Pesto Breakfast Hash with Prosciutto & Bocconcini

Crispy potatoes, salty prosciutto, creamy bocconcini, and savoury green pesto come together to create the most delicious Italian-inspired Pesto Breakfast Hash. This dish is perfect for a lazy weekend brunch with hot cups of coffee and buttery sourdough toast or it makes a great breakfast-for-dinner option!

An easy savoury pesto breakfast hash

If you’re a brunch lover like me, chances are you’ve eaten your fair share of breakfast hash. Potato and egg skillets like this Pesto Breakfast Hash are my preferred savoury breakfast option. There’s just something so comforting about crispy potatoes, salty bacon, runny yolks, and oozy cheese!

Of course, I also love when my breakfast has a theme, and this particular recipe does not disappoint.

This skillet is inspired by my trip to Italy (I can’t believe that was nearly 3 years ago! Take me back!), and features delicious Italian ingredients like pesto, prosciutto, and creamy bocconcini.

It’s a simple recipe that requires only 7 main ingredients (plus the usual s+p and olive oil) but produces a magnificent brunch with maximum flavour!

Ingredients in this prosciutto breakfast skillet

Here’s what you’re going to need to make this delicious Italian-style breakfast hash:

• Potatoes: I prefer using a floury potato for this recipe so that you can get extra crispy edges on your hashbrowns.
• Prosciutto: If you’ve never used it before, prosciutto is a sweet, delicate Italian dry-cured ham that is sliced very thinly. You can get it in most good supermarkets. I love the saltiness and umami it adds to the dish.
• Red onion: Thinly sliced sweet onion is a perfect accompaniment to the pesto and other flavours in this skillet.
• Garlic: You can never have too much garlic in a breakfast hash in my opinion!
• Green pesto: Our main flavour bomb of this recipe. Be sure to choose a good Italian brand and don’t go for the cheap stuff.
• Eggs: Gently steamed eggs with runny yolks might be the best part of this recipe.
• Bocconcini: These tiny buffalo mozzarellas are extremely creamy and oozy – perfect for tying the hash all together.

How to make pesto breakfast hash

Although it might seem slightly more involved, I promise that making this Pesto Breakfast Hash is actually a breeze. The steps are uncomplicated and most of the cooking time is spent waiting for the potatoes to crisp up! Here’s how to go about making it:

1. Par boil the potatoes

Lightly boil the potato cubes in a pan of salted water until they become slightly tender. This will speed up the frying process and create potatoes with crispy exteriors and fluffy interiors.

2. Crisp the prosciutto

Fry the prosciutto in a non-stick pan until crisp and then set aside.

3. Fry the hash

Saute the onions and garlic and then add the boiled potatoes and pesto to the pan. Toss to coat and then allow the hash to fry and get golden and crisp.

4. Steam the eggs

Finish the dish by adding the eggs and cheese and allow them to steam until cooked and melted. Serve with the crisped up prosciutto on top and some lovely toasted sourdough.

Full details are in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Tips for making this recipe perfectly

• To speed up the cooking process, use leftover roasted or boiled potatoes. You can easily substitute any leftover potatoes you have on hand for this recipe or you can parboil the potatoes up to 2 days in advance.
• For optimum crispiness, leave the potatoes alone and let them fry. The more you toss the potatoes in the frying pan, the longer it will take for them to crisp up and the more they’ll break up. Only toss them once the undersides are browned.
• You can keep the cooked prosciutto warm by wrapping it in foil and placing it in a warm oven while the rest of the dish cooks.

Looking for more breakfast and brunch recipes?

Pesto Chicken Rolls
Sausage Pumpkin Bubble & Squeak
Sausage & Kale Sweet Potato Crust Quiche
Cherry Almond Protein Smoothie
Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
Overnight Strawberry French Toast Bake
Healthy Carrot Muffins
Chai Spiced French Toast Bake
Chocolate Raspberry Baked Oatmeal
Almond Pancakes with Spiced Peach Syrup
Maple Bacon Twists
Mandarin Orange French Toast Bake

If you make this recipe, let me know by snapping a picture and tagging me on Instagram @naturallysweet_kitchen. I love seeing your creations and sharing them in my Stories. Or let me know you love this Pesto Breakfast Hash with Prosciutto & Bocconcini by leaving a comment and rating below!

5 from 1 vote

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Pesto Breakfast Hash with Prosciutto & Bocconcini

This Italian-inspired Pesto Breakfast Hash combines crispy potatoes, prosciutto, bocconcini, and green pesto into a delicious brunch recipe.

Category Breakfast

Cuisine American, Canadian, Italian

Keyword breakfast skillet, pesto breakfast hash

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Author Amanda | Naturally Sweet Kitchen

Ingredients

• 450 g potatoes
• 3 slices prosciutto
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp green pesto
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 3 large eggs
• 6 bocconcini

Method

1. Place a large pot of salted water over a high heat and allow it to come to a boil. Scrub any dirt off of the potatoes and then cut them into 2.5 cm (1 inch) cubes. When the water boils, add the potatoes and parboil them for 5-7 minutes. They should still be fairly firm. Drain the potatoes into a colander and toss them a couple times to chuff up the edges and make them slightly fluffy. Set aside.
2. Place a large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat and add the prosciutto slices. Cook the slices for 1-2 minutes on both sides until crisp. Remove from the pan and set aside to crisp up.
3. Turn the heat up to medium and add the olive oil to the pan and then the sliced onion. Cook the onion until it just begins to soften, about 4 minutes, and then add the garlic and saute until fragrant.
4. Pile in the potato cubes and the pesto and season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss everything well so it’s covered in the pesto and then spread it out into an even layer. Allow the potatoes to fry for about 5-6 minutes or until browned and crisp on one side, then toss and repeat until the potatoes are crisp all over and can be speared easily with a fork.
5. Spread the mixture in the pan into an even layer and then crack the eggs on top, leaving a few inches in between them. Dot the bocconcini around the pan and then cover with a lid. Allow the eggs to steam until the whites are cooked and the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
6. Remove the lid, top the eggs with a sprinkle of black pepper, layer on the crispy prosciutto, and serve immediately with additional pesto and buttered sourdough toast if desired.

Notes

The potatoes can be parboiled in advance, cooled, and kept in a container in the fridge for up to 2 days before making the rest of the hash. You could also use leftover roast or boiled potatoes from a previous meal.