Leave it to Dr. Seuss to inspire a breakfast as whimsical and cheery as green eggs and ham. It’s probably safe to say since the book “Green Eggs and Ham” was published in 1960, parents have been trying to find a way to create the titular dish for eager children.
The challenge with green eggs and ham is making a version that you actually want to eat. After trying every variation of this silly pairing to be found on the web, I can confidently say that this version—creamy scrambled eggs tinted with a flavorful and, most importantly, bright-green spinach sauce—is the best recipe for actually getting your kids to eat the green eggs and ham they read about.
Why You’ll Love It
No food coloring here. I have nothing against food coloring and even gave both green and blue dyes a try for my first attempts at green eggs and ham. Both looked great in the mixing bowl, but turned muddy in color when cooked. The more coloring I added to the eggs, the less appealing they became to my kids.
Spinach sauce is the secret to tasty green eggs. Once you’ve made a quick spinach sauce, you’ll fold part of it into beaten eggs before cooking them. To keep as much color as possible in the spinach, you want to soft scramble the eggs, cooking them slowly over low heat. You’ll end up with a pan of super-creamy, bright-green eggs.
Key Ingredients
Spinach: It was a side of spinach for dinner that led me to this herby spinach sauce for both flavoring the eggs and making them a vivid shade of green. You can also use arugula or baby kale here.
Parsley and basil: Think of this sauce as a minimalist pesto, as we’re leaving out the nuts and garlic. The bulk of the flavor (and color) comes from the combination of puréed spinach, parsley, and basil.
Parmesan and olive oil: Grated Parmesan cheese and olive oil add richness and smooth out the vegetal flavor.
Ham: I know that Seuss’s ham from “Green Eggs and Ham” is also very green, but rather than dye ham for breakfast, I opted to leave the ham as is. You can brush deli ham or even Canadian bacon with some of the spinach sauce for the full green eggs and ham effect, but at my house, super-green eggs for breakfast are more than enough to deliver the delight.
Green Eggs and Ham
Serves 4 to 6
- 2 cups packed baby spinach, arugula, or baby kale
- 1 cup packed fresh parsley leaves, plus more for serving
- 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 6 large eggs
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 (1/4-inch-thick) slices deli ham, such as Black Forest or honey ham
- Toast, for serving
Place baby spinach, fresh parsley leaves, fresh basil leaves, and grated Parmesan cheese in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse until finely chopped, 10 to 12 (1-second) pulses. With the processor running, drizzle in olive oil until the herbs are very finely chopped and the oil is green, about 1 minute.
Place large eggs and a pinch of kosher salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine and break up the eggs. Fold in 1/4 cup of the spinach sauce. (The remaining sauce can be saved for future use.)
Melt unsalted butter in a medium skillet over low heat. Add the eggs and cook low and slow, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula, until the eggs form tender, large curds of eggs, but the eggs are still quite moist, 10 to 12 minutes.
While the eggs cook, place deli ham slices in a medium skillet over medium-high heat and heat until warmed through, about 5 minutes.
Serve the warmed eggs on toast with the ham on the side. Top the eggs with more parsley if desired.
Recipe note: The spinach sauce will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to five days.
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