Part of being a more intuitive cook is knowing some quick and easy “formula meals” you can easily adapt based on what you have on hand. Budget friendly and quick cooking, the egg is your best friend for this! This post shares easy egg recipes for weeknight cooking inspiration.
Intuitive Kitchen is a blog series designed to help you become a more intuitive cook in the kitchen. While cooking new recipes is fun and keeps things interesting, it can also be time consuming, stressful and expensive! With this series, I hope to share tools that allow for you to open up your fridge and prepare yourself tasty meals without a meal plan!
A lot of the cooking I do is based on what I like to call “formula meals” or “template meals,” meals. In these meals, you can learn a basic cooking technique or recipe, then use a formula/template to adapt that recipe based on what foods you have on hand, or what flavors you’re craving. For example, if you know how to make sheet pan chicken, potatoes, and veggies, you can mix and match the flavors and produce, creating dishes like spicy chipotle sheet pan chicken using a spicy chipotle rub or marinade, a Vietnamese-inspired dinner using a lemongrass marinade, or a North African inspired dish with a harissa rub.
Because eggs are a simple and inexpensive protein that cook quickly, it’s probably no surprise that many of the template meals I cook up are easy egg recipes. Seriously, when it comes to getting a quick and satisfying meal in front of you, nothing beats eggs. At least one a week I turn to one of the easy egg recipes I included in this post! I hope this gives you some cooking inspiration for times you’re feeling pressed.
P.S. If looking at a bunch of egg recipes makes you feel anxious about cholesterol, check out this mythbusting post I did covering why you shouldn’t be afraid of eggs.
Easy Egg Recipes: Frittata
Frittatas are one of my favorite easy egg recipes to make. Leftovers are perfect for breakfast the next day, and you can even freeze slices of frittata for later, which I love to heat up and use as filling for a breakfast sandwich. Frittatas are a great dumpster for leftover veggies or to use up whatever cheese you have on hand, although I suppose referring to them as a dumpster isn’t exactly appetizing.
To make a perfect frittata, use a well-seasoned cast iron skillet or a non-stick skillet to cook your mix-ins first. Then, add your egg batter (without mixing) and cheese, give it a stir and cook until lightly set around the edges before transferring to a 350 degree oven. How many eggs you use will impact the cooking time, so don’t be afraid to be a looky loo (although I’m sure some chefs will yell at me for that advice). It’s ready when it’s lightly golden at the top and just set in the middle. For a perfectly creamy texture, use 1/2 cup full fat dairy for every 6 eggs.
For a satisfying dinner, make sure you’ve got a source of carbs alongside your frittata. I like to keep frozen shredded potatoes to make a quick hash. Just fry them in olive oil and season with garlic and onion powder. You could also keep it simple with buttered toast and fresh fruit.
Frittata Ideas:
smoked salmon + cream cheese/goat cheese + red onion + tomatoes
spinach + sweet potatoes + sharp cheddar
plain kettle chips (trust me) + mushrooms + ham + herbs
asparagus + brie
Easy Egg Recipes: Migas
You’ve probably heard me rave about migas before - there’s even a recipe for them in my new book! At their most basic, migas are a scramble of tortillas or tortilla chips with eggs. If you’d like to start with a recipe for guidance, here’s my recipe for quick and easy Tex-Mex migas. Once you’ve got the basic technique, you can use different veggies - tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno, peppers and zucchini all work great. Feel free to top migas with different cheeses, like jack, feta, queso fresco, or cheddar. And you can definitely (in fact I highly recommend) serve them over refried beans - we keep canned refried black beans on hand at all times, for this exact purpose!
Easy Egg Recipes: Shakshuka
Shakshuka is a Mediterranean/Middle Eastern dish of tomatoes stewed in tomato sauce. Served with toast or pita, you’ve got a complete balanced meal! In its most simple form, make this easy egg recipe by simmering jarred tomato sauce seasoned with a bit of chili powder, cumin and a pinch of cayenne on a stovetop, then crack eggs into it, cover and cook for about 10 minutes until the whites are set and the yolks are just a little soft and jammy. But what I more often do is saute veggies (usually peppers, onion, and garlic) in plenty of olive oil as a base, stir in spices and then add canned tomatoes to make my own sauce. If you’d like to start with a recipe, here’s a pretty solid classic one!
Shakshuka Ideas:
Shakshuka is an awesome dish to use your favorite veggies in. Add steamed kale or raw spinach to the sauce for greens. You could also saute eggplant, zucchini or mushrooms with the basic mix of peppers and onion. Another tasty add in is diced cooked potatoes.
Stir harissa paste into the tomato sauce for spicy, smoky flavor.
I love to use jarred tomato sauce to make harissa. My personal favorite kind for this dish is arrabbiata sauce, which is already spicy, but tomato basil also makes a nice, basic canvas too.
Add meat. You can use ground beef or lamb in this dish, ham, or diced sausage. And for a vegetarian version, feel free to use meatless versions.
Experiment with fusion! I make an Indian-inspired shakshuka using Indian spiced and coconut milk stirred into the sauce, and serve it with naan and green chutney. I also love to make a Mexican version of shakshuka using black beans and queso fresco, topped with sour cream.
Easy Egg Recipes: Omelet
It’s a pretty basic one, but a good omelet is so satisfying. It’s also perfect if you’re cooking for one or two people. To make a perfect omelet, start with 2-3 eggs beaten very, very well (they should be slightly frothy), and seasoned with salt and pepper. Melt about a tablespoon of butter in a skillet on medium heat - butter is really essential here, both for flavor and creamy texture. Once melted, pour the egg batter in and quickly stir with a figure-eight pattern, scraping down sides as needed. This allows the eggs to cook with a creamy texture without overly browning the outside. Then, as it’s beginning to coagulate, give it a quick shake to coat the bottom of the pan, then add cheese and your fillings. Add cheese first, which allows it to melt without overcooking the eggs. Finally, flip or roll your eggs into an omelette and serve! If you’d like picture to describe this technique, I basically use an adaption of this omelet method from Bon Appetit.
Another tip - make sure any vegetable additions are already cooked before adding, otherwise they’ll be raw.
Omelet Ideas:
Broccoli + ham + cheddar
Smoked salmon + avocado + tomatoes + goat cheese/creme fraiche
Spinach + brie
Asparagus + leeks + prosciutto + goat cheese
Easy Egg Recipes: Put an Egg on It!
When all else fails, put an egg on it! Basic pasta in tomato sauce? Put a poached egg on it! Grain bowl? Put a fried egg on it! Avocado toast? Put egg salad on it! Whether it’s a simple potato and vegetable hash, canned soup, or a fresh salad, the addition of an egg turns it into a satisfying meal! Here’s some of my favorite “just add an egg” easy egg recipes!
Scramble eggs into frozen fried rice. I make a well in the middle of the fried rice when it’s almost done cooking, and scramble a couple eggs in that before stirring it all together.
I love fresh tortellini tossed with jarred tomato sauce topped with a poached egg. Here’s an easy tutorial on how to poach an egg.
Make a simple hash of potatoes and veggies, and top with a fried egg. You could also do it sheet pan style, like I do in this sheet pan sweet potato hash breakfast recipe.
Make tartines with toasted bread (go for the good stuff, like a sourdough boule or ciabatta), sauteed or roasted veggies like kale, spinach, butternut squash or mushrooms, and top with an egg and a little cheese.
I love to round out ramen noodle soup with the addition of a handful or two of spinach and a poached or soft boiled egg.
What are your favorite easy egg recipes? Share below!
If this blog post on easy egg recipes was helpful, follow my egg recipes pinterest board for more inspiration.
If you like this Intuitive Kitchen post on easy egg recipes, you might also like:
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Rachael Hartley
egg, intuitive kitchen
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