The Best Spicy Eggs Benedict Without Bread: Chorizo Eggs Benedict

The best spicy Eggs Benedict (in my book!) starts with a round of roasted butternut squash, topped with smashed avocado, a sprinkle of spicy chorizo and a poached egg, doused in a creamy butternut chipotle sauce. A little sprinkle of Aleppo pepper on top is optional, but makes a lovely finish to this delectable morning feast. Gluten free, heart healthy, low carb, diabetic friendly and guess what? You won’t mind because it all tastes so freaking wonderfully spicy and GOOD! The flavors and textures going on here are undeniably spectacular.

I’m not exactly sure why 2022 is the year I decide to try my hand at eggs benedict, other than maybe I need some new ways to enjoy the farm fresh eggs I get from my yoga friend Carole.

Happy Chickens Lay the BEST Eggs!

It’s nice getting to meet the chickens that lay your eggs and see them running around all over the place, happily pecking and exploring their pretty farm. The eggs are so pretty too: different shades of brown and green shells, some small, some big. No perfect uniformity here. This is real life, real happy chickens, each with her own unique personality. Sadly, I don’t have any good pics of the chickens. They move so fast! But just believe me it’s a beautiful sight to see them wandering around and enjoying life.

On cold days in the winter, there are very few eggs to be had. The chickens are too cold to lay eggs. But regardless the time of the year, I love visiting Carole and her chickens. Carole always has a story to tell. And no matter how many eggs there are to share, the eggs always look and taste amazing. I’m always looking for more ways to enjoy them. Seriously, what else can I put an egg on?

First I tried the classic eggs benedict, but with a healthy upgraded butternut dijon “hollandaise” sauce. I used my whole wheat sourdough English muffins for that one. And it was really good.

But then it was time to spice things up a bit. And while we’re at it, can we use up some of this squash?

Spicing it Up … and Ditching the English Muffin

I went looking for inspiration involving butternut squash because I’m seriously swimming in butternut squash that needs using ASAP. My parents gave me SO much butternut!

I stumbled across this gem of a recipe from Every Last Bite. And I swear I did a double take. Something about chorizo and butternut just sounded RIGHT. Especially with some cool, creamy avocado sandwiched in between. She topped hers with a chipotle hollandaise that looked really good. BUT, for my cholesterol, I had to tone that richness down a bit. And add more butternut. Sweet creamy pureed squash adds a silkiness and lovely flavor that totally enhances a sauce.

I was surprised that I didn’t miss the English muffin on the bottom. But I totally didn’t miss it AT ALL. I really loved the sweet creamy roasted squash as a base. The squash was much softer and easier to sink my fork into. And it just tasted SO good with all the other textures and flavors cascading over it. I’d happily choose butternut squash over bread for my eggs benedict every time!

What if I mess it up?

That’s the question looming in all of our minds, isn’t it? I just want to say: in case you’re worried about messing up the poaching of your eggs, I totally did. I tried poaching my eggs in the microwave, but you really have to watch it so closely to find the perfect balance between not done yet and “oops overcooked”. Let’s just say I ended up eating some VERY imperfect eggs benedict.

But you know what? Even when the eggs were kind of badly cooked, it still tasted amazing. Practice on yourself. This is the perfect recipe to make just for you. Don’t be intimidated. Just keep practicing until you get it just right. Or hey, if poaching eggs just isn’t your thing, cook the eggs the way you do best instead. Once you perfect the recipe for YOU, then you can proudly serve it to others. (Or hey, if you have hungry family members in your home, make them “suffer” alongside you! I do say that in jest. Seriously, there’s no suffering involved here.)

In any case, enjoy the many happy “mistakes” along the way. I did! I can’t tell you how many times I made this and I still can’t say it’s just perfect, but every single try tasted delicious.

Also, here are some posts to help you achieve poached egg perfection: in the microwave or on the stovetop.

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