This post is sponsored by the Iowa Egg Council, but all opinions are my own.
Let's talk eggs!
We are an egg family. Scrambled? Sure. Over-easy? Why not? Hard-boiled and diced in potato salad? You bet. We do not discriminate when it comes to eggs. Each and every way is delicious to us.
This time of year is BIG for eggs. Not only do chickens ramp up their egg production {hello, Spring!}, but Easter is right around the corner. Families will be hard boiling and dying those little buggers waiting for the Easter bunny to arrive. Iowa is the No. 1 egg-producing state in the country producing 15 billion eggs a year. One in every 5 eggs comes from Iowa!
The average household consumes around four dozen eggs at Easter. Whether that be in a casserole at brunch or in deviled eggs at a family potluck, we eat a lot of them! Eggs that we are buying for this year's Easter festivities are fresh. Most eggs are laid and on grocery store shelves in 72 hours.
As a family we are very lucky to have a few local friends who have chickens and sell their eggs. I often buy 4 to 5 dozen at a time {crazy, right?}, but like I said we eat a lot of them, plus I'm a baker. So generally using a half dozen a day...in something...is very common.
Want to meet an Iowa egg farmer? Check out Bruce Dooyema's story HERE. He loves his job!
As a food blogger, obviously, I get very creative in the kitchen. If I have leftovers, no matter what it is, I find a way to use them. Does it always work? Not always, but I still try!
One question I seem to get every year a few days after Easter is...what can I do with all these leftover hard-boiled eggs? The obvious choices often ring clear; egg salad, chopped over a cobb salad, deviled eggs, potato salad or even a pasta salad like my Deviled Egg Pasta Salad. But what happens when all of those sound boring and don't interest you?
You're in luck! I've got a dandy one today.
But, first. Do you know how to hard boil eggs?
This method is very popular. I simply put mine in cold water in a pot and bring it to a boil. I let it boil for 10 minutes, then run them under very cold tap water for a few minutes. Once cool enough to touch I peel. Eggs that are 7-10 days old are easier to peel, while fresh eggs are often more difficult. All eggs will be easier to peel right after cooling as this allows as this gives the eggs time to breathe and take in air that help separates the membrane from the shell.
If this all seems like too much work, why not buy an egg cooker? Yes, they have them. Read here about the Best Egg Cookers Today.
Thus said, buy your eggs about a week before needing to hard boil and remember the "sell by" or "expiration date" on egg cartons are just to ensure the eggs aren't kept on shelves past that date, but they can safely be eaten 2-3 weeks after the expiration date.
Refrigerate your hard boiled eggs within 2 hours and eat them within a week. Once peeled they should be eaten the same day.
When brainstorming recipes for this post, it was actually fairly easy. I love eggs and I love pizza. My family is on the same boat, so why not breakfast pizza?
Now I've made my 3-Meat Breakfast Pizza many times, but what makes this pizza different is laying on chopped up hard boiled eggs rather than scrambling them. Oh, and the chorizo sausage. It's smoky, a bit spicy and full of paprika and other spices.
At just 70 calories an egg, they are the perfect, high-quality protein pizza topper. Eggs also have 0 grams of sugar, NO carbs and are only around 17 cents per serving. Budget friendly!
And don't leave out the yolk! Egg yolks contain choline, a nutrient that promotes normal cell activity, liver
function and the transportation of nutrients throughout the body. It’s also key in the development
of infant’s memory functions.
My kids were on Spring Break last week {insert, I need a vacation}, so when I got all crazy and announced breakfast pizza instead of boring oatmeal or toast on that randon Tuesday morning, they were more than excited.
Oh, and did I mention I layered on a cheese sauce as well?
Yeah, it's pretty incredible.
Chopped Egg & Chorizo Breakfast Pizza
1 pre-made, store bought thin pizza crust
3 chopped hard boiled eggs
1/2 lb. cooked chorizo sausage
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
3 T. unsalted butter
3 T. flour
1 1/2 c. milk
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 c. salsa
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. onion powder
1 t. salt
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk for one minute. Pour in the milk, continuining to whisk and add in the seasonings. This mixture will start to thicken and when it does add in the shredded cheddar cheese and salsa. Set cheese sauce aside off the heat.
3. To assemble the pizza, place the pizza crust on a large cookie sheet. Spread on the cheese sauce and top with the hard boiled eggs, chorizo sausage crumbles and mozzarella cheese.
4. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Then remove the pizza off the baking sheet and place directly on the oven rack and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the pizza is golden brown and bubbly. This will allow the crust to get crispy at the end.
5. Cut into slices and serve warm.
Thank you to the Iowa Egg Council for sponsoring this post.
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