If you grew up loving Dr. Seuss as a kid then you’ve probably wondered at some point in your life if it’s actually possible to make green eggs and ham at home.
But the real question is not how do you make green eggs but how do you make a very green spinach purée. In this green eggs and ham recipe, I’ll give you two ways to make this Dr. Seuss classic.
Green Eggs and What?
For those who don’t know who Dr. Seuss is, you’re probably very confused. It’s a popular children’s book that was one of my favourite books growing up and filled with very strange ideas including this funny recipe.
I wonder if it was part of some elaborate plan by Dr. Seuss to get kids to happily eat vegetables. It definitely worked on me as a child.
You don’t have to know the book to try this recipe though. These eggs are super delicious, healthy and an easy way to sneak in some extra veggies into your breakfast.
It’s important to note that Dr. Seuss’s books have recently come under criticism for displaying racist imagery. It’s a good idea as a parent to correct anything you see as wrong in the book when shown to children. You can read more about that here.
How Do You Make Green Eggs and Ham?
There are two ways to do this right, the *cheffy* way and the easy way. Of course, the cheffy way is almost always the hard way…
The Cheffy Way
The first method is to make an intense spinach purée and add this to the eggs right before cooking. I love making green purées because it requires technique and skill to do it properly.
Making a proper spinach purée requires a little extra time but the flavour is really nice and you can use the leftover purée for other tasty creations like this:
- Add into plain pasta at the last minute, just like you would with a pesto. The boring pasta will turn vibrant green!
- Toss into grain salads.
- Mix into a tahini dressing, cream fraîche, yogurt or mayo-based sauces for a little extra green goodness.
- Stir into cooked veggies like sweet peas or green beans to brighten them up.
The Easy Way (and Also Quite Cheffy)
The easiest way to make this dish is to buy this green food colouring from Supernatural Foods and mix a little into your eggs at the last minute.
You may even be able to add this powder to the ham to fully replicate the Dr. Seuss classic.
I like these natural food dyes because they’re made with real food ingredients and don’t contain any hardcore dyes and preservatives. They’re also non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan, and certified kosher and contain no added sugar. They’ve got a whole bunch of cool colours that you can mix into smoothies, pancakes, burger buns, pasta dough or anything your heart desires.
The downside to using this green dye instead of making spinach puree is that you won’t get the same tasty spinach flavour. Although that might actually be a good thing depending on who you ask.
To get more of the health benefits of spinach, you also could try this organic spinach powder but it is a little pricier.
Another option is the Suncore Foods natural food colouring powders which sound great but their reviews for the green powder are not very good. They also use matcha powder for their green colouring which is great but very strong in flavour and won’t taste very nice with eggs. I don’t recommend using their green food colouring for this recipe but they still offer great food colourings for other options like cakes and cookies.
I’d go with the Supernatural Foods food colouring because the reviews are better and you can get a multipack for a pretty reasonable price.
Whatever you do, don’t buy those horrible cheap food dyes you see in the grocery store because they’re just terrible.
Recipe with food colouring: Blend the eggs with the powder until as green as you like. Cook the eggs as you would normally.
How to Make a Bright Green Spinach Puree
The spinach purée in this recipe is an easy way to sneak more vegetables into your diet.
Spinach is a superfood after all and can help stabilize your blood glucose levels, reduce your risk of getting cancer, and can help with overall bone health. [1]
It is important to point out that because we boil the spinach for a long time we do lose some nutrition compared to eating it raw. But it’s still a lot healthier than using cheap food dye.
Can’t I Just Blend the Spinach Raw?
You can but it’s not the most effective for a few reasons.
The main problem of just adding a bunch of raw spinach to the blender with the eggs is that the spinach still has a lot of water inside it. Nobody wants watery eggs…
The second reason is that if you don’t cook the spinach thoroughly it can start to turn grey. We are going for vibrant green eggs and ham, not grey eggs and ham.
When you boil (blanch) the spinach you break down the enzymes that turn the spinach green and are left with a vibrant, beautifully green spinach purée that is sure to bring a smile to any chef’s face.
Tips For Making Perfect Green Eggs and Ham
Here are a few quick pointers to nail this recipe:
- Blanch the spinach to make nice green eggs or buy a quality food colouring.
- Dry the spinach as much as possible before blending it with the oil.
- Don’t let the purée get too hot while blending, otherwise it can discolour.
- Save the extra green purée for pasta, veggies, sauces and dips.
- If you want to add lemon juice to the purée be sure to add it at the end otherwise it will turn the purée grey.
How to Store the Spinach Puree
Even when properly prepared, green purées don’t last that long. It will be safe to eat for up to 5 days in the fridge, but the vibrant colour will start to degrade after the first day.
You can easily freeze extra amounts in little jars or sealed containers for up to 6 months in the freezer.
Tools Needed for This Green Eggs and Ham Recipe
Stand Blender or Food Processor – You’ll need a high-powered stand blender or food processor to properly blend this purée. The better the blender, the smoother the purée.
If you don’t have a blender you could finely chop the green spinach after cooking and add this to the eggs but it won’t be as green.
Non-Stick or Cast Iron Pan – Having the right pan will cook your eggs nicely and prevent them from sticking to the pan and making a mess.
More Recipes With Green Ingredients
- This Garlicky Sauteed Broccolette (Fast!)
- These Crispy Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Banana and Lime
- These Easy Blistered Padron Peppers with Garlic and Olive Oil
- Alain Passard’s Cucumber Carpaccio
- This Grilled Green Onion Chimichurri
A Green Eggs and Ham Recipe with Spinach Purée
Ingredients
For the Spinach Puree
- 400 g spinach
- 100 ml olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- cracked black pepper
- 1-2 pc ice cubes plus ice for the ice bath
For the Rest
- 3 whole eggs
- 3 slices ham
- 1 tsp olive oil or butter
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and get a big bowl of ice water ready beside it.
- Cook the spinach (blanch) in the boiling salted water and stir frequently to keep it submerged in the water. Cook for about 3-5 minutes or until the spinach is completely soft and pulls apart easily.
- Immediately refresh the spinach in the ice bath and stir until completely cooled.
- Strain the cooled spinach from the ice water and squeeze out any excess water.
- Starting on low speed, blend the spinach with the oil, ice cubes, salt and pepper. Once the blender is properly pulling everything together, increase to high speed and blend for about 1 minute. If the blender won't spin, add more olive oil until it does.
- Add about 3-4 tbsp of the spinach puree to 3 eggs (about 1 tbsp per egg). Mix in a bowl and whisk together but don't season yet.
- Heat the ham in a little butter or oil in a small pan and fry until warm.
- Get a cast iron or non-stick pan to medium-low heat. Add the green egg mixture and reduce the heat to low. Stir frequently with a spatula until the eggs are cooked. Season with salt and pepper at the end.
- Serve immediately with the ham and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Want More Recipes?
Guinness Braised Beef Cheeks with Celery Root Mash
Love it – this should be on the menu every st. patrick’s day!!
Sounds good to me! Just need some green beer now…