Pesto & Egg Sandwich on Sourdough

with homemade cashew & walnut pesto

I go through phases with favorite breakfasts. This sandwich is my current breakfast obsession. Toasted sourdough + pesto + eggs + bacon (if I have it) + avocado (If I remember) + avocado mayo + toasted sourdough = DELISH!

Here is what makes this sandwich the winning combo for me: 1.) Sourdough bread (do I need to say more?), 2.) the homemade pesto, and 3.) the combo of pesto + mayo (coming from a person who is not a huge fan of mayo!)

This spring I planted a few herbs in my backyard including basil. I have made homemade pesto before many years ago, but on a whim, I decided to make it again with my newly acquired basil plant. Traditional pesto uses basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic & parmesan cheese as its main ingredients. Pine nuts are expensive, and since I made this on a whim, I used nuts that I keep stashed in bulk in my pantry: cashews and walnuts. I added some lemon zest and lemon juice, and the other traditional pesto ingredients. I threw it all in a blender, taste tested, adjusted the salt and lemon juice, and pulsed it all together a few more times. This homemade pesto is PACKED with flavor, so much more than any jar of pesto you’ll find in the store.

Warning…after making this, you may never buy store-bought pesto again!

The third winning combination of this breakfast sandwich is the combination of pesto on one slice of toast and mayo on the other. I have NEVER been a big fan of mayonnaise. I don’t use mayo on a deli meat sandwich, and I tend to avoid traditional American mayo because it’s made with industrial seed oils. But, I now enjoy a good mayo made with avocado oil on certain sandwiches, and have realized that I especially love it when paired with pesto.

The last thing I’ll say about this sandwich is that it’s still amazing if you don’t have any bacon or avocado. Sourdough + pesto + eggs + avocado mayo + sourdough is the winning combination. The bacon and avocado are just the icing on the cake.

Enjoy this easy breakfast sandwich as you start your day!

Ingredients:

For the pesto:

• 3/4 to 1 cup basil leaves

• 1/4 cup walnuts

• 1/4 cup cashews

• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1 Tbsp lemon zest

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 tsp pink salt + more to taste

• 1/2 lemon, juice of + more to taste

For the sandwich:

• 2 slices of sourdough, toasted

• 2 eggs, cooked to your preference

• 1-2 slices of cooked bacon (optional) (see note below)

• 1/4 avocado, sliced (optional)

• 1 Tbsp avocado mayonnaise

• 1 Tbsp homemade pesto (recipe above)

Instructions:

For the pesto:

1. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processer. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the salt and lemon juice. Pulse the blender a few more times. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator.

For the sandwich:

1. Pre-cook the bacon ahead of time. I bake mine in the oven at 400 F for 20 minutes on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. After it has cooled, store it in a sealed container in the fridge.

2. Pop two slices of sourdough into the toaster.

3. While the bread is toasting, cook the eggs to your preference. I cook mine over-medium in a little bit of butter.

4. Spread pesto on one slice of toast and mayo on the other slice. Slice avocado, if using, and grab a slice or two of bacon from the fridge.

5. Assemble sandwich and enjoy!

Note:

• For bacon, I recommend buying uncured, nitrate-free (and sugar-free) bacon. When nitrates are used in the processing of the meat it produces carcinogenic compounds that remain in the meat. We don’t want to be consuming this on a regular basis. Uncured, nitrate-free bacon may be a bit more expensive at the grocery stores, but in my opinion, it’s one of the items that’s 100% worth the few extra bucks.

Enjoy this pesto with any recipe that calls for pesto! The recipe posted above makes about 1 cup.