Kale Pesto Quinoa with Fried Eggs and Paprika Butter
Upgrade your brunch with this healthy and delicious Kale Pesto Quinoa with Fried Egg and Paprika Butter. Creamy kale pesto mixed with quinoa combine perfectly with a juicy fried egg drizzled with lots of rich paprika butter. Finish with a side of warm crusty bread or an english muffin, and you’ve got an easy and colorful start to your day!
Inspiration and thoughts
I love brunch. Who doesn’t?! This recipe was inspired by my mother and sister, who I always want to make a fun brunch meal for. My mom is a healthy eater and doesn’t often eat big meals in the morning, so I knew if I made a brunch for us it would need to be healthy too. This recipe came to mind because as much as my mother and I like kale and quinoa, she doesn’t have them often because my brother and dad aren’t big fans of them, and she cooks for everyone. My mom also loves eggs and pesto, as do I, and I thought the mix of all of these would be perfect for brunch.
I especially love brunch with my sister, Kelly, and this recipe was also inspired by wanting to make a brunch recipe for her that looked and tasted just as fabulous as she might get at her local brunch spot.
Lastly, I love a pesto so much and think it adds such a great flavor to so many foods. My boyfriend, Eli, is allergic to pine nuts…and since that is usually an ingredient of your basic pesto, I’ve come up with several pesto recipes free of any nuts. They’re just as good and so easy to make!
How it’s made, notes and substitutions
This recipe is so easy, healthy and delicious. Start by getting your quinoa going and while it cooks, you can make the pesto. Save the fried eggs for the very end because they take very little time to fry and you’ll want them nice and hot to serve. Make the quinoa according to package instructions.
While that is cooking, blend all of the pesto ingredients into a blender or food processor. I use a Ninja blender that my mother got me and I love it, but any blender or food processor will do. Taste your pesto, and if you prefer a bit more garlic or lemon, add to taste. You can substitute spinach for kale in the pesto if you don’t like kale or prefer spinach.
After the quinoa is cooked, turn off the stove and fluff it up with a fork just to break it up a bit, then pour in your pesto. Mix together, making sure all of your quinoa is coated in the delicious kale pesto.
Now for the fried eggs. Add 1/2 a tablespoon of butter into a small or medium sized skillet and when the butter melts, add your eggs. Fry to your liking. I prefer to fry two eggs at one time in a medium sized skillet, but if you’d rather do one at a time that is fine – use a smaller skillet instead. I find that cracking my egg into a small bowl then slowly pouring it into the skillet works best for me to make sure the egg keeps its shape while frying.
On to the paprika butter! Once the eggs are done, remove them from the skillet and turn down your heat to low. Add the rest of your butter and while it melts, add in the paprika. Mix for about 10 seconds then turn off the heat, mixing a bit more. The paprika butter will look bubbly and frothy and this is perfect! Once the heat is off and you’ve mixed it a bit more, you will see the rich and creamy paprika butter coming together and that gorgeous rusty orange-red color.
Time to eat! Serve this fabulous brunch by adding the kale pesto quinoa into two bowls, topping with two fried eggs per person, and pour the creamy and rich paprika butter over everything. Add a bit of salt, pepper, shredded parmesan, and a bit of fresh chopped parsley for garnish. How delicious is that?!
Happy Brunching
Kale Pesto Quinoa with Fried Eggs and Paprika Butter
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
For the Kale Pesto:
- 2 cups fresh kale chopped
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 1 clove garlic (add another clove if you like it extra garlicky)
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Garnish:
- Chopped cilantro or parsley
- Salt and pepper
- Shredded parmesan
Instructions
- First make the quinoa: cook according to package instructions.
- While the quinoa is cooking make the kale pesto. Combine all pesto ingredients into a blender or food processor and mix until smooth and creamy. Add more or less salt to taste and add more olive oil if you would like a thinner pesto. Set aside.
- Make the fried eggs last, when the quinoa is done. Heat 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a small skillet on medium high heat. When the butter is melted, gently add each egg one at a time to the skillet and fry to the consistency of your liking.
- Remove eggs from the skillet and turn the heat down to low. Add the rest of the butter to the skillet and while it melts, quickly add in the paprika. Mix for about 10 seconds then turn off the heat. Continue to mix the paprika butter for a few more seconds: it should be bubbly and foamy and that is perfect- it will be delicious!
- To serve, pour the kale pesto into the couscous and mix well. Divide onto two plates and add two fried eggs on top to each. Pour the paprika butter generously over the fried eggs and quinoa. Top with a pinch of salt and pepper, shredded parmesan and fresh parsley or cilantro. Serve with a side of warm crusty bread (my personal favorite is a yummy sourdough), or just as is. Enjoy!
I would have never thought of having eggs and quinoa. What a delicious combination of simple ingredients full of flavor and looks so fancy. I put some hot sauce on top – yummy!
Thank you! And the hot sauce sounds like a great addition to this recipe – I’ll add that next time! Thanks so much and glad you liked it!