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These pesto eggs are about to become your new obsession! We’re talking whole eggs cooked in a basil pesto base with feta, garlic, salty capers, and salami. Finished with fresh lemon, juicy cherry tomatoes, and parsley, this 15-minute breakfast is SO delicious, especially when served with a piece of toasted sourdough to soak up all that goodness.
The Pesto Base and Briny Toppings
For this dish, it’s all about the ingredients working together to create the perfect balance of herby, salty, and fresh flavors. Instead of cooking your eggs in regular oil or butter, we’re using pesto as the base for an extra punch.
Maria Koutsogiannia
Maria is the creator of FoodByMaria and your go-to Greek food expert for cozy, flavor-packed recipes. Inspired by her Mediterranean roots, she brings traditional Greek flavors, feel-good ingredients, and a whole lot of joy to everyday cooking.
Here’s what makes this combination so good:
- Basil Pesto: Pesto already contains oil, so it works as the cooking base while bringing tons of basil flavor to the eggs. It’s an easy way to turn your everyday breakfast into something that feels more special.
- Feta Cheese: You know I love my feta! It adds a creamy, tangy, and salty element that pairs perfectly with the basil pesto.
- Garlic: Thinly sliced garlic adds a savory flavor that complements the pesto without overpowering the other ingredients.
- Capers: Capers pack a punch! Their briny flavor adds something special to every bite.
- Genoa Salami: This adds another layer of savory, salty goodness.
- Lemon and Fresh Garnishes: A little lemon zest, a squeeze of lemon juice, fresh parsley, and cherry tomatoes brighten everything up and balance the richness of the pesto, cheese, and salami.
Tips for Making the Best Pesto Eggs
This recipe is simple, but a few details make all the difference.
Keep the heat at medium. You want the pesto to warm up and create a flavorful base for the eggs without burning the garlic or other ingredients. A medium-sized nonstick skillet or cast-iron pan works well here.
Give your eggs some space. When adding the eggs to the skillet, make sure there’s enough room for the whites to spread out. We’re keeping the eggs whole rather than scrambling them, so giving each egg its own space helps everything cook properly.
Cook your eggs how you like them. I love it when the egg whites are set, but the yolks are still runny, which takes about 4–5 minutes in the recipe. If you prefer your eggs cooked a little more, you can cover the skillet with a lid and cook until they reach your desired doneness.
What to Serve With Pesto Eggs
One thing you can’t skip is a piece of toasted sourdough bread or warm fluffy pita to serve with these eggs because you’re going to want something to soak up all the delicious juices of this recipe.
If you’re putting together a bigger breakfast or brunch spread, you can also serve these eggs alongside my Cucumber Tomato Salad with Fresh Herbs and Sumac. It’s fresh, crunchy, and full of flavors that complement this savory breakfast.
Pesto Eggs Questions
Nope! Unlike scrambled eggs with pesto mixed in, this recipe keeps the eggs whole. They’re cooked directly in a basil pesto base with feta, garlic, capers, and salami. This lets you enjoy the pesto flavor alongside the eggs while keeping those yolks intact.
No! That’s one of the best parts of this recipe. Since basil pesto already contains oil, it acts as the cooking base for the eggs. There’s no need to add extra oil or butter to the skillet. Just make sure you’re using a nonstick skillet or cast-iron pan over medium heat as directed in the recipe.
Absolutely! If you’re not a fan of salami or don’t have any on hand, you can leave it out. You can also replace it with cubed ham or prosciutto for a different savory twist. The pesto, feta, garlic, and capers already bring plenty of flavor to this dish, so you can still enjoy that combination without the salami.
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Ingredients
For the eggs
- ¼ cup basil pesto
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 4 eggs
- 2 tbsp capers, drained from their liquid
- ¼ cup cubed genoa salami
- Kosher salt and ground pepper
- Lemon zest
Garnishes
- 4 cherry tomatoes, quartered or diced
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- Fresh parsley leaves
Serve with
- Sourdough toast
Instructions
Start Cooking- Heat a medium-sized non-stick skillet or cast-iron pan over medium heat.
- When the pan is hot, add the pesto and spread the pesto out to cover the bottom of the pan.
- Quickly sprinkle the crumbled feta cheese and thinly sliced garlic cloves over the layer of pesto.
- Gently crack each egg into the pan, making sure they each have space around them for the egg whites to spread. Quickly sprinkle the capers and cubed salami in and around the eggs.
- Season the eggs with some lemon zest, kosher salt and ground pepper and cook to your liking (we like egg whites set and yolks still runny, about 4-5 minutes). Alternatively, you can cover with a lid and cook the eggs to your desired doneness.
- Remove from the heat and garnish with a squeeze of lemon juice, fresh parsley leaves and quartered or diced cherry tomatoes.
- Serve with toasted sourdough.
Notes
- We like serving this with a piece of sourdough!
- If you don’t want to use salami, omit it or replace with some cubed ham or prosciutto.
- If you love this breakfast recipe, try our Simple Greek Breakfast Plate (Proïnó)
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