Eggs Florentine with Cheese Sauce
Poached eggs on toasted muffins with garlicky spinach, finished with warm cheese sauce in place of hollandaise.
Made with Cheese sauce. Make a batch of the base first, then this takes minutes. Skip to the method
- Time20 min
- LevelEasy
- Costabout £1.14 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Warm your ready made cheese sauce (see the base recipe) in a small pan over a low heat, adding a splash of milk if thick. Keep it warm.
- 2
Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic for 30 seconds, then the spinach in handfuls. Cook for 2 minutes until wilted. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper and drain off any liquid.
2 min - 3
Bring a wide pan of water to a gentle simmer and add the vinegar. Stir to make a whirlpool, then crack in an egg at a time. Poach in batches for 3 minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks are runny.
3 min - 4
Toast the muffins while the eggs cook. Lift the eggs out with a slotted spoon onto kitchen paper.
- 5
Put two muffin halves on each plate, pile on the spinach, add the poached eggs, then spoon over the warm cheese sauce.
- 6
Finish with black pepper and serve straight away.
Tips
- The freshest eggs hold their shape best in the water. Strain each egg through a sieve first to drain off the watery white.
- Drain the spinach well on a plate or in a sieve so it does not make the muffin soggy.
- Cheese sauce thickens as it sits. Keep it warm and loosen it with a spoonful of milk.
Storing and freezing
Best eaten straight away. Cooked spinach keeps in the fridge for 1 day. Poached eggs can be chilled in cold water for 1 day and warmed in hot water for 1 minute.
Questions
Why use cheese sauce instead of hollandaise?
It is quicker and more forgiving, and it uses the cheese sauce you already have. Hollandaise is richer and sharper, so use it if you prefer.
Can I make this vegetarian?
Yes, it already is, as long as the cheese in your sauce is made with vegetarian rennet. Check the label on the cheddar.
How do I poach eggs without a mess?
Use a wide pan of barely simmering water, add a splash of vinegar and drop in fresh eggs one at a time. Do not let the water boil hard.
More made with cheese sauce
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.