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Recipe Review
Sara Tane
Sara Tane
Sara Tane is a food writer and private chef based in Los Angeles, CA (with her dog, Pepper). She is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education and has written for Food52, Good Housekeeping, Cooking Light, and AllRecipes. She also has a serious thing for oysters.
updated Sep 11, 2022
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I admittedly approach most viral internet food trends with caution. But when I started to see #PestoEggs over and over again on TikTok, I was pretty confident the recipe would work. I mean, how could cooking your eggs in a spoonful of pesto be anything but delicious?
Of course, I needed to try it out for myself just to make sure (and because I was having serious #PestoEggs FOMO). Here’s what happened when I gave it a go.
How to Make TikTok’s Pesto Eggs
Pesto eggs are as simple as it gets. You’ll start by spreading a spoonful of pesto in a nonstick pan or skillet. As far as measurements go, that’s your call. In the same way I’m not going to tell you how much sugar to put in your coffee or how much tequila to put in your margaritas, I’m not going to tell you how much pesto to use.
You need at least enough for the eggs to have something to cook in, but if you want it extra pesto-y, add a few extra spoonfuls. Plus, if you add an excess of pesto, you can always use that pool of herby goodness to baste the eggs.
Once your pesto is in the pan, you’ll crack your eggs directly into the pesto and cook them however you like. Most #PestoEggs are fried sunny-side up, but if you’d prefer them over easy or scrambled, you can easily customize this dish to however you take your eggs. I followed the ingredients in this TikTok and served my pesto eggs over toast, ricotta, mashed avocado, and topped it off with red chili flakes and a drizzle of honey.
My Honest Review of Pesto Eggs
These were delicious. There’s no way around it. I especially loved the way they were served — the ricotta, red chili flakes, and honey rounded out all the flavors of this dish. There were herby, cheesy, creamy, spicy, and sweet flavors all in one bite. Definitely a great way to start the morning. I would 100 percent make this again.
Frankly, there was never a doubt in my mind that these would work like a charm and also be super tasty. Think about it — pesto is nothing more than a mixture of oil, herbs, cheese, and some nuts. You’re basically cooking eggs in an oil that’s fortified with extra flavor.
Frankly, this got me thinking — what other oil-based condiments or spreads could I cook my eggs in? Harissa paste? Zhug? Bomba sauce? Romesco? The opportunities seem limitless here. Could I be the next viral sensation? Okay, I’m getting carried away.
Did you think I was just going to rave positively about these eggs and leave it there? No, I obviously have a small rant brewing that I need to get off my chest. Creators of Tiktok, we need to talk about pesto. If you take five minutes to scroll through the #PestoEgg hashtag, you’ll notice that everybody’s pesto ranges from a bright, vibrant green to a dull, gray-ish brown color.
In a perfect world, you’d use homemade pesto for your pesto eggs, but in the spirit of Ina, store-bought is fine. However, I would argue that not all store-bought pestos are created equal. Look for ones that are a lush, lively green, such as the ones from Gotham Greens or Costco.
2 Tips for Making Pesto Eggs at Home
- Use the best pesto you can get your hands on. It will make a difference both in taste and presentation.
- Get creative! Think of #PestoEggs as your starting point. Prepare your eggs however you like, serve them on your starchy vehicle of choice, and maybe throw in meat to your toast or sandwich for a well-rounded breakfast sandwich.
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