I made Ina Garten’s recipe for avocado and fried egg tartines. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

2026-01-22T11:42:01.380Z

• Ina Garten said her first choice "for a quick and satisfying breakfast or lunch" is her avocado and fried egg tartine.
• The dish also includes roasted prosciutto and toasted sourdough bread.
• The recipe is super simple and quick, but it’s deliciously filling and fresh.

When I began working from home full-time, I quickly became bored with my usual breakfast routine. So I turned to the Barefoot Contessa for inspiration.

I’ve since whipped up nearly a dozen of Ina Garten’s breakfast recipes, from creamy cacio e pepe scrambled eggs to deliciously fluffy banana pancakes. And my absolute favorite is her blueberry-ricotta breakfast cake.

Garten also has simpler recipes to start the day. When she’s craving a "quick and satisfying breakfast or lunch," her first choice is always an avocado and fried egg tartine.

"I mash some avocados, toast the bread, a little prosciutto (or not if I’m in a hurry!) and fry some eggs," she wrote in the 25th anniversary edition of "The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook," her very first cookbook. "These tartines have great flavor, they’re vegetable, protein, and starch, and I’m a happy camper."

Here’s how to make it.

Garten’s avocado and fried egg tartines only need a few ingredients.

Ingredients for Ina Garten’s avocado and fried egg tartine. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

To make Garten’s recipe for four, you’ll need:

• 4 slices of prosciutto
• 4 large (½-inch thick) slices of rustic bread, such as sourdough
• 4 eggs
• 2 ripe Haas avocados, halved and pitted
• 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon of Sriracha
• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• Microgreens or baby arugula

First, I prepped the prosciutto.

I placed my prosciutto on a pan lined with parchment paper. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

I preheated the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and placed my prosciutto on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

Garten recommends roasting the prosciutto for seven to nine minutes, until it starts to brown. So I set a timer and popped the pan into the oven.

I placed four slices of bread onto a second sheet pan and threw those into the oven as well.

I toasted my bread and prosciutto in the oven at the same time. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

As with the prosciutto, I arranged the bread in one layer (I decided to mix things up and used two slices of sourdough and two slices of multigrain).

Garten’s recipe says the bread should be toasted in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. She notes that the bread should be turned once during the cooking process, so I set a timer for seven minutes to remind myself.

As the bread and prosciutto began roasting in the oven, I started the avocado mixture.

I used two avocados to make the mixture. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

I first scooped out the avocados using a spoon and added them to a bowl.

Then I squeezed some fresh lemon juice.

The freshly-squeezed lemon juice. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

I was able to get 2 tablespoons of juice from a small lemon.

I added my lemon juice and Sriracha to the avocado mixture, along with salt and pepper.

Seasoning the mixture with Sriracha, salt, and pepper. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

Garten’s recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt and ½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper.

I roughly mashed everything together with a fork.

Mashing the avocado mixture. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

I pressed down on the mixture with the fork’s prongs to get that chunky texture that’s perfect for avocado toast.

After nine minutes, my prosciutto was ready. My bread slices were ready three minutes later.

My roasted prosciutto. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

The prosciutto looked perfectly roasted with its crimson color and crispy texture.

Since Garten’s eggs cook quickly, I waited to fry them until the bread had toasted so I could serve the tartines immediately.

Then I started frying my eggs.

I tried Garten’s trick to make perfectly cooked fried eggs. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

Garten recommends frying all four of your eggs over medium heat in a 12-inch sauté pan, cracking each egg on opposite sides of the pan.

I decided to fry two eggs at a time instead, sprinkling each one with some salt and pepper. Per Garten’s recipe, I cooked the eggs for one minute, until the whites started to set, then turned the heat to medium-low and covered the pan. (Pro tip: Garten says you can use a larger pan or even a sheet pan if you don’t have a lid.)

I cooked the eggs for three more minutes, until the whites were completely set but the yolks were still runny. This trick made my fried eggs look perfect and was worth the minimal extra effort.

Once the eggs were done, I began building my tartines.

Adding eggs to the avocado toast. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

I evenly spread the avocado mixture on the bread slices before I began cooking my eggs, so they’d be ready to go.

Then I carefully placed each egg right on top.

After adding the prosciutto and some baby arugula on top, my tartines looked beautiful.

Garten’s avocado and fried egg tartines are Instagram-worthy. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

What I love about Garten’s elevated twist on avocado toast is the amount of color the tartines bring to the breakfast table. You’ve got the bold green from the avocado, the sunshine yellow of the egg yolk, and that burst of crimson from the roasted prosciutto.

They just look so fresh and healthy, and are definitely Instagram-worthy.

A quick breakfast or lunch can still feel special with Garten’s avocado and fried egg tartines.

Garten’s avocado and fried egg tartines. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

Garten’s fresh spin on avocado toast is so simple to make, but she adds those special touches that make the recipe taste elevated.

The roasted prosciutto adds some great crunch, the eggs are cooked to perfection thanks to her special frying trick, and the lemon juice and Sriracha give the avocado both a lift and a kick. Each bite is full of flavor, and the tartines somehow have the freshness of a summer dish while still being comforting enough to get you through winter.

Who doesn’t love a recipe that’s perfect for any time and season?