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Potato Crusted Prosciutto Eggs Florentine

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Potato Crusted Prosciutto Eggs Florentine is one of those brunch recipes you will make again and again. It’s bursting with fresh flavors and is everything you love about breakfast food in one pan. And you can make it ahead!One serving of Potato Crusted Prosciutto Eggs Florentine on a white plate.Amazon affiliate links are for your convenience. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.

Brunch happens all too rarely, and I think taking a break late morning to share a meal with people we care about is lovely and relaxing.

This is one of my all time favorite brunch recipes! I made it for Mother’s Day a handful of years ago and it was a huge hit. I’ve been making it regularly ever since — even for dinner. 🙂

Baked Potato Crusted Prosciutto Eggs Florentine in rectangular pan.

What does Florentine mean when it comes to food?

  • Florentine, or à la Florentine, generally refers to a recipe that features spinach.  A Florentine dish usually has a main ingredient such as fish, chicken or eggs, that is served on a bed of spinach.
  • Many people believe the name Florentine, or à la Florentine, comes from the Italian region of Florence. However, it is in fact French, and is only named after someone Italian — Catherine de’ Medici. She was the great-granddaughter of Florence’s Renaissance ruler, Lorenzo the Magnificent, and she married Henry II of France in 1533. It is said that she brought her Florentine cooks with her to Paris, along with spinach, which was one of her favorite vegetables.
  • On menus, eggs Florentine often refers to spinach as being a substitution for ham, in Eggs Benedict. (In my recipe we’re using all of it.)

How to make Potato-Crusted Prosciutto Eggs Florentine

This is not a difficult recipe! I would classify it as a breakfast casserole, and it has four layers.

The first layer is made up of grated potatoes mixed with eggs, Parmesan cheese and fresh thyme.Crust for Potato Crusted Prosciutto Eggs Florentine in baking pan.The second layer is slices of prosciutto.Potato Crusted Prosciutto Eggs Florentine with prosciutto layer on top.The third layer is sautéed spinach that’s been cooked with onion and garlic, and mixed with grated Gruyère cheese.Potato Crusted Prosciutto Eggs Florentine with spinach on topAnd the final layer is of course made up of the eggs. Potato Crusted Prosciutto Eggs Florentine with raw eggs on top.

Make-Ahead Brunch Recipes

Good news! You can make Potato-Crusted Prosciutto Eggs Florentine ahead. You would do everything the day before except the eggs, and about 30 minutes before you’re ready to eat the next day, you would crack the eggs on top and bake.

Baked Potato Crusted Prosciutto Eggs Florentine right out of oven in pan.

Here are a few more delicious make-ahead brunch recipes:

You can also make individual portions of this breakfast casserole in a muffin pan.

Potato Crusted Eggs Florentine with ProsciuttoWhen I made it for Mother’s Day, I used a heart-shaped muffin pan. So fun!

Potato Crusted Prosciutto Eggs Florentine about to be baked in heart shaped muffin pan.I hope you’ll think about inviting a few friends or family over for a casual brunch, and making this scrumptious Potato-Crusted Prosciutto Eggs Florentine.

5 from 8 votes
Close up of One serving of Potato Crusted Prosciutto Eggs Florentine on a white plate.
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Potato Crusted Prosciutto Eggs Florentine
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Resting Time
10 mins
Total Time
1 hr 25 mins
 

This recipe is bursting with fresh flavors and it's everything you love about breakfast food in one pan.

Course: Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine: French
Keyword: breakfast recipes with eggs, great for brunch
Servings: 8 to 10
Calories: 413 kcal
Author: Valentina K. Wein
Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 8 cups grated Idaho Russet Potatoes (about 4 pounds)
  • 11 large eggs, divided
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/2 cups yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 12 cups packed spinach leaves, washed and dried
  • 1 cup Gruyère cheese, grated
  • 4 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.

  2. Use a food processor fitted with the grater attachment -- or a hand held grater -- to grate the potatoes. (The former is easier if you have it!) Then use your hands to squeeze as much liquid as possible out of the potatoes, and add them to a large mixing bowl. Combine with 2 of the eggs, Parmesan, thyme, salt and a few grinds of black pepper.

  3. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to a large sauté pan, place it over medium heat and add the potato mixture. Cook, stirring often, just enough to make the potatoes slightly tender, about 5 minutes. (Don't wash this pan - you'll need it again!)

  4. Add the sautéed potato mixture to the greased baking pan, and use your fingers, or a small metal spatula, to mold it along the bottom and sides.

  5. Place the pan in the preheated 375°F oven and bake until the potato crust it's golden brown along the edges, about 25 minutes. (Keep the oven set to 375°F after you remove the pan.)

  6. While the crust is baking, coat the same large sauté pan you used for the potatoes, with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and place it over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onions are soft, about 7 minutes. Then add the spinach, in two batches, cooking it just until it's wilted. Mix in the Gruyère and season generously to taste with salt and pepper. (Here's How to Season to Taste.) Set aside.

  7. When the crust is done, add an even layer of the thinly sliced prosciutto directly on top. Follow this with the spinach mixture, spreading it out evenly. Then use a spoon to make 9 evenly spaced, shallow indentations, and crack an egg into each one.

  8. Bake in the preheated 375°F oven just until the eggs are cooked, about 25 minutes.

  9. Let it rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

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Comments

    • Excellent question, Justin! Yes, they hold together 😀 Enjoy! They really are delicious!

      Reply

  4. It is very pretty dish. And I love the brunch recipe. It is always hard for me to come up with individual dishes for brunch, I will keep this in mind. Now I want a heart-shaped dish. 🙂

    Reply

  5. Every couple months, a bunch of girlfriends and I get together for what we call “boozy brunch”. The host makes brunch, and everyone else brings champagne. I’m making this for them tomorrow! One question – do you think sweet potato would work just as well?

    Reply

    • Hi Stefani! Great question — the starch content of sweet potatoes is very different, so while I think it will still be delicious the texture will be different and I’m not sure it will hold it’s shape as well. Have an excellent brunch! I love it!

      Reply

  8. What a delicious recipe! I love how it can be prepared ahead as well! Also, I didn’t know that information on Florentine! Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

  11. We our big brunch fans in our house and this one looks AHHMAZING! I love how it’s in one dish, but easy to portion out so everyone gets their little square of delicious. Can’t wait to try this!

    Reply

  15. Where in the WORLD has this recipe been all my life??? I love hash browns and eggs together and this? Well, this just takes it over the top! Absolutely love that you can assemble virtually the whole thing ahead of time.. and yes, I should definitely do brunch more often!!!

    Reply

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