Inspired by Cooking Light
If you find yourself with a small butternut squash (or a regular sized acorn squash), try making the old childhood favorite “Egg in a Hole” into a grownup breakfast, Mediterranean style! Roast up the hollow end of the squash in round slices, brushed with olive oil and sprinkle with Mediterranean seasonings. Once the squash is tender, crack an egg in the middle and bake until the egg is done to your liking. The savory Mediterranean spices add a really nice depth of flavor to this sweet yet savory healthy breakfast.
The brilliant thing about this breakfast is once you’ve roasted up the squash rings, you’ve got an easy breakfast just waiting for you in the morning. Just warm the squash a bit in the microwave, set the ring on a baking sheet, crack in the egg, season and bake. With very little effort and just a little cooking time, you’ve got yourself a nice hot comforting breakfast with the perfect mix of savory and sweet.
After enjoying this lovely breakfast all on its own for a few days (which was quite enjoyable … nom nom nom!), I found that I like a little salad on the side, with toasted pumpkin seeds, a bit of goat cheese, thinly sliced red onion and a maple balsamic dressing. You can make yourself a breakfast salad if you are so inclined, or you can totally serve this egg in a whole all on its own, with no sides. I tried broccoli as well (both on the side and tucked inside the ring if there was extra space. My body liked the broccoli version, but it didn’t make my taste buds quite as happy as the salad. (I know I’m weird … I just love salads! Yes, even for breakfast.)
Whether you do the salad option or not, you’re still getting a boatload of nutrition into your body. Squash provides vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin B6, niacin, thiamin, pantothenic acid, and folate, plus important minerals including magnesium, potassium, manganese, copper, phosphorus, calcium, and iron. Eating squash can help boost your immune system, manage diabetes, reduce inflammation, prevent infections, protect your heart, improve your vision and strengthen your bones. (However squash can lower blood pressure, so if you have low blood pressure, you might want to avoid eating squash.)
And the egg is so good for you, too! Not only are eggs the perfect source of protein, egg yolks are an important source of Vitamin D and Vitamin K2, which is good for heart health, cancer prevention, bone health and so much more.
I was so sad when I ran out of squash rings … breakfasts just aren’t the same without my butternut egg in a hole!
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Butternut Squash Egg in a Hole
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 1 - 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- The hollow end of a small butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, cut into 1/2 – 3/4 inch slices – or substitute an acorn squash.
- Olive oil
- Greek seasoning (Store bought or recipe here) or Penzey’s Mural of Flavor seasoning
- Red Robin Seasoning or your favorite seasoned salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 –2 eggs per slice of squash
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F. Peel a small butternut squash and slice off the solid end at the top, saving that for another use. Use a grapefruit spoon to scoop out the seeds from the bottom end, leaving a hole in the center. Once the seeds are removed, cut the squash horizontally to make 1/2 – 3/4 inch circular slices of squash.
- Brush the squash slices all over with olive oil, then sprinkle with seasonings and pepper. Set on a baking sheet lined with a silicon baking mat or sprayed with cooking spray. Roast at 425 for about 15 minutes or until the squash is tender.
- For each serving: crack an egg (or if there is still room and you want more, two eggs) into the center of one of the rings. Sprinkle the egg with Red Robin Seasoning and freshly ground pepper. Return to the oven and bake for about 15 – 25 minutes longer, or until the whites are set and the yolk is done to your liking.
- Use a spatula to transfer the egg in a hole to a plate. Enjoy!
Notes
RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/
© Copyright 2019, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.
