Ina Garten's Go-To Cheese For Rich And Velvety Scrambled Eggs

She's barefoot, she's a contessa — we love Ina Garten for so many reasons, and just one of them is the genius, super simple move she pulls to make the creamiest, most flavorful scrambled eggs you'll ever scoop into your mouth. You may know Garten doesn't prefer cooking fancy meals at home. Who does? So if you're looking for an easy, cheesy good time, she suggests adding goat cheese to your soft and fluffy scrambled eggs for a smooth, rich breakfast. 

In a segment on her "Barefoot Contessa" cooking show on the Food Network, Garten prepares a batch of scrambled eggs for a party, slowly scrambling 16 eggs (with a little half and half, salt, and pepper) on a grill before folding in 6 ounces of goat cheese right as they finish cooking. She pulls the pan of eggs off the heat and crumbles a log of goat cheese right in, followed by a sprinkle of fresh chives and a pat of butter. Doesn't get much better than that. If you're only cooking for yourself, you're probably not going to make 16 eggs, but two or three will work with about an ounce of goat cheese (or, as we like to say, measure with your heart). 

If you're going to recreate this recipe, use a log of goat cheese as opposed to pre-crumbled goat cheese, which may have other ingredients, like cellulose, that create a coating and make the cheese more difficult to melt. And make sure you don't overcook your eggs — you're going for velvety, just-cooked softness that the goat cheese can seamlessly seep into.

The first and perhaps most obvious benefit to adding goat cheese to your scrambled eggs is the texture. If you stir in the goat cheese while your eggs are seconds from being done cooking, they will become creamy, velvety, and much more luxurious than standard scrambled eggs, perfect to scoop up with some crusty bread. But that's not the only reason goat cheese eggs are the GOAT. The goat cheese lends a tangy depth of flavor to the eggs, a rich yet bright dimension.

It's got some health benefits too. Adding goat cheese to your eggs boosts the protein content of your breakfast. One ounce of goat cheese has around 6 grams of protein, which is the equivalent of one whole egg. Some people tolerate cheese made with goat's milk better than cow's milk cheese, too, so that may be a plus if you're someone with digestive issues when it comes to dairy.

Ina Garten knows which decadent ingredients to add to her scrambled eggs, and she takes her goat cheese eggs to the next level with a sprinkle of fresh chives. Fresh herbs add a light component that may be needed with all that creamy richness. Chives are great, but scallions, parsley, tarragon, or dill would be perfect too. It's all about your personal preference!

It's best to add ingredients that will work well but contrast with the heaviness of the eggs and goat cheese mixture. Think diced tomatoes (fresh or sun-dried) and fresh spinach or garlicky chard. The tanginess of the cheese would also pair extremely well with sizzling slabs of bacon or savory sausage links. And if you're feeling sweet, try a drizzle of hot honey after you've plated your eggs. The spicy sweetness will play well with the goat cheese. If you want the spice without the sweetness, try crushed red pepper flakes. The combo of ingredients is up to you, but you kind of can't go wrong!