When I was in University, there was a breakfast diner across the street from the main building. My study group and I would typically skip the first class to frantically study for an exam or finish our assignments due that day. The comfort of a greasy breakfast skillet and a cup of strong black coffee was always the perfect solution to start the day right. However, in hindsight it was not the healthiest breakfast, it would make you want to have a nap right after, and I don’t think my digestion could handle that today.
However, the breakfast skillet always meets that desire for carbs, fats, protein, and gooey cheese. We can all fall into a breakfast rut of smoothies and overnight oats which gets a bit mundane after a while. I dared to ask the question, “can I healthify that greasy diner skillet?”. I set out and after a few failed attempts I have 4 Healthy Breakfast Skillet recipes for you that balance nutrition and taste. From the loaded veggie skillet to the cleaned-up meat-lovers skills, or the quick and easy Turkey Skillet for weekday morning to a gut-loving greens skillet which supports digestive functioning thanks to the fermented sauerkraut. There is something for everyone. Each recipe below makes 1-2 servings (based on how hungry you are). Enjoy
1) Easy Turkey Zucchini Breakfast Skillet
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp Coconut Oil or grass-fed butter
- 5 oz Extra Lean Ground Turkey
- 1 small Zucchini, diced
- 1/4 cup Organic Salsa or 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
- 2 Organic Eggs
- 1/2 Avocado, sliced
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper, to taste
- Dash of hot sauce of siracha (optional).
Instructions:
- Add the coconut oil or butter in a skillet over medium heat.
- Cook the ground turkey, breaking it up as it cooks through. Once it starts to brown, stir in the zucchini. Continue to saute until the zucchini until soft.
- Add the salsa or tomatoes to the skillet and stir well to mix.
- Use a spoon to create a small pocket for the eggs. Gently crack an egg into each pocket and cover the skillet with a lid. Let the eggs cook until done to your liking (2 minutes for soft, 3 for medium, and 5 minutes for hard).
- Divide onto plates and season with sea salt and black pepper to taste, hot sauce if you’d like, and serve with sliced avocado. some heat.
2) Sausage, Spinach, & Sauerkraut Skillet
Ingredients:
- 3-4 oz Organic Chicken Sausage
- 1 tsp Coconut Oil or grass-fed butter
- 1/4 Yellow Onion, diced
- 1/2 Apple, diced
- 1 Garlic clove, minced
- 1 cup Spinach, chopped
- 1/2 cup Sauerkraut (liquid drained off)
- Sea salt & pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add sausage and bake for 30 minutes or until cooked. Remove from oven and cut into bite size pieces
- Heat coconut oil or butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and apple saute till soft. minutes). Add spinach and saute just until it is wilted.
- Reduce heat to low and add in chopped sausage and sauerkraut and saute for another minute or until heated through. Remove from heat and divide into bowls, season with salt and pepper and serve.
3) Loaded Cheesy Garden Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp coconut oil or grass-fed butter
- 1/2 cup of mushrooms, chopped
- 1/2 red onion, sliced
- 1 cup bell pepper, chopped (i like using yellow and red)
- 1 cup broccoli florets, chopped
- 1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes
- 3 organic eggs
- 1 tbsp cream or whole milk
- 1/4-1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Saute all veggies in butter or oil in an ovenproof skillet until soft and cooked
- Meanwhile, whisk the remaining ingredients in a bowl (serve tomatoes till the end), and pour into the egg mixture evenly into the pan.
- Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Open the oven door, sprinkle the reserved tomatoes on top and quickly close the oven door for another 5-10 minutes.
- Carefully remove the hot skillet with oven mitts, season with salt and pepper and serve.
4) Cleaned-Up Meatlovers Skillet
Ingredients:
- 4-5 slices of turkey bacon
- 2 chorizo sausages
- 1/2 small zucchini, chopped
- 1/2 red pepper chopped
- 1/4 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 medium russet potato and small sweet potato, chopped into bite-size pieces, or 1 cup of hashbrowns or if you are following keto use 1 cup of bacon rinds
- 2 organic eggs
- salt and pepper to taste
- a spring or fresh chopped cilantro or parsley (optional)
- a dash of hot sauce or sriracha (optional)
Instructions:
- Place the bacon and sausage in a skillet over medium heat and cook through. Remove and set aside on a paper towel on a plate to remove any excess grease.
- Using the same skillet cook all the veggies in the fat until tender (i like to put the potatoes down first and top with the remaining veggies on top to cook faster.
- Use a spoon to create a small pocket for the eggs. Gently crack an egg into each pocket and cover the skillet with a lid. Let the eggs cook until done to your liking (2 minutes for soft, 3 for medium, and 5 minutes for hard).
- Season with salt, pepper, fresh herbs, and hot sauce if you like, Serve warm.
I hope that you enjoy these Healthy Breakfast Skillets as a way to enjoy comfort food that is also loaded with nutrition. Shake up your breakfast routine with these simple 4 recipes and I would love to hear which one was your favorite. Leave me a comment below!
In great health,
Jo