Like most children, my kids love Dr. Seuss and we go through serious Seuss phases where we read a Seuss book every night. (My personal favorite is The Butter Battle Book). As you might imagine, when they were slightly younger, Green Eggs & Ham was a favorite for both kids. While there are many green eggs & ham recipes on the Internet, this benedict version is intended to be a bit more grown-up.
Most Green Eggs & Ham recipes involve dying the eggs a bright green color which is cool as a gimmick, but not exactly what I want for breakfast. So, I decided to make a more natural green eggs & ham recipe that centers around a deliciously light green hollandaise sauce that gets drizzled over the whole plate.
It’s a fantastic flavor combo and the hollandaise is actually easier to make than the classic version. The whole thing can be done and on the table in less than thirty minutes and would actually be a great alternative to the classic Easter brunch! Thanks Sam-I-Am!
How are green eggs made?
Spoiler: There are no green eggs in nature. Well, if you do find one, I wouldn’t eat it.
There are two basic ways you can make actual green eggs. First, you could just add green food coloring to the eggs as you scramble them. This will give you that cartoonish green you might be looking for.
If you want a more natural (but still very green) version of scrambled eggs, you can blend spinach into the eggs using a really good blender and you’ll end up with fairly bright green eggs. Check out this version from Eating Richly for a good walk-through on that process.
I take a little different approach for my version. Since I’m poaching my eggs, I didn’t really want to dye them green so I turned to making a nice green sauce!
How to make green sauce for benedicts?
Technically, neither the eggs nor the ham are green for this recipe, but because you slather everything in this delicious green hollandaise it all ends up being green.
This hollandaise is ridiculously easy to make. Instead of dealing with the whole egg yolk thing, just toss half an avocado in a blender with some hot water and lemon juice. Plus, add in some paprika, salt, and pepper.
Pulse that together and then add in some fresh parsley (extra green) and drizzle in melted butter or extra-virgin olive oil as the blender runs.
Perfect sauce! I would recommend tasting the sauce and adjusting the seasoning to your liking.
If your version is too thick, you can always thin it out with more hot water by the tablespoon.
How to make excellent poached eggs
I make a lot of poached eggs. I prefer to add a little vinegar to my lightly simmering water and then add my eggs to a small bowl to avoid shells in the water. Slide the eggs in the hot water and poach for about three minutes. That should give you set whites with a still runny yolk.
Drain the eggs on a few paper towels and you are ready to serve.
Finishing the Green Eggs and Ham
Toast an English muffin and sear some ham slices in a skillet with a little olive oil. Nothing fancy here. Top everything together and drizzle lots of that green sauce on top!
Garnish the dish with some chopped parsley or green onions.
Say hello to a green eggs and ham that you’ll actually want to eat. Yes, on a plane and yes, on a train!
Substitutions for this Green Eggs and Ham
There are lots of options for substitutions here!
- For a vegetarian version, you can leave out the ham (and exist the world of Dr. Seuss) and substitute something like sauteed mushrooms or kale.
- To up the green element even more, add some pesto to your toast or english muffin before serving.
- Add more toppings to the green eggs and ham like parmesan cheese or more fresh herbs for color and flavor.
What to serve with these green eggs and ham
This is a pretty hardy breakfast as-is so there isn’t a need to necessarily serve it with something else, but if you are feeling like it I would serve this with something light like this Fruit Tapioca pudding. As an alternative to the English muffin you could serve the whole thing on these potato nests! Of course, home fries would always be good as well! Any other ideas for serving? Leave a comment!
Green Eggs & Ham
Ingredients
Green Hollandaise Sauce:
- ½ avocado
- ½ lemon, juice only
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- Pinch salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
- ⅓ cup hot water
- 4 tablespoons melted butter or olive oil
Other stuff:
- English muffins, toasted
- Ham steak, seared
- 4 eggs, poached
- White vinegar
- Parsley, garnish
Instructions
- For sauce, add avocado, lemon juice, hot water and seasonings to a blender and pulse a few times. Then, with the blender running, slowly drizzle in olive oil or butter. Then add fresh parsley. If sauce seems too thick you can add more water. Set aside for later.
- Toast English muffins and sear ham in a skillet with a little olive oil.
- For poached eggs, add a few inches of water to a wide pan with a glug of vinegar. Bring it to a light simmer. Crack in eggs gently and cook for about 3 minutes until whites are set in the eggs, but yolks are still soft.
- Remove eggs and drain on some paper towels.
- Place seared ham on toasted english muffins and top with poached eggs. Pour over green hollandaise and fresh parsley. Eat immediately!
Jared
Nice man. Love this – great way to make a natural and light-hearted green eggs and ham. Happy Easter to you and your’s.
Nick
Thanks Jared! You too sir!
September
It makes me sad that our two year old doesn’t like Seuss…then again, he also has an egg allergy. Our favorites are Sandra Boynton and almost anything by Kevin Henkes.
Nick
I know… our dude JUST started being able to sit through a full Seuss book (26 mo.) I don’t think we have any Kevin Henkes. Will check it out. Thanks!
Sarah
My mind is blown right now because I have never heard of adding vinegar to poach an egg. I’ve also never successfully poached an egg, so this is big. I feel the obvious question is, does it have a residual taste of vinegar? Not that it’s necessarily a bad thing.
Nick
Ha! Nah… It doesn’t taste like vinegar at all. It’s a small amount and it’s important to let the eggs drain a bit after you take them out. It’s the best way to make poached eggs because it helps the whites stick together. If you were really concerned about it there’s no reason why you couldn’t rinse the eggs gently in a little water after they cook, but I never do that. :) Good luck!
Jesse Stanley
This looks and sounds amazing. I’m looking forward to trying this. I think the sauce would be great on a lot of things. I’m thinking on green corn tamales. Thanks!
Inci @ Bella’s Apron
I also never heard of using Vinegar to poach an egg but it looks great and anything that helps a kid with eating I’m all for. we have tried eggs with our daughter about a dozen times and still she doesn’t like it so we will give this green eggs and ham thing a try :)
Karly
Now this is how I like my green eggs and ham, Sam I Am! I’ll never be too old to celebrate Dr. Seuss… or at least that’s what I’m telling myself! ;)
Nick
Ha! THanks Karly! :)
Nicole ~ Cooking for Keeps
I’m with you, I don’t love the idea of dyeing eggs, but love the concept of green eggs and ham. This is so beautiful and beats any green eggs and ham I’ve seen!
Emma
I wonder if I can get the kids to eat it if I tell them Dr. Seuss made it for them? I make something like this but with a mustard sauce. I will give your hollandaise a go instead.
Clay Cooke
Greetings! I found this blog post to be incredibly informative and well-written. Your ability to break down complex topics into easy-to-understand language is truly a gift. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. I’m excited to read more of your posts in the future!