Eggs Benedict Florentine

A red rimmed white plate holding two poached eggs covered in creamy yellow hollandaise sauce over a bed of spinach on toasted English muffins with a side of asparagus and baby arugula.

This classic Eggs Benedict Florentine recipe combines all the best elements of breakfast, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce, with savoury sautéed spinach and a crispy English muffin base. It’s the ultimate brunch dish for Eggs Benedict lovers!

Is your fear of poaching eggs or creating the perfect Hollandaise sauce stopping you from hosting the best brunch ever? I’ve got you! In this post, you’ll find two easy non traditional ways to poach eggs and an outstanding never fail super easy Blender Hollandaise Sauce recipe. So, make yourself a homemade Caramel Macchiato and read on!

Disclosure: This post is made possible by Egg Farmers of Alberta. All opinions and experiences are my own.

A red rimmed white plate holding two poached eggs covered in creamy yellow hollandaise sauce over a bed of spinach on toasted English muffins with a side of asparagus and baby arugula.

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Eggs Benedict Florentine

If you are a fan of Eggs Benedict and spinach, this recipe is for you! All the usual eggs benny components are there, buttery rich Hollandaise sauce, a perfectly poached egg, and a pillowy English muffin. However, instead of back bacon or ham, the egg rests on a bed of sautéed baby spinach and garlic.

While many eggs Florentine-style recipes add cream or whole milk to the sautéed spinach, this eggs Florentine recipe features baby spinach sautéed in olive oil and garlic. You can think of it as a lighter version of an Eggs Benedict and it’s an especially great way to get in some extra greens.

A red rimmed white plate holding two poached eggs covered in creamy yellow hollandaise sauce over a bed of spinach on toasted English muffins with a side of asparagus and baby arugula.

Lastly but most importantly, you will want to save this recipe for your next fancy brunch (I’m thinking Mother’s Day!). Here’s why: Not only is this Eggs Florentine Benedict delicious… it is easy to make. Now, you may be thinking that I may be exaggerating how easy this dish really is. I swear to you, I am not.

Poaching eggs and making Hollandaise sauce are two of the most difficult brunch skills to master. However, I have ‘cracked’ the code, so to speak. In this post, I will show you:

  1. How to make fail-proof Hollandaise sauce in under 5 minutes.
  2. Two different ways to poach perfect eggs that don’t involve standing over a hot stove.
Ingredients required to make Eggs Benedict Florentine and blender hollandaise sauce.

All You Need to Know About Eggs Benedict

In short, Eggs Benedict is a breakfast or brunch dish that consists of an English muffin topped with a back bacon (Canadian bacon), a poached egg, and a drizzle of Hollandaise sauce.

Though there are conflicting origin stories, the most accepted origin story of this beloved egg dish dates to 1860’s New York. There, it was invented by a chef at Delmonico’s who named it after a regular customer, Mrs. LeGrand Benedict. A few years later, chef Charles Ranhofer’s recipe for ‘Eggs à la Benedick’ appeared in The Epicurean as the first printed recipe for Eggs Benedict.

Eggs Benedict ‘Florentine’ is just ONE of the many variations of this classic breakfast food. Though it sounds fancy, ‘à la Florentine‘ is the French way to say it’s served with spinach. The Florentine princess, Catherine de Medici, loved spinach so much she brought spinach seeds from Italy to France when she married Prince Henry. And the rest is history.

A red rimmed white plate holding two poached eggs ready to be covered in creamy yellow hollandaise sauce over a bed of spinach on toasted English muffins with a side of asparagus and baby arugula.

Ingredients for Eggs Benedict Florentine

As with all Eggs Benedict recipes, this recipe contains a liberal amount of butter and farm fresh eggs. You can bake your own English muffins or buy them and toast them just before assembly.

  • Eggs
  • Butter
  • Lemon
  • Salt
  • Vinegar
  • Olive Oil
  • Garlic
  • Spinach
  • English Muffins

For four servings, you will need a dozen large eggs. For this recipe, I bought special ‘dark yolk’ eggs, and the colour of the Hollandaise sauce is pale yellow. If you want ‘restaurant yellow’, add one or two drops of yellow food colouring.

Use salted butter for this recipe. If you prefer to adjust the seasoning yourself, use unsalted butter and go from there.

A pitcher of pale yellow Hollandaise sauce waiting to be poured over two naked Eggs Benedict Florentines.

The vinegar is only required for the cold pan poaching method. It helps to keep the eggs from sticking together in the pan.

Baby spinach is preferable to older spinach. However, if you do use mature spinach, remove the tough stems and adjust the cooking time accordingly.

How to Make Eggs Benedict Florentine

Two Easy Ways to Poach Eggs

Cold Pan Method (for one or two eggs)- This method works well for one or two eggs, possibly four depending on the size of the saucepan and amount of boiled water. It produces a imperfectly rounded poached soft-to-medium poached egg.

Boil a kettle of water. While the water is boiling, pour vinegar into the bottom of a saucepan. Add enough to cover the bottom by 1/4 inch.

A hand pours creamy yellow hollandaise sauce over a poached egg laying on a bed of sauteed spinach and English muffin.

Gently crack one egg into a fine mesh strainer over a bowl or sink. Allow the thin whites to drain through then carefully lower it into the vinegar. Repeat with a second egg.

Carefully pour boiling water down the sides of the saucepan until the eggs are covered by 2 inches of boiling water.

Cover and turn burner on medium high for 1 minute. Turn off heat and allow the egg to sit for 5 minutes. Remove egg with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel. Repeat with another batch of eggs. If you have a larger saucepan, you may be able to do four eggs at one time.

Microwave Method – this quick method is good for poaching one egg at a time. It cooks a perfectly round and smooth poached egg. Since microwaves vary in strength, you may have to test the timing of your microwave to achieve your perfect poached egg.

Three Eggs Benedict Florentines surrounded by verdant green asparagus and baby arugula with a pitcher of creamy yellow hollandaise.

Fill a microwave safe coffee mug half full of hot water. Crack an egg and strain it, then lower it into the coffee mug.

Cover with a plate and microwave on high for 45-60 seconds (depending on how efficient your microwave is). Remove egg with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel. Repeat with another egg, etc.

How to Make Blender Hollandaise

Add 4 egg yolks to the blender bowl. Pour in the warm water and lemon juice.

Blend on high speed until frothy (about 30 seconds). With the blender running on medium-low speed, slowly start to pour the hot melted butter into the egg mixture in a thin, steady stream. For more details, check out this post on Blender Hollandaise Sauce.

A red rimmed white plate holding two poached eggs covered in creamy yellow hollandaise sauce over a bed of spinach on toasted English muffins with a side of asparagus and baby arugula.

Putting the Eggs Benedict Florentine Together

Now that the eggs are perfectly poached and the Hollandaise is ready, it’s time to sauté the spinach. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil.

Add the garlic and sauté for one minute then add the spinach, cooking it until it just begins to wilt only. Remove from heat and set aside while you toast the English muffins. Spread the English muffins with butter or a dollop of Hollandaise. Arrange sautéed spinach over the muffin, then top with a poached egg.

Pour Hollandaise over the egg and garnish with pepper, chili flakes, or fresh herbs like chives or parsley. Serve immediately with a delicious Grapefruit Mimosa.

One perfect hollandaise covered Eggs Benedict Florentine on a bed of sauteed spinach and English muffin.

5 Tips for Poaching Perfect Eggs

  1. Buy the freshest eggs you can find. Fresh eggs have tight whites and less ‘stringy’ or loose whites. This will help the egg stay together in a nice tight shape as it is poaching.
  2. Strain the eggs using a fine mesh sieve to remove any loose whites.
  3. Start with fridge cold eggs. The cold temperature also helps to keep the whites nice and tight.
  4. Add vinegar. The acid helps to keep the whites tight and prevents the eggs from sticking together when using the cold pan poaching method.
  5. You can poach eggs up to five days in advance. Store them in a container of water in the fridge, then reheat by carefully lowering them into a bowl of boiling water for 20-30 seconds.
An Eggs Benedict Florentine with runny yolk.
Pinterest image featuring an Eggs Benedict Florentine with runny yolk and a platter of three whole eggs benedicts with asparagus and baby arugula.

If you make this Eggs Benedict Florentine recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest for my latest recipes. Also, if you do make this recipe, please tag me on Instagram, I’d love to see what you guys are making! Thank you so much for reading my blog.

Yield: 4 servings

Eggs Benedict Florentine

A red rimmed white plate holding two poached eggs covered in creamy yellow hollandaise sauce over a bed of spinach on toasted English muffins with a side of asparagus and baby arugula.

This classic Eggs Benedict Florentine recipe combines all the best elements of breakfast, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce, with savoury sautéed spinach and a crispy English muffin base. It's the ultimate brunch dish for Eggs Benedict lovers!

Prep Time 17 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Additional Time 10 minutes
Total Time 37 minutes

Ingredients

  • 8 eggs
  • white vinegar (for cold poached method only)
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic; minced
  • 12 oz. baby spinach
  • 4 English muffins
  • optional fresh herbs for garnish (chives, fresh parsley, or dill) or chili flakes
  • salt and pepper

FOR THE BLENDER HOLLANDAISE

  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 2 Tablespoons hot water
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 cup salted butter; melted

Instructions

FOR THE COLD PAN POACHED EGGS

  1. Boil a kettle of water.
  2. While the water is boiling, pour vinegar into the bottom of the saucepan. Add enough to cover the bottom by 1/4 inch.
  3. Gently crack one egg into a fine mesh strainer over a bowl or sink. Allow the thin whites to drain through then carefully lower it into the vinegar. Repeat with a second egg.
  4. Carefully pour boiling water down the sides of the saucepan until the eggs are covered by 2 inches of boiling water.
  5. Cover and turn burner on medium high for 1 minute. Turn off heat and allow the egg to sit for 5 minutes. Remove egg with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel. Repeat with another batch of eggs. If you have a larger saucepan, you may be able to do four eggs at one time.

FOR MICROWAVE POACHED EGGS

  1. Fill a microwave safe coffee mug half full of hot water. Crack an egg and strain it (as above) then lower it into the coffee mug.
  2. Cover with a plate and microwave on high for 45-60 seconds (depending on how efficient your microwave is).
  3. Remove egg with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel. Repeat with another egg, etc.

FOR THE BLENDER HOLLANDAISE

  1. Add the yolks to the blender bowl. Pour in the warm water and lemon juice.
  2. Blend until frothy (about 30 seconds).
  3. With the blender running, slowly pour the hot butter in a steady stream.

FOR THE SPINACH

  1. Heat 1 - 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the garlic and sauté for one minute.
  2. Add the spinach to the garlic oil and stir fry until it is mostly wilted. Turn off heat.

TO ASSEMBLE THE EGGS BENEDICT FLORENTINE

  1. Toast the English Muffin halves then spread them with butter or a dollop of Hollandaise.
  2. Arrange sautéed spinach over the muffin, then top with a poached egg.
  3. Pour Hollandaise over the egg and garnish with pepper, chili flakes, or fresh herbs like chives or parsley.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 827Total Fat: 66gSaturated Fat: 35gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 26gCholesterol: 726mgSodium: 987mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 4gSugar: 1gProtein: 27g

Nutritional calculation was provided by Nutritionix and is an estimation only. For special diets or medical issues please use your preferred calculator.

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29 comments

  1. Ss

    Ordered this at a local restaurant and loved it. Their version included a slice of tomato. I will definitely try this recipe but and the tomato.

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      A tomato would be a great addition. Happy cooking!

  2. Sangeetha

    I love how the dish combines classic breakfast elements like poached eggs and English muffins with sautéed spinach and hollandaise sauce. The perfect combination of savory flavors and textures. I can’t wait to try this recipe out for my next weekend brunch.

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      happy brunching Sangeetha!

  3. Ramona

    This is a perfect breakfast and brunch recipe which I am so excited to try out this week! These eggs look perfect and delicious, thank you for sharing this recipe!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      I hope you love it as much as we do Ramona!

  4. Lisa

    I could eat eggs benedict for breakfast, lunch or dinner. And I love the addiition of the spinach in this recipe.

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      Ah, same. In fact we had them all hours of the day while testing this recipe!

  5. Sandhya Ramakrishnan

    Thank you so much for such a detailed post to help a beginner make this delicious brunch! We are new to eggs and I am trying to impress my family and this egg benedict didn’t fail me.

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      So glad this recipe worked out for you. Happy brunching!

  6. Enri Lemoine

    Bernice, these eggs benedict florentine were our brunch today. My children said these were the most elegant eggs they ever had. Like a 5-star hotel! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      Wow! Such a nice compliment. Your kids have great taste!

  7. Amy Liu Dong

    Such an easy, quick, and delicious breakfast recipe to make for the family. Looks so yummy!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      I’m thrilled to help make Eggs Benny more accessible to home cooks!

  8. Mikayla

    I cannot lie, I made this for dinner and loved the earthy flavor the sauteed spinach added. Eggs Benedict is a long time favorite for me, I loved this version.

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      Yessss! I’m so glad you enjoyed it Mikayla. Thanks for trying this recipe out.

  9. Nicole

    Eggs Benedict is so good, I can’t wait to try this. Love how you paired it with asparagus!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      Might as well go green all the way!

  10. Lauren Michael Harris

    I love eggs benedict but this was the first time trying it with spinach. It was delicious! A great way to get some veggies in in the morning too!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      Such a great way to start the day! Thanks for stopping by Lauren.

  11. Lily

    Made this on the weekend and everyone loved it! So good!

    Reply

  12. nancy

    what a perfect breakfast. It has all the major food groups and I will even eat the spinach with the perfectly poached eggs. I never tried to microwave my poached eggs until now! What a game changer!!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      Right?! I can’t believe it took this long for me to find out the ideal egg poaching hack!

  13. Sean

    These eggs benedict were great and I liked the option for using the blender for the hollandaise sauce. It was very tasty.

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      It’s so handy, right! I just love it. Maybe a little too much.

  14. Marie-Pierre Breton

    I am such a fan of Eggs Benedict, but yeah usually I order them at the restaurant only because of the difficulty level of making poached egg and Hollandaise. Thanks for sharing all those tips! I might finally be able to make my own Eggs Benedict! I also dig the spinach version! Yum!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      Right? This is exactly why they rarely get served in my house. Now, I can’t wait to have the kids over for a fancy brunch.

  15. Gloria

    We enjoy eggs for any meal of the day. These are brunch perfect. I will enjoy them on our “breakfast for dinner” nights too.

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      Yes! I love breakfast for dinner!

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