Hearty Breakfast Bowl

There are times when leftovers kind of pile up in the fridge and there’s just so much soup you can make with leftovers. Another thing I like to put together is a hearty breakfast bowl that can hold you all day long, even if you’re active all day. There are lots of variations and I’ll bet you can come up with some awesome ideas yourself. This recipe uses some ingredients we frequently have, but don’t hesitate to try your own combinations.

The first time I did this one, I was sitting in the sunroom on a Sunday morning, just getting into my second cup of coffee, when this idea sprang into my head. I was thinking about a small restaurant that was our favorite place for breakfast in Raleigh, NC back in the early 90’s. We went there on Sunday mornings, along with half the city of Raleigh. I think the name is Brigs, Great Beginnings. The breakfasts there were awesome, and we frequently met up with close friends. There was a bustle and buzz throughout the dining room. It always took a while to get your food. We shared stories with each other about the week or since the last time we saw each other, sipped coffee, and felt the warming rays of the sun streaming through the large windows all around the restaurant. The anticipation just added to the growing appetite and by the time I’m thinking, “I’m starving, where’s my food”, our server was bringing out the breakfast skillets we had ordered. I can still taste the flavor combinations. 

So inspired, I came up with my own dish and I hope you’ll enjoy this variation yourself. This will serve two with a hearty appetite.

Prep Time: 10 minutes. Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

Leftover veggies from my Comfort Baked Chicken

½ lb Bacon

2 Sandwich sized slices American cheese

2 Sandwich sized slices of Swiss cheese

4 Eggs

4 T Butter

3 T Oliver Oil

1 Chopped green onion

Salt

Pepper

Making The Magic

Slowly pan fry the bacon until crispy throughout. I like to put the strips of bacon in the pan and heat to Medium High. After I have a sizzle going, I like to reduce the heat to Medium or less. Cook it slow, have patience. I usually flip the strips two or three times during the cooking, just to be sure they are cooked thoroughly and evenly. Once the bacon is done, remove it and place it on a paper towel to soak up the excess grease. As it cools, it should become stiff and crispy.

In the same pan, add 1 T of the butter to the bacon grease on Medium High. As the butter starts to sizzle, drop the leftover veggies into the hot pan. When the pan comes back up to temperature, it will be sizzling again, lower the temp slightly. You want the veggies to develop a crust, or at least dark brown, but not burn. DO NOT stir or turn the veggies until the browning or crusting has started. 10 minutes is usually enough time, then turn the veggies and brown on the other side.

When the veggies are almost done, in another pan or skillet, melt 2 T of butter and add 1 T of Olive Oil. Once hot, cook your eggs to taste, over easy, over medium, sunny side up, whatever makes your mouth water. I like the yokes runny, so they mix with the rest of the dish when I cut into them. Just before the eggs are done, turn the heat off.

Plate your cooked veggies in a large soup bowl, wide and shallow. Lay a slice of the Swiss and the American cheese over the veggies. Crumble the bacon over the top of the cheese. Add the eggs to the top of the pile. Salt and Pepper to taste. Finish it off with the chopped green onions.

Variations To Keep It New

The possibilities are limitless with this dish. Here are some of the alternative ingredients that I’ve used to change the flavor and texture of this meal.

Thinly sliced steak, crumbled sausage, avocado, halved cherry tomatoes, hash browns, potatoes O’brian, feta cheese, cheddar cheese, Italian seasoning. Mix and match to your own taste!

Breakfast Drinks Anyone

Bloody Marys, made with Zing-Zang are great with this.

Also, Mimosas are good.

Share what you come up with so we can all try it. As Julia always used to say “Bon Appetit”. And we like to say in the south, “Bon Appetit Ya’ll”.