I have a couple of friends who don’t love brunch. Blasphemy, right?! I love a late, long, lazy brunch when time allows. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I’ll opt for a savory option.
There’s so much room for creativity with standard vegetarian breakfast ingredients: eggs, toast, veggies, tortillas, beans, etc. The possibilities are endless, and I have a few favorite local restaurants that offer creative veggie options.
I’ve been thinking about the standard egg-and-toast brunch option and came up with my own version that is neither bland nor boring. I whipped up an avocado-based pesto spread in my food processor. It’s infinitely more exciting than a pat of butter (sorry, butter!).
Toast can only be as awesome as the bread used to make it, so use a good one! I love whole-grain toast for its hearty texture and extra flavor.
This simple variation on classic avocado toast is delicious on its own, or you can top it with eggs and a handful of sliced cherry tomatoes, as shown here. Either way, it’s a great snack, breakfast/brunch, lunch or dinner.
Avocado Pesto Toast
This avocado pesto toast recipe is fantastic for breakfast, brunch or any time of day, really! Serve it as-is or add eggs and tomatoes for a complete meal. Recipe yields enough for 4 toasts, or 2 to 4 servings.
Toasts
Optional accompaniments
- To toast the pepitas, pour them into a small skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they are making little popping noises and starting to make little popping noises. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
- To make the pesto, pit and halve the avocados and scoop the insides into the bowl of a food processor. Add the garlic, lemon juice, and salt. Blend until smooth, pausing to scrape down the sides as necessary.
- Add the toasted pepitas and basil leaves and pulse until the pepitas and basil are broken down into very small pieces and the mixture is well-blended. Taste, mix in more salt if the mixture doesn’t taste totally awesome yet.
- Toast the bread, then spread a generous amount of avocado pesto over each slice. Serve as is, or with eggs and/or tomatoes. Sprinkle lightly with freshly ground black pepper, red pepper flakes (for heat) and/or flaky sea salt, if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
Make it vegan: Skip the eggs!
Storage suggestions: The spread yields about 1 ½ cups, so you might have some extra. Leftover spread will keep in a small bowl with plastic wrap pressed against the top in the refrigerator for two to three days; scoop off the top layer before serving if turns brown.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
