Whether you’re working on eating breakfast after not consistently eating it or switching from a sweet to savory breakfast, there are ways to set yourself up for success to get to those wins of eating breakfast and lowering your sugar intake at the start of the day.
One of the most effective ways I’ve found to make a savory breakfast a consistent habit is to plan ahead. Making a breakfast that can last several days (if not the whole week) that is easier to cook will take a lot of the struggle, frustration and “aw, fuck it” out of eating breakfast consistently.
A major ally in making this happen is making a breakfast bake in a square (or larger) rectangular baking pan. You’ll cook down most of the ingredients, add them into the pan with your liquids and you let that sit while you work on other prep or do something else while your breakfast for the week is cooking up.
My Hash Brown Breakfast Bake is a perfect example of an easy breakfast to make that will last the whole week, is savory, and has some of the best parts of breakfast in one pan. This breakfast bake has hash browns, eggs, ground beef (which you can swap out for some savory breakfast sausage) and some Swiss Chard cuz veggies.
Making the Hash Brown Breakfast Bake is very similar to making a frittata, you cook the filling, add in the eggs and bake it up. This breakfast bake is made easier by pre-made hash browns you can find in the freezer section of your store. If you don’t want to chop and sauté Swiss chard or don’t have the time for it, swap that out with a small clamshell of spinach (ideally organic). Because spinach wilts, use the whole package.
If you’re just cooking for yourself or you only have a few breakfasts to prep for, you can make this in an 8×8 or 9×9 square baking pan. This will also make the slices tall and substantial. If you want to make it last a few more days, you can use a 13×9” baking dish and get more shallow slices. Do what works best for you.
So, after this is baked, you can keep this in your fridge and simply cut out what you want for breakfast, heat and eat. Or, if you’re eating breakfast out of the house, you can cut a piece the night before and put it in a container to take with you the next morning.
Ingredients
- 1 lb frozen hash browns (ideally organic)
- 1 bunch of Swiss chard, stems separated and cut into 1/4" strips, leaves cut into bite-sized strips
- 1 lb ground beef (ideally pasture-raised)
- 2-3 tsp paprika
- 2-3 tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 6 eggs (ideally pasture-raised)
- 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (I used coconut milk, you can use whatever you like)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375.
Bring a medium-sized sauté pan to medium heat and add in the pound of ground beef. Break the ground beef up with a wooden spoon and cook until browned, about 5-10 minutes.
When done, move the ground beef to the side and add in the cut Swiss chard stems into the center and cook until softened, 5-7 minutes. Stir in Swiss chard leaves and cook until wilted.
Spoon ground beef and Swiss chard mixture into a bowl. Leave any fat in the pan. If there isn't any, add in one teaspoon of the cooking fat of your choice (coconut oil, ghee
Bring the heat back to medium heat and add in frozen hash browns and cook until not frozen, around 5-7 minutes. Add into the mixing bowl when done and stir to combine. Add in paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste.
In a 8x8" square baking pan*, crack all 6 eggs and whisk with a fork. Slowly pour in the non-dairy milk and whisk until egg and milk mixture are fully combined.
Pour in the breakfast bake filling and pat into a flat layer. Move to oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until top is golden brown.
Allow bake to cool before storing or cutting.
Notes
*A 13x9" baking pan will also work, the portions just won't be as tall as it will be in a smaller pan.
