Ready for not your average breakfast? This Grab-and-Go Breakfast Sandwich with Nettle Pesto is with stinging nettles. Sounds crazy, but it’s delicious! The nettles add a nice peppery flavor to the pesto and pair well with creamy cheese and salty prosciutto.. Give it a try!
There is that famous saying: “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” For outdoor cooks in the PNW, the phrase should be “If life gives you nettles, make nettle pesto.”
If you grew up in the woods of the PNW as I did, you were painfully familiar with stinging nettles. They look harmless enough but get too close and you will pay the price with red bumps along your skin that guess what… sting.
Where to Forage for Plants for Nettle Pesto
- Nettle love damp soil and sun. Looking around creek beds and natural water sources.
- The season to forage nettles runs from late spring to early fall.
- Nettles are perenials. Look in the same spots year after year.
Pro tip. If you are happened to be stung while harvesting these plants, the juice of horsetail weed makes for quick and easy relief.
When cooked, nettles, staples of Northwest forests, can be turned into a nutritious and delicious pesto. Starting in late spring and all summer, these plants are ready for harvest. Incorporate them into pasta, soups, and in this case, a yummy breakfast sandwich.
Breakfast sandwiches are one of the things I’m known for on trips. For me, a delicious sandwich is the best fuel for a day on the slopes or a trail. Whether at the campsite or the cabin, I’m known for pulling out what is ever in the cooler to make a delicious start to the day. What makes this one so good is the tanginess of the nettle pesto, the saltiness of the prosciutto, and the creaminess of the eggs and cheese all in one bite!
Best Articles on the Health Benefits of Stinging Nettle
- Organic Facts // Science-based research about consuming Nettles.
- Healthline // Key nutirional information on Nettles.
- Mount Sinai // Information on what conditions Nettles can help treat and prevent.
Thinking of a less adventurous way to start your morning. For savory options, try Farmers Market Breakfast Tomato and Baby Kale Polenta or Venison Eggs Benedict with Adobo Hollandaise Sauce. And for those of you with a sweet tooth, opt for Pumpkin Doughnuts with Black Sesame Glaze or Dutch Oven Huckleberry Jam Rolls.
Grab and Go Breakfast Sandwich with Nettle Pesto
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
For the pesto…
- 4 cups foraged nettles
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup toasted walnuts
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt
For the sandwiches…
- 12 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp butter
- 16 slices rustic bread
- 1/2 cup Kewpie mayonnaise
- 8 slices provolone cheese
- 8 slices prosciutto
Instructions
For the pesto…
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Blanch the nettles in the pot for 2 minutes. Remove from pot and soak in ice bath to stop the cooking process. Using paper towel, squeeze out excess water from nettles.
- Place nettles, garlic, pine nuts, lemon and cheese in food processor. Pulse until mixed. While running, slowly drizzle in olive oil. Mix until sauce forms. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks before using.
For the sandwiches…
- Whisk together the eggs and milk. Melt butter in large skillet over low heat. Add eggs and stir constantly as they cook. Remove from heat when eggs are just set. Do not over cook.
- Heat griddle or bbq to medium-high heat. Spread mayo over both sides of bread. Place 8 slices of bread across heat source. Top with cheese. Cook until cheese starts to melt. Add proscuitto and then top with eggs and pesto and remaining 8 slices of bread. Flip and cook until other side of bread is well toasted.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @bewildeats on Instagram and hashtag it #bewildeats.
Can the pesto be used on pasta?
Yes! It sure can.
Got to try this recipe when I have some nettles. BTW, local Safeway is now carrying Kewpie Mayo.