Eggs Florentine

  • 10MINS
  • 20MINS
  • Serves 4
  • 327KCAL

Breakfast, brunch or lunch, this Eggs Florentine is delicious any time of day! Our slimming-friendly twist on the classic dish includes a moreish cheese sauce.

  • Breakfast pinchofnom.com
  • Dairy Free pinchofnom.com
  • Everyday Light pinchofnom.com
Easy Peasy Eggs Florentine pinchofnom.com
5

NutritionPer Serving

  • Calories327
  • Carbs27g
  • Protein19g
  • Fat15g
  • Saturates15g
  • Sugars5.2g

Eggs Florentine - Pinch of Nom Slimming Recipes

For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card below. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff in the blurb!

A perfectly poached egg, wilted spinach and silky cheese sauce on a toasted muffin – can you think of a better breakfast? This Eggs Florentine might not be 100% traditional but it’s completely delicious. 

We’ve swapped out the classic Hollandaise sauce for a much lighter cheese sauce. Instead of loads of butter and egg yolks, our sauce is made using reduced fat Cheddar. It turns out creamy and rich, without all the calories!

This is just what you want on a weekend; imagine slicing into the runny yolk and taking the perfect bite of muffin, spinach and cheesy goodness…

What diets is this Eggs Florentine suitable for?

This Eggs Florentine recipe is suitable for vegetarian and gluten free diets. It can be made suitable for dairy free diets as long as you swap the following ingredients for suitable alternatives:

  • Skimmed milk
  • Mature 30% reduced fat Cheddar cheese

As always, take extra care when cooking for people with allergies and be sure to use different utensils, cookware and preparation areas.

Do you need any special ingredients to make Eggs Florentine?

Nope! You won’t need any special ingredients to make this recipe. There are a couple of bits of equipment that will come in handy. 

We love hearing from you, submit any tips or tricks you have for this dish and we’ll review them and add some of them here. Just click here.

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‘New breakfast favourite’

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A balloon whisk isn’t essential but it makes getting a silky smooth sauce so much easier!

A small saucepan with a lip will make serving and pouring your cheese sauce a lot less messy. 

How many calories are in this Eggs Florentine?

This Eggs Florentine is included in our Everyday Light category because it contains just 327 calories per portion. For more delicious dishes all under 400 calories, take a look at other Everyday Light recipes!

This Eggs Florentine recipe is ideal when following any of the larger diet plans such as Weight Watchers or counting calories.

The average woman needs around 2000kcal per day to maintain a healthy body weight, and men typically need slightly more at 2,500kcals, but you may want to reduce these if you are aiming to lose weight. You can find more information on the NHS website.

Step 1

Make the cheese sauce: Place the milk and reduced fat spread in a medium saucepan. Place over a medium heat and stir until the spread has melted and the milk is steaming hot. Take care not to let the milk boil over.

Step 1 pinchofnom.com Step 1 pinchofnom.com

Step 2

Mix the cornflour and water until smooth. Mix into the hot milk, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or balloon whisk. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly until thickened and smooth.

Step 2 pinchofnom.com Step 2 pinchofnom.com

Step 3

Stir in the cheese, mustard powder and season well with salt and black pepper to taste. Cover, set aside and keep warm.

Step 3 pinchofnom.com

Step 4

Prepare to poach the eggs by placing a large saucepan, filled with no less than 5cm (2in) of water on the stove and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat so that the water is just simmering.

Step 5

Meanwhile, cook the spinach. Place the spinach in a colander or sieve and rinse under cold running water. Shake well to remove the excess water and transfer the spinach to a large saucepan. Place over a low heat and cook gently, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes, until wilted. Take care not to overcook; the spinach should be softened but still bright green.

Step 5 pinchofnom.com Step 5 pinchofnom.com

Step 6

Tip the spinach into a sieve and squeeze out as much liquid as possible, using the back of a wooden spoon. Return the spinach to the saucepan and stir in the reduced fat spread, ground nutmeg and season well with salt and black pepper, to taste. Cover with a lid and keep warm.

Step 6  pinchofnom.com Step 6  pinchofnom.com

Step 7

To poach the eggs, gently crack the eggs into the large saucepan of simmering water, making sure they are spaced apart. Immediately lower the heat; there should only be a few small bubbles in the water. If the water is bubbling too much this may cause the eggs to move around and break up.

Step 7 pinchofnom.com

Step 8

Gently poach the eggs for 2-4 minutes, depending on how you like your poached eggs to be cooked. While the eggs are poaching, toast the muffin halves until light golden and spread each with a little reduced fat spread. Place the muffin halves on four plates.

Step 8 pinchofnom.com

Step 9

Divide the warm spinach between the four muffin halves, spreading out roughly over the muffins.

Step 9 pinchofnom.com

Step 10

Remove the poached eggs from the cooking water using a large, slotted spoon, allowing any water to drain away. Place a poached egg on top of the spinach.

Step 10 pinchofnom.com

Step 11

Pour over the warm cheese sauce and season with salt and black pepper. Serve at once.

Step 11 pinchofnom.com

Eggs Florentine - Pinch of Nom Slimming Recipes

What could I serve with this Eggs Florentine?

Eggs Florentine is a full meal in itself. If you’d prefer you could include it as an option alongside any of these recipes which are perfect for breakfast or brunch:

Strawberry Pancake Traybake pinchofnom.com
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  • 30MINS
  • 55KCal
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Cookbook Quick & Easy pinchofnom.com
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How do you know when Eggs Florentine is cooked?

You should cook this Eggs Florentine until the eggs are poached to your liking. This will take between 2 and 4 minutes depending on how set you like your yolks. 

Take care not to overcook your spinach or you may find it turns a little soggy. It should only need around 2-3 minutes until it is wilted but still nice and bright green. 

Here in the UK, the standard advice is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and maintained that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep you and your family safe! 

How long can you keep Eggs Florentine in the fridge?

Once you’ve served this recipe, you’ll ideally need to eat it within 4 hours.

This is a dish that tastes best when it’s freshly made and eaten right away. If you want to save a bit of time, you could make the cheese sauce in advance and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. 

Can I freeze Eggs Florentine?

The finished dish is not suitable for freezing but you could make the cheese sauce in advance and keep it in the freezer for another day. If you’re freezing the sauce please remember to do the following:

  • Make sure that you freeze it as soon as it is cold enough.
  • Choose a container or a bag that is suitable for freezing.
  • Label your dish with the name of the recipe and the date that you froze it on.

How do I reheat Eggs Florentine?

The finished dish is not suitable for reheating but the cheese sauce can be reheated from chilled. Reheat in the microwave in a microwavable container until it is piping hot throughout, or heat in a saucepan on the stove. 

To reheat from frozen, leave to defrost overnight in the fridge and then reheat as from chilled. 

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Eggs Florentine

Breakfast, brunch or lunch, this Eggs Florentine is delicious any time of day! Our slimming-friendly twist on the classic dish includes a moreish cheese sauce.
  • Prep Time
    10 MINS
  • Cook Time
    20 MINS
  • KCals 327
  • Carbs 27G

Ingredients

  • 4 medium eggs
  • 2 gluten free English muffins, sliced in half, approx. 60g each
  • 8 g reduced fat spread, for spreading on the toasted mufins
  • 200 g baby spinach leaves
  • 5 g reduced fat spread, for mixing into the spinach
  • small pinch of ground nutmeg
  • salt and black pepper, to taste

For the cheese sauce

  • 400 ml skimmed milk
  • 25 g reduced fat spread
  • 3 tbsp cornflour
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 90 g mature 30% fat Cheddar cheese, finely grated
  • pinch of mustard powder
  • salt and black pepper, to taste

medium saucepan

Large saucepan

We use a fan assisted oven for all of our recipes. Check out our oven temperature conversion guide.

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Instructions

  1. Make the cheese sauce: Place the milk and reduced fat spread in a medium saucepan. Place over a medium heat and stir until the spread has melted and the milk is steaming hot. Take care not to let the milk boil over.
  2. Mix the cornflour and water until smooth. Mix into the hot milk, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or balloon whisk. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly until thickened and smooth.
  3. Stir in the cheese, mustard powder and season well with salt and black pepper to taste. Cover, set aside and keep warm.
  4. Prepare to poach the eggs by placing a large saucepan, filled with no less than 5cm (2in) of water on the stove and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat so that the water is just simmering.
  5. Meanwhile, cook the spinach. Place the spinach in a colander or sieve and rinse under cold running water. Shake well to remove the excess water and transfer the spinach to a large saucepan. Place over a low heat and cook gently, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes, until wilted. Take care not to overcook; the spinach should be softened but still bright green.
  6. Tip the spinach into a sieve and squeeze out as much liquid as possible, using the back of a wooden spoon. Return the spinach to the saucepan and stir in the reduced fat spread, ground nutmeg and season well with salt and black pepper, to taste. Cover with a lid and keep warm.
  7. To poach the eggs, gently crack the eggs into the large saucepan of simmering water, making sure they are spaced apart. Immediately lower the heat; there should only be a few small bubbles in the water. If the water is bubbling too much this may cause the eggs to move around and break up.
  8. Gently poach the eggs for 2-4 minutes, depending on how you like your poached eggs to be cooked. While the eggs are poaching, toast the muffin halves until light golden and spread each with a little reduced fat spread. Place the muffin halves on four plates.
  9. Divide the warm spinach between the four muffin halves, spreading out roughly over the muffins.
  10. Remove the poached eggs from the cooking water using a large, slotted spoon, allowing any water to drain away. Place a poached egg on top of the spinach.
  11. Pour over the warm cheese sauce and season with salt and black pepper. Serve at once.

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Recipe notes

Tip: Use a mature Cheddar cheese as this will give the cheese sauce a good cheesy flavour.
Tip: Take care not to overcook the spinach; keep it looking as green as you can – no one likes slimy overcooked spinach!

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2 comments

See what others have to say

Lindsay BrockwellWednesday 31st August 2022

Can you use plant base milk instead of cow milk for the cheese sauce. Xx

Reply

    HollyThursday 1st September 2022

    Hey Lindsay, we haven’t tested this recipe using a plant based milk but it should work fine as a swap, hope that helps!

    Reply

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