It's the most beautiful time of the year. I love making things festive looking and especially the foods we eat. This Christmas spinach and egg breakfast - brunch just shouts with holiday colors and cheer! We love the flavors and you can totally adapt by adding anything else you love with this basic holiday breakfast.
Every year we make something special and usually coordinates the colors to match the Holiday. This year being everyone loves poached eggs, I added the spinach and tomato for color. The cheese just adds an additional awesome flavor to this dish that everyone just goes crazy for.
I really love the buttery taste of the poached eggs on Italian toast with the spinach and tomato. All the flavors go perfect together and easy to makeChristmastas morning is usually so busy with the kids, no one remembers to eat. This usually ends up a brunch. We really celebrate all day long, this is the perfect beginning to start the day.
A Festive Breakfast
The green spinach and the plum tomato, are the perfect color combination to begin the festivities.
Sauteed spinach is just bursting with a delicious garlic and oil flavor.
Using ripe fresh plum tomatoes just accent the flavors.
Meat Lovers?
In an Italian household, we have a Catholic tradition not to eat meat before Christmas Day.
This delicious breakfast can be served on Christmas Eve morning with no meat and on Christmas Day, you can add any meats you like if you follow tradition.
I always have to fry up some bacon, Italian sausages, and leftover holiday ham.
We have many meat lovers in our family, so don't hesitate to make a few for your meat lovers in the family.
I prefer all the vegetables for my breakfast plate and meats are a side dish for all my meat lovers.
Easy To Make
This breakfast is really easy to make.
Making poached eggs can be a little intimidating, but I don't mind mine a little overcooked if I forget to put the timer on.
Most of the family like the eggs boiled in the water for 2 minutes.
I like mine cooked longer so you will have to adapt the time to how you like your eggs.
Christmas Morning
The kids are always first up to run to the living room to see their gifts.
They really forget about eating when their excitement for Santa is off the charts!
My kids and now grandkids were never really interested in eating breakfast on Christmas Day, so this became an adult traditional brunch.
The best part of this morning is sharing gifts, being with family and enjoying a good home cooked meal.
Sometimes I made egg cups in cupcake tins for the kids so it was more like a grab and go!
The kids also liked the cupcake cinnamon rolls made with a biscuit mix those were quick and of course full of sweet frosting.
Poaching Eggs
I have so many tools to poach eggs, tins, machines you name it, I don't use them.
I have a pan with stainless individual cups, a poached egg pan, ramekins for the eggs and I always go back to boiling them straight into the water!
I really just like to crack the eggs in a bowl first then into boiling water, cook to you like them and removed with a slotted spoon.
I always just do this method my mom's way, it's pretty old-fashioned.
You can make poached eggs any way you're used to making them.
Sauteed Spinach
The spinach is delicious when sauteed separately with garlic in olive oil.
I love it seasoned, it's the perfect blend of flavors with the cheese and tomato on toast.
The flavors work perfectly together with the eggs.
The Cheese
There are so many cheeses to use, provolone, mozzarella, swiss, cheddar just to name a few.
I really love to use cheeses that easily melt.
I chose either provolone or Havarti they both melt quickly and have a stronger flavor than a milder cheese.
Some Tips
After you saute the spinach, make sure it drained well or it will make the toast soggy.
Only use Italian toasted bread as it soaks up the olive oil juices better.
Use a timer to make the eggs.
Everyone likes their eggs cooked differently I find that 2 minutes is perfect you will have to decide what's best for your family.
Try Some Other Favorite Recipes We Love
Eggs In A Hole
An Italian Christmas Breakfast
Ham and Egg Cups
Catholic Traditions
The long tradition of eating seafood on Christmas Eve dates from the Roman Catholic tradition of abstaining from eating meat on the eve of a feast day.
As no meat or animal fat could be used on such days, observant Catholics would instead eat fish (typically fried in oil).
So typically our breakfast also consisted of no meat.
It is unclear when the term "Feast of the Seven Fishes" was popularized.
The meal may include seven, eight, or even nine specific fishes that are considered traditional.
"Seven" fishes as a fixed concept or name is unknown in Italy itself.
In some of the oldest Italian American families, there was no count of the number of fish dishes, we usually do 7 in ours.
Dinner began with stuffed calamari, in spaghetti, baccalà and then on to fried shrimp, scallops, cocktail shrimp, lobster, crab and sometimes smelts.
The most famous dish for Southern Italians is baccalà (salted cod fish).
Christmas Spinach and Egg Breakfast Pin for Later
Side Dishes
This egg breakfast is perfect as made, you can add more to this dish if you prefer like meats.
Fried hot capicola, cooked bacon, Italian cooked sausage links, or anything else you like even leftover steak is a nice addition.
We also occasionally make home fries for a side dish.
Dad always loves his potatoes with breakfast so he always made them, I am usually to full for anything else.
Have a festive delicious Christmas breakfast!
spinach, breakfast, poached eggs, toast, tomato, Christmas, brunch
eggs, brunch, breakfast, Christmas
Italian, American
Yield: 2
Christmas Spinach and Egg Breakfast
prep time: 15 mins cook time: 20 mins total time: 35 mins
This is a festive family breakfast we have made over the years that everyone loves. It has Italian toast topped with cheese, spinach, fresh tomatoes, and a poached egg. Festive and colorful for the holiday
ingredients:
Italian bread toasted 1 piece per person
1 bag of fresh spinach leaves rinsed
red pepper flakes
salt, pepper to taste
1 egg per person
boiling water in a deep fry pan
sliced small plum tomatoes
1 fresh garlic clove minced
olive oil
Slices of cheese, mozzarella, Havarti, provolone or any that you prefer
Butter for the toast
Optional: cooked bacon, cooked ham, fried Italian sausage
instructions:
In a large fry pan, add 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the garlic and saute on low heat just until fragrant around 1 minute. Sprinkle to taste, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
Add the bag of fresh spinach, saute until wilted and set aside.
Toast the Italian bread, add some butter to it and place on a plate.
Add a slice of cheese to the toasted bread. ( you can spread with butter, I didn't)
Top the bread with a scoop of sauteed spinach and some tomatoes.
In another large deep fry pan like a chicken, fryer, and add 2 inches of water. Let the water come to a boil.
Crack the egg and place in the water, cook around 2 minutes and remove with a slotted spoon. Place on top of the spinach with toasted bread and tomato.
Optional: Serve as is or with cooked meats of choice on the side. This dish is also great with home fries.
Optional: Serve as is or with cooked meats of choice on the side. This dish is also great with home fries.
calories
300
300
fat (grams)
6
6
sat. fat (grams)
2
2
carbs (grams)
9
9
net carbs
8
8
protein (grams)
12
12
Created using The Recipes Generator
Christmas Spinach and Egg Breakfast Pin for Later
Don't Forget to Try My Italian Style Poached Egg Recipe