A Southern-inspired twist on classic Eggs Benedict with maple sausage, roasted butternut squash, sautéed vegetables, poached eggs, and warm country gravy.
Hey y’all. I hadn’t really made brunch before, but one morning Z and I slept late and brunch suddenly sounded like a pretty good idea. I wanted to try something a little different, and apparently that was also the day I decided to venture into the strange world of poached eggs. 💜
The result was this Southern-style take on Eggs Benedict, built on thick-cut bread instead of an English muffin and topped with maple sausage, vegetables, roasted butternut squash, a poached egg, and country gravy.
💜 Affiliate Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through them, at no additional cost to you. I only share products and resources I genuinely think may be helpful.
Recipe at a Glance
| Yield | 1 serving |
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 15 minutes |
| Total Time | 30 minutes |
Why You'll Love It
- It's a Southern comfort-food spin on classic Eggs Benedict.
- Maple sausage and country gravy bring a little extra savory-sweet goodness to the plate.
- It's a tasty way to use leftover roasted butternut squash.
- The egg cups make poaching the eggs approachable, even if you're new to poaching eggs.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 2 ounces maple breakfast sausage
- ¼ cup sweet onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
- ¼ cup bell pepper, finely diced
- ½ cup roasted butternut squash, finely diced
- 2 slices thick-cut bread
- ¼ cup prepared country gravy
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, optional
Bread
Use your favorite thick-cut bread. Potato bread works especially well, or try a slice of Hearty Oat Bread for a heartier option.
Country Gravy
I use prepared country gravy made from a mix. If you'd like to keep one on hand, you can find my recommended country gravy mix on Amazon .
Equipment
- Silicone egg poaching cups: the egg cups I use
How to Make Southern Style Eggs Benedict
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Prepare the Eggs
Bring a pot of water to a boil.
Lightly grease two silicone egg poaching cups with butter or oil. Gently crack one egg into each cup.
Place the cups on the surface of the boiling water, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, and cover the pot.
Cook for 4–6 minutes, depending on how firm you like your poached eggs.
-
Cook the Sausage
While the eggs are cooking, crumble the maple breakfast sausage into a skillet and brown it.
Drain the sausage and set it aside, but keep the rendered fat in the pan.
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Sauté the Vegetables
Add the onion and garlic to the skillet with the sausage drippings. Add a little vegetable oil if needed.
Sauté until the onion begins to turn translucent.
Add the bell pepper and cook until softened.
Add the roasted butternut squash and cooked sausage. Stir everything together and cook for another 2–3 minutes.
-
Toast the Bread
Toast the two slices of thick-cut bread.
Use a round cutter to cut a 2-inch circle from each slice.
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Assemble
Place the toasted bread rounds on a plate.
Divide the sausage and vegetable mixture between the two toast rounds.
Carefully remove the poached eggs from the cups and place one egg on each toasted round.
Warm the prepared country gravy and spoon it over the eggs.
Serve warm.
From My Kitchen 💜
A little tip from my first poached-egg adventure: Grease those poaching cups. Butter or coconut oil worked better for me than a thin liquid oil, and covering the pot makes a big difference in getting the egg cooked properly. The original version of this recipe was definitely a learning experience, so I'm happy to save you a little user error. 😂
No poaching cups? You can poach the eggs directly in gently simmering water using your preferred traditional poaching method. The cups are simply the method I originally used.
Need roasted butternut squash? You can roast cubed squash ahead of time and keep it ready in the refrigerator for recipes like this. For a quick batch, toss the cubes with a little oil and roast at 425°F until tender and lightly browned, then let them cool before adding them to the recipe.
Want to see the egg cups in action? I originally used silicone egg poaching cups for this recipe. If you'd like a quick look at how they work, watch the egg poaching cup demonstration on YouTube .
From My Kitchen to Yours
This one started as a sleepy morning, a craving for brunch, and a little curiosity about poached eggs. Sometimes that's all it takes to end up with something worth making again.
I hope this Southern twist finds its way onto your brunch table, too. 💜
Printable Recipe Card
Southern Style Eggs Benedict
Yield: 1 serving • Prep: 15 minutes • Cook: 15 minutes • Total: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 2 ounces maple breakfast sausage
- ¼ cup sweet onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
- ¼ cup bell pepper, finely diced
- ½ cup roasted butternut squash, finely diced
- 2 slices thick-cut bread
- ¼ cup prepared country gravy
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, optional
Equipment
- 2 silicone egg poaching cups
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil.
- Lightly grease two silicone egg poaching cups and crack one egg into each cup.
- Place the cups on the boiling water, reduce to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 4–6 minutes.
- Meanwhile, crumble and brown the maple breakfast sausage. Drain and reserve the rendered fat.
- Add the onion and garlic to the skillet. Add a little oil if needed and sauté until the onion begins to turn translucent.
- Add the bell pepper and cook until softened.
- Add the roasted butternut squash and cooked sausage. Cook for 2–3 minutes.
- Toast the bread and cut a 2-inch round from each slice.
- Divide the sausage mixture between the two toast rounds.
- Place a poached egg on each toast round.
- Warm the country gravy, spoon it over the eggs, and serve.
Tip: If you don't have silicone egg poaching cups, you can poach the eggs directly in gently simmering water using your preferred traditional method.
Tip: If you don't have silicone egg poaching cups, you can poach the eggs directly in gently simmering water using your preferred traditional method.
