The Oil Swap You Need To Try For Crispy, Flavor Bomb Fried Eggs

If you're a pesto lover, then you already know how much it pumps up the volume on your favorite pasta salad recipes. And if you're an ardent foodie, then you might also be aware that when added to your fried eggs pesto does as much or maybe even more for your chicken seeds than it does for your noodles. Two crucial ingredients in this green pasta sauce make this possible: Olive oil and fresh basil. The olive oil part is probably obvious. Unless you own an industrial-strength non-stick skillet, you're going to need something to grease the pan to prevent the dreaded fried egg stickage. Plenty of people fry their eggs in butter, but it's not unheard of to fry eggs in olive oil. Pesto recipes usually contain anywhere from a half a cup of olive oil to a full cup. Thus, pesto provides your pan with plenty of non-stick power. 

As for the basil, it's a delicious way to season your fried eggs without having to put any extra effort into flavoring up your yolky breakfast friends since basil is strong enough on its own. However, some pesto recipes include other seasonings and spices, like sea salt, cracked black pepper, bulbs of fresh garlic, and even cloves. If you have any kind of fear of under- or over-seasoning your eggs, adding a dollop of pesto to your fried eggs ensures that you get the proper balance of flavors without having to face ruined eggs after all your hard work preparing them.

Cooking your fried eggs in pesto is relatively simple. For two large eggs, you'll need between one-third and one-fourth of a cup of pesto, depending on your taste preferences. Spread it all over the bottom of the skillet, allowing the stove to sit on low to medium-low heat. Crack one or two eggs, dropping the eggs gently on top of the pesto. After a few minutes, the whites will set up. Once they do, cover the skillet and take it off the burner. Allow the momentum of thermodynamics and carryover cooking to go to work to cook your eggs the rest of the way, which should take just a couple of minutes.

​​If you're an egg-only fan, serve your fried eggs by themselves. Or if your breakfast needs just a bit more to keep you from feeling peckish throughout the morning, make a bed for the eggs to sit on by prepping some toast with butter. Carefully slide the eggs onto the toast to prevent the yolks from breaking and then serve.

On its own, these fried eggs taste pretty delish, but there are tons of tricks you can try if you want to create some next-level flavor. One of the simplest ways is to top the eggs and toast with some of your other favorite breakfast foods. Instead of plain butter on the toast, try some flavored cream cheese, like salmon cream cheese. Simply spread it on and then plop the eggs on top. The pesto makes both the eggs and the salmon even tastier. A spicy cream cheese, meanwhile, like a jalapeno- or Sriracha-infused cream cheese mix, gives the pesto's flavor a bit more spirit.

You can also top the eggs with sliced avocados, tomatoes, or sauteed bell peppers to add the rich, full flavor of garden vegetables to your breakfast plate — each bite will be like a blossom of summer flavors in your mouth. For a more traditional farm breakfast, topping the pesto eggs and toast with a slab of ham, a couple of strips of bacon, or even some chorizo offers another twist.

Finally, if you're a fan of cheese and eggs, grind up some Parmesan and sprinkle it on top of the toast and eggs. Opt for mozzarella instead to make this a breakfast version of pesto Caprese panini, or even a bit of cheddar to turn this into the very definition of sophisticated comfort food.