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Hearty Breakfast Skillet

This breakfast skillet recipe is a hearty way to start the day! Cook up cheesy eggs and potatoes in a cast iron skillet or any large pan. Want a hearty, savory breakfast that doubles as a tasty simple dinner? Try this Breakfast Skillet! Sure, it’s designed for mornings…but why not eat it for brinner? We often go the breakfast for dinner route over here, and this one is a solid part of our repertoire. Cheesy hash browns topped with runny egg yolks and salsa? Yes please! Even better, the spices in the potatoes mimic breakfast sausage (hello, fennel!) so the entire vibe is extremely hearty and satisfying. Here’s how to make it for yourself! What’s in a good breakfast skillet recipe? The breakfast skillet is a pretty loose concept: it could include just about anything! This one we customized to taste hearty and savory like you’d expect from a restaurant, but make it easy enough to make at home. Many breakfast skillet recipes include breakfast sausage, but since we eat mostly vegetarian around here we went the meatless route. Here’s what’s in this tasty skillet: Hash browns: These form the base; we like using frozen (see below) Eggs: Cook them […]

A Couple Cooks – Healthy, Whole Food, & Vegetarian Recipes

This breakfast skillet recipe is a hearty way to start the day! Cook up cheesy eggs and potatoes in a cast iron skillet or any large pan.

Want a hearty, savory breakfast that doubles as a tasty simple dinner? Try this Breakfast Skillet! Sure, it’s designed for mornings…but why not eat it for brinner? We often go the breakfast for dinner route over here, and this one is a solid part of our repertoire. Cheesy hash browns topped with runny egg yolks and salsa? Yes please! Even better, the spices in the potatoes mimic breakfast sausage (hello, fennel!) so the entire vibe is extremely hearty and satisfying. Here’s how to make it for yourself!

What’s in a good breakfast skillet recipe?

The breakfast skillet is a pretty loose concept: it could include just about anything! This one we customized to taste hearty and savory like you’d expect from a restaurant, but make it easy enough to make at home. Many breakfast skillet recipes include breakfast sausage, but since we eat mostly vegetarian around here we went the meatless route. Here’s what’s in this tasty skillet:

Hash browns: These form the base; we like using frozen (see below)
Eggs: Cook them until just set and the yolks are runny
Cheese: Cheddar or feel free to customize: smoked mozzarella or gouda would be fantastic
Spices: Chili powder, garlic, cumin, and fennel seeds
Green onion: For a little savory zip and green
Salsa: It’s not required, but it makes a great garnish

Use frozen hash browns for a quick and easy recipe

When we make a breakfast skillet, we’re usually in need of speed. So the primary path for this breakfast skillet is frozen hash browns! There’s nothing processed about frozen hash browns: they’re simply potatoes! However, some purchased hash browns can include extra flours or fillers. Check the package ingredients to make sure!

Alternate method: use potatoes!

Want to use potatoes instead? We’ve got you! You can use our method for Homemade Hash Browns instead: and it only adds a few extra minutes! Start with 2 medium russet potatoes (1 pound). Then you’ll need to soak the potatoes for just 2 minutes; here’s what to do:

Grate the potatoes: Wash the potatoes, leaving the skins on. Use the large side of a box grater or a food processor large grating blade to grate the potatoes.
Soak the potatoes for 2 minutes: Place the grated potatoes into a large bowl and fill it with cold water. Tip the bowl to drain off starchy water, then fill it again. Stir the potatoes to release starches soak them for 2 minutes.
Dry the potatoes: Drain the grated potatoes and squeeze out any excess water. Transfer them to a clean, dry towel. Wring the potatoes in the towel to remove as much liquid as possible. Then cook starting at Step 1 of the recipe below!

Make it a cast iron breakfast skillet!

What type of pan to cook this breakfast skillet? Well, you can use any pan you like: but here are a few tips:

Cast iron breakfast skillet: If you have it, use a very large cast iron skillet is best! It heats well and it looks simply stunning. We used a 12-inch cast iron skillet, but you can make it work in a 10-inch as well.
Any large, oven-proof skillet: Otherwise, any large, heavy skillet will do! Try for 10 to 12 inches, so the hash browns have enough space to brown. Cooking in a small skillet steams the potatoes and they won’t get as

What else to serve with it

This breakfast skillet is so hearty, you don’t need to serve much else alongside. But if you’re cooking up a fancy brunch or breakfast for dinner (brinner!), here are some great options:

Muffins: Add these stunning Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins or Banana Oatmeal Muffins
Salad: For brinner, add Celery Salad with Apples as a crisp counterpoint
Quick bread: Try Easy Banana Nut Bread or Spiced Applesauce Bread.
Biscuits: Add a few Flaky Homemade Biscuits.

This breakfast skillet recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free.

Hearty Breakfast Skillet

(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

5 from 5 reviews

Author: Sonja Overhiser
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4
Diet: Vegetarian

Print Recipe

Description

This breakfast skillet recipe is a hearty way to start the day! Cook up cheesy eggs and potatoes in a cast iron skillet or any large pan.

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
5 cups (1 pound) frozen shredded hash browns (or 2 medium russet potatoes — see below*)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus a sprinkle more
1 tablespoon butter
4 eggs
For the garnish: Salsa, fresh cilantro (optional)

Instructions

Cook the hash browns: Heat the olive oil in a large oven-proof or cast iron skillet and add the hash browns, flipping occasionally until browned. At 6 minutes, add the chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, fennel seeds, and kosher salt. Cook another about 6 minutes until browned, continuing to flip so they don’t stick.
Add the cheese and eggs: Reduce the heat to low. Add the green onions (reserving a handful for the garnish) and cheese and mix it in. Make divots for the eggs (all the way down to the bare pan) and add 1/4 tablespoon butter into each well. Crack 1 egg into each well, and top each with a pinch of kosher salt. Add a sprinkle of additional shredded cheese on top.
Cook the eggs on the stovetop: Increase the heat to medium low and cook for 3 minutes on the stove. Meanwhile, preheat the broiler.
Finish in the broiler: Transfer the skillet to the broiler and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the whites of the eggs are set.
Serve: Garnish with salsa, the reserved green onions, and fresh cilantro. Serve warm.

Notes

*To use russet potatoes, use our Homemade Hash Browns method: Wash the potatoes, leaving the skins on. Use the large side of a box grater or a food processor large grating blade to grate the potatoes. Place the grated potatoes into a large bowl and fill it with cold water. Tip the bowl to drain off starchy water, then fill it again. Stir the potatoes to release starches soak them for 2 minutes. Drain the grated potatoes and squeeze out any excess water. Transfer them to a clean, dry towel. Wring the potatoes in the towel to remove as much liquid as possible. Then cook starting at Step 1 of this recipe.

Category: Breakfast
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: Breakfast

Keywords: Breakfast skillet, breakfast skillet recipe, cast iron breakfast skillet

A Couple Cooks - Healthy, Whole Food, & Vegetarian Recipes

Cheese Tortellini in Creamy Marinara

Cheese tortellini makes the best quick dinner recipe! Serve it up in a creamy marinara sauce flavored with goat cheese and basil. Some meatless recipes stand a head above the rest, and this is one of them. In fact, I think we’d be happy eating this genius quick dinner every day of the week. Try this cheese tortellini in creamy marinara sauce! In just 15 minutes, you’ve got a pasta skillet that’s a literal symphony flavor. The fresh basil-infused marinara sauce is perfectly complimented with pillows of tangy goat cheese. (In fact, it’s our baked goat cheese dip made into a main dish, because we love it so much we needed a way to justify it as dinner.) This one is a huge hit in our house…and we hope it will be in yours too! Best cheese tortellini to buy Cheese tortellini often escapes our radar when it comes to pasta: usually we think of penne, spirals or macaroni. But there’s lots of high quality tortellini in grocery stores these days! Tortellini are traditional ring-shaped Italian filled pasta. In Italy you can get them freshly made at local shops. What to look for if you’re not in Italy? Fresh tortellini […]

A Couple Cooks – Healthy, Whole Food, & Vegetarian Recipes

Cheese tortellini makes the best quick dinner recipe! Serve it up in a creamy marinara sauce flavored with goat cheese and basil.

Some meatless recipes stand a head above the rest, and this is one of them. In fact, I think we’d be happy eating this genius quick dinner every day of the week. Try this cheese tortellini in creamy marinara sauce! In just 15 minutes, you’ve got a pasta skillet that’s a literal symphony flavor. The fresh basil-infused marinara sauce is perfectly complimented with pillows of tangy goat cheese. (In fact, it’s our baked goat cheese dip made into a main dish, because we love it so much we needed a way to justify it as dinner.) This one is a huge hit in our house…and we hope it will be in yours too!

Best cheese tortellini to buy

Cheese tortellini often escapes our radar when it comes to pasta: usually we think of penne, spirals or macaroni. But there’s lots of high quality tortellini in grocery stores these days! Tortellini are traditional ring-shaped Italian filled pasta. In Italy you can get them freshly made at local shops. What to look for if you’re not in Italy?

Fresh tortellini is sold refrigerated. This is usually the best quality when it comes to tortellini recipes. It boils up in just 2 to 3 minutes.
Frozen tortellini is also a good option. We like frozen because it saves well and you can pull it out at moments notice.
Avoid dried tortellini. Tortellini isn’t traditionally a dried pasta: and all the brands we’ve tried dried just haven’t measured up.
Look for any type of cheese tortellini for this recipe. Use 3 cheese, spinach ricotta, Parmesan: any type of cheese flavor will work.

Secrets to the best creamy marinara sauce

This tasty cheese tortellini recipe is engineered by us to be two things: mega quick and mega delicious! This one’s like a cross between our famous baked goat cheese and our goat cheese pasta. It capitalizes on the best flavor pairing: a great tomato sauce that’s made creamy using soft goat cheese. Here are a few tips for the very best creamy marinara:

Use canned fire roasted tomatoes. This special type of tomato is becoming easy to find. It’s charred over an open flame, which gives them a beautifully sweet flavor right out of the can. Can’t find them? Use the best quality tomatoes you can find.
Use fresh basil. It’s a splurge in winter, but it’s absolutely worth it for the peppery flavor it imparts.
Use soft goat cheese (chevre). You might think a creamy marinara is good with heavy cream. But it’s great with soft goat cheese! None of those hard crumbles with the texture of feta: this sauce deserves a good chevre.

Why it works

Here you’ll use soft goat cheese to crumble into the marinara, and it adds a tang and a creamy body that makes it taste like a best-in-class gourmet meal. Add those beautifully boiled cheese tortellini, and every bite is velvety, heavenly goodness. You can save out a few goat cheese crumbles as a topping, too.

We like to add a little spinach into the mix too! It adds nutrients but the way it melds into the skillet, you can barely tell that it’s there.

Is goat cheese healthy? How does it compare to cow’s cheese?

You may have heard that when it comes to cheese, goat cheese can be a healthier option that other cheeses. You’re right! There are a few advantages to choosing this cheese vs a mozzarella or a Parmesan. Goat cheese has the following going for it (source: Prevention):

More vitamins and minerals than cow’s cheese. Goat’s milk is richer in essential nutrients than cow’s milk. It has more vitamin A & B, calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium.
Slightly less calories than cow’s cheese. Goat cheese has just 75 calories per ounce—less than cow cheeses like mozzarella (85 calories), Swiss (108 calories), and cheddar (115 calories).
May be easier to digest. Goat cheese has less lactose than cow’s milk and a slightly different protein structure, so people who are lactose intolerant many times can digest goat cheese.

Can you make it gluten-free?

Yes! There are actually some good brands of gluten free tortellini on the market these days. We don’t eat exclusively gluten-free, so we don’t have a preferred brand. But there are lots of great options in both refrigerated and frozen varieties. Again, we recommend steering away from dried. Do you have a brand to recommend? Let us know in the comments below.

What to serve with cheese tortellini!

This cheese tortellini recipe is an ideal quick dinner: it takes less than 20 minutes to whip up! Pair it with a simple side dish or two and you’re in business. It’s ideal for Meatless Mondays or impressing friends with a tasty vegetarian dinner. Of course, it can be harder than you think to find side dishes that work with the flavors, compliments it nutritionally, and is easy enough to make while you tackle the main dish. Here are a few of our favorite sides to pair here:

Simple salad: This Easy Arugula Salad could not be simpler (really).
Broccoli: Our go to! We make this Pan Fried Broccoli almost every day.
Asparagus: This Lemony Broiled Asparagus takes just 5 minutes to broil and adds fiber to the meal.

This cheese tortellini recipe is…

Vegetarian. For gluten-free, use gluten-free tortellini.