Caprese Egg-in-the-Hole

Until a few weeks ago, I hadn’t had an egg-in-the hole in like 20 years.

(Typing that just made me feel old AF. Jesus.)

Egg-in-the-hole was never really a “thing” in my family. Growing up, my weekday breakfasts of choice were toasted Costco blueberry muffins, cinnamon toast, or Kix, and on weekends, my mom specialized in crepe-like pancakes and slightly charred French toast. So the only time I ate egg-in-the-hole—aka toad-in-a-hole, egg-in-a-basket, one-eyed Pete, whateva—was at my friend Emma’s. It was her fam’s go-to weekend bfast, and the promise of a fried egg framed in buttery toast was one of many reasons I lived for sleepovers at her house in elementary school. (She also had a sunken trampoline, an epic collection of spaghetti strap tank tops, and Carmen Sandiego on her parents’ PC!!)

Now that I’m an adult, I eat mostly smoothies and avocado toast for breakfast (those who follow me on Snapchat are woefully aware of my morning predictability), but a recent Buzzfeed video reminded me of egg-in-the-hole’s awesomeness, prompting a resurrection of the childhood favorite in my own kitchen.

First, I went traditional—butter, bread, egg, a little salt and pepper—and the result was every bit as comforting and delicious as I remembered. In fact, I loved it so much that I decided to make it again a few days later. It was then that I realized an avocado rose fit perfectly on the circular toast cutout. MIND BLOWN. (There was a lot of pants-less, Victor Cruz-esque salsa dancing in the kitchen on that glorious morning.) The avo rose discovery led me to ponder other ways I could dress up an egg-in-the-hole, and while the possibilities were/are endless, I was instantly drawn to the idea of a Caprese version.

And that, friends, is how the super seggsy creation on your screen came to be.

Melted fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, basil, and a drizzle of balsamic reduction blow your basic egg-in-the-hole out of the water, and each beautiful bite is perfectly sweet and savory with a crave-worthy crunch. Not to mention the fact that it’s a really, really ridiculously good looking meal. So I very much hope you’ll join me in making, staring at, and consuming this recipe on the reg all summer long.

This eggcellent Caprese sitch is obviously ideal for summer breakfasting/brunching (it’s especially fabulous when eaten outdoors), but I also dig it as a quickie weeknight dinner with a big green salad. The whole shebang comes together in about 15 minutes, and all you need is a handful of basic ingredients and a skillet. Amen.

The recipe is 100% idiotproof (Quarter and season tomatoes. Make hole in bread. Brown bread. Pour egg in hole. Add cheese. Cook 3 minutes. Serve.), so I don’t have much to add in the way of culinary tips or warnings, but I would like to talk about balsamic reduction for a hot sec. Yes, you can buy a bottle of the stuff at most supermarkets and specialty food stores, but it’s ridiculously easy, and much cheaper, to simply make your own. All you have to do is pour some aged balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan, bring it to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer for a few minutes (the timing will vary depending on the amount of balsamic used), swirling the pan occasionally until the vinegar is reduced by about half and has a syrupy texture. Done and done. 

p.s. I personally appreciate the lightness of this vegetarian meal (#nakedseason, etc.), but feel free to get some crispy prosciutto or crumbled bacon involved if you’re looking to go a little ham…

Caprese Egg-in-the-Hole: (Serves 2)

Ingredients:
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
8-10 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
2 slices bread (I like a good seeded loaf, but you do you.)
2 large eggs
½ cup grated fresh mozzarella
2-3 teaspoons balsamic reduction (optional)

Preparing your Caprese Egg-in-the-Hole:

-In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, and basil. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste, and briefly set that deliciousness aside.

-Using a cookie/biscuit cutter or a small mason jar lid, remove a circle (ideally 2-3 inches in diameter) of bread from each slice.

-Heat a large skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat. When hot, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the bread slices and rounds to the pan and cook for about 3 minutes until the undersides are golden brown.

-Flip the bread over and reduce the heat to medium. Crack each egg into a small ramekin and gently pour them into the holes in the bread slices. Immediately sprinkle the bread (including the rounds) and egg with mozzarella. (I avoided sprinkling cheese on the yolk so I could have maximum yolk porn for the photos, but you do you.)

-Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 3-4 minutes until the whites of the eggs are set (but the yolks are still runny!) and the cheese has melted.

-Carefully transfer each egg-in-the-hole to a plate, leaving the bread rounds in the pan. Return the heat to medium-high and flip the rounds over so that they are cheese-side down. Cook for about 30 seconds until the cheese has browned slightly. (Once it has browned the cheese will release itself from the pan.) Remove from the pan.

-Season each egg-in-the-hole with a little salt and pepper and top with the tomato-basil mixture. Add the cheesy rounds to each plate and drizzle everything with balsamic reduction (if using).

Get in there..

Caprese Egg-in-the-Hole

Author - Serena Wolf

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Yields: 2 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes quartered
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil divided
• 8-10 fresh basil leaves thinly sliced
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• 2 slices bread I like a good seeded loaf, but you do you.
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup grated fresh mozzarella
• 2-3 teaspoons balsamic reduction optional

Instructions

• In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, and basil. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste, and briefly set that deliciousness aside.
• Using a cookie/biscuit cutter or mason jar lid, remove a circle (ideally 2-3 inches in diameter) of bread from each slice.
• Heat a large skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat. When hot, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the bread slices and rounds to the pan and cook for about 3 minutes until the undersides are golden brown.
• Flip the bread over and reduce the heat to medium. Crack each egg into a small ramekin and gently pour them into the holes in the bread slices. Immediately sprinkle the bread (including the rounds) and egg with mozzarella. (I avoided sprinkling cheese on the yolk so I could have maximum yolk porn for the photos, but you do you.) Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 3-4 minutes until the whites of the eggs are set (but the yolks are still runny!) and the cheese has melted.
• Carefully transfer each egg-in-the-hole to a plate, leaving the bread rounds in the pan. Return the heat to medium-high and flip the rounds over so that they are cheese-side down. Cook for about 30 seconds until the cheese has browned slightly. (Once it has browned the cheese will release itself from the pan.) Remove from the pan.
• Season each egg-in-the-hole with a little salt and pepper and top with the tomato-basil mixture. Add the cheesy rounds to each plate and drizzle everything with balsamic reduction (if using). Serve immediately.