 pretzel buns
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl smash the avocado with the minced chives, jalapeno, and lime juice. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Make the pesto. In a food processor place the spinach, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Put on the lid and pulse until smooth.
- In a medium-sized bowl whisk the eggs. Add the spinach pesto into the eggs and continue whisking until well combined.
- Heat a medium-sized nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the two bacon slices to desired crispness. Remove and drain on a paper towel.
- Keeping the bacon fat in the frying pan, return it to the stove over medium heat, and pour in the egg mixture. Using a heatproof rubber spatula, cook eggs, stirring pretty constantly to form pillowy curds (like a soft scramble) while lifting edges of the egg and tilting the skillet to let uncooked egg run underneath until mostly set but still slightly runny on top, about 2 minutes. Fold eggs into a half-moon, then using the spatula gently cut the half-moon into two equal parts.
- Slice the pretzel buns and place each half of the folded eggs onto each bun bottom. Place a slice of cheddar and piece of bacon onto each egg serving. Scoop on a hearty spoonful or two of the smashed avocado mixture and top with the pretzel bun top.
- Serve immediately.