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Arugula and Prosciutto Egg Benedict with Blender Hollandaise Sauce

Avatar photoby Updated: Aug 30, 2018

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Why is it there are some recipes that are justifiably deemed for brunch? Take for example the egg benedict, or more specifically my Arugula and Prosciutto Egg Benedict.

This isn’t a dish one would much consider ginning up on a Wednesday morning when the alarm didn’t go off (why does it always seem like it happens on a Wednesday?) and you’re prying the covers off of your sleeping daughter who pulls the perfect caterpillar move to create the tightest of duvet cocoons all the while racing the clock to not miss the first school bell because why didn’t anyone make her lunch the night before??

No, that’s the day for a microwave egg and veggie bagel sandwich.

Which is why I suppose those restful weekend lallygag brunches are indeed all of what they’re cracked up to be.

Arugula and Prosciutto Egg Benedict | foodiecrush.com

A few weekends ago I upped the ante on the traditional egg bene because the simple ham just wasn’t putting the lock in my blocks. Maybe that’s why I make this salmon and bagel egg benedict so often.

But with a blender just begging to be used for something other than the weekend’s margaritas, we put the breakfast making skills to work by adding a few Italian flavors to the traditional benedict.

The key to the dish really lies in the homemade hollandaise. I don’t know why I’ve always had a fear of making my own. Afraid it would ‘break’ or not thicken enough or thicken too much so it became a brick.

Arugula and Prosciutto Egg Benedict | foodiecrush.com

Why was I so afeared? This thing is easy peasy.

While this benedict was amazingly tasty for brunch, it would be equally divine for a regular weekday lunch or simple dinner.

When poaching eggs, my secret (and about 1 million other cooks) is to add a bit of vinegar to the water, which helps the egg whites congeal. I use whatever white vinegar I have on hand: regular white, rice wine or champagne. You won’t taste the flavor, but it is the trick not to miss. when it comes to poaching.

Arugula and Prosciutto Egg Benedict | foodiecrush.com

Arugula and Prosciutto Egg Benedict | foodiecrush.com

If your egg yolks seem to not be cooking, spoon a bit of water over the tops to give them a bit of a water baste and they’ll cook up as you do.

This recipe shines when the ingredients do. Use the freshest you can find.

When cooking for a crowd, toast all of the English muffins on a sheet pan in the oven. You can also par boil the eggs and set aside then dunk back into the hot water just before serving. Do be sure to drain all of the water from the eggs, nobody wants watered down sauce or a soggy muffin.

If you’re not a fan of the spiciness of arugula, give spinach a try. Or sauté some kale with garlic and shiitake mushrooms for a vegetarian treat.

5 from 1 vote

Arugula and Prosciutto Egg Benedict

Peppery arugula and dry cured prosciutto give the classic Eggs Benedict an easy upgrade.
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Ingredients 

  • 1-2 teaspoons white vinegar
  • 8 eggs
  • 4 English muffins split
  • baby arugula leaves
  • 16 slices prosciutto
  • 8 slices tomato
  • hollandaise sauce
  • cayenne pepper

Instructions

  • Fill a shallow saucepan with water 1-2 inches deep. Bring the water almost to a boil, but not bubbling. If the water is bubbling, lower the heat. Add 1-2 teaspoons of vinegar to the water.
  • Crack an egg into a small bowl, then swirl the hot water with a wooden spoon to create a bit of a whirlpool and slide the egg into the pan. The swirling water should help the whites gather around the yolk while the vinegar helps the whites congeal. Gently push stray whites toward the egg so it all starts to cook together.
  • Cook for about 3 minutes or until the whites are set but the yolk still has some jiggle to it. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and set on a paper towel.
  • Toast the English muffins. Layer each muffin half with a smather of hollandaise, then some arugula leaves, a tomato slice and a few slices of prosciutto. Top with a poached egg and warm hollandaise sauce. Garnish with a sprinkle of cayenne pepper and serve.

5 from 1 vote

Arugula and Prosciutto Egg Benedict

Peppery arugula and dry cured prosciutto give the classic Eggs Benedict an easy upgrade.
 Print

Ingredients 

  • 1-2 teaspoons white vinegar
  • 8 eggs
  • 4 English muffins split
  • baby arugula leaves
  • 16 slices prosciutto
  • 8 slices tomato
  • hollandaise sauce
  • cayenne pepper

Instructions

  • Fill a shallow saucepan with water 1-2 inches deep. Bring the water almost to a boil, but not bubbling. If the water is bubbling, lower the heat. Add 1-2 teaspoons of vinegar to the water.
  • Crack an egg into a small bowl, then swirl the hot water with a wooden spoon to create a bit of a whirlpool and slide the egg into the pan. The swirling water should help the whites gather around the yolk while the vinegar helps the whites congeal. Gently push stray whites toward the egg so it all starts to cook together.
  • Cook for about 3 minutes or until the whites are set but the yolk still has some jiggle to it. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and set on a paper towel.
  • Toast the English muffins. Layer each muffin half with a smather of hollandaise, then some arugula leaves, a tomato slice and a few slices of prosciutto. Top with a poached egg and warm hollandaise sauce. Garnish with a sprinkle of cayenne pepper and serve.

While this is my new favorite hollandaise and a darn good breakfast, there’s a plethora of food bloggers outdoing anything I can come up with. Here’s just a sampling of a few to savor.

(Please click through to the original recipe when you find your favorite recipe to pin on Pinterest.)

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This self proclaimed queso junkie puts the ‘SOO GOOD’ in Confections of a FoodieBride‘s tex mex version with Eggs Benedict Con Queso.

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Shanon shares her love of benes with a veggie heavy version with kale in The Curvy Carrot‘s Egg Benedict Florentine with Creamy Butter Sauce.

Carnitas Eggs Benedict 500w 7552

Pickled red onion tops off leftover carnitas in Kevin’s incarnation of a Mexican breakfast with a twist in Closet Cooking’s Carnitas Egg Benedict.

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Elliot takes us on a tour of low country cuisine with an undeniable favorite combo in benedict form: Fried Green Tomato Benedict with Smithfield Ham & Pimiento Cheese Hollandaise from F is for Food. 
 530_IMG_8610_2_eggs_benedict_with_bbq_hollandaise Brenda takes us back to someone’s, anyone’s, and everyone’s Southern roots with A Farm Girl’s Dabbles Eggs Benedict with BBQ Hollandaise.

local-milk

Definitely a happy mouthful, Beth explores new and wonderful territory in the benedict world with Local Milk’s Asparagus Benedict on Quinoa Nettle Cakes with Country Ham, Lovage Mint Aioli and a Poached Egg.

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Heidi of FoodieCrush

Hi! I’m Heidi and I cook real good, real food I hope you’ll love to make, too.

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  8. Nancy Long

    Eggs Benedict – hubby’s fav breakfast – I’ve been making a very easy stovetop hollandaise for years – we sometimes don’t using a bread base at all. Try different types of meat and all time fav a crabcake! Will be trying your version on his next day off. Thanks

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  11. natalie @ wee eats

    This is actually pretty much one of my favorite meals ever, I get it from Northstar Cafe every time I go home to Columbus. I, like you, was also intimidated by the hollandaise…. I’ve tried it once and it looked great but tasted super bland. Perhaps the trick is in the tabasco, guess I’ll have to give it another whirl!

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