Even before Prem and I met and moved in together he made a full breakfast, always including eggs, every. single. morning. I’m not talking a couple of hard boiled eggs cooking away while he got ready for work; he fried, poached, whisked or slow scrambled along with vegetables, bacon, fruit or bread. Having not grown up in this country he never got the memo that those types of breakfasts are only reserved for lazy weekend mornings here in the states.

Slow scrambled eggs on sourdough bread, topped with prosciutto and parmesan cheese

I was more impressed than anything (how did he have the time and motivation to cook before work?) and now that we live together, I benefit from this delicious routine that Prem prioritizes. I do most of the lunch and dinner meal planning and cooking, but breakfast is Prem’s territory. I move into the sous chef position if the morning menu requires extra hands, but he’s in charge. We allow enough time before work to cook breakfast, make coffee and sit down at our kitchen table to enjoy our meal together. There’s usually even time for the dishes (my job in the mornings). This morning routine allows us to enter our day feeling a wee bit more relaxed and ensures quality time together doing something we love - cooking and eating.

Here are our favorite at-home breakfasts, which get a turn depending on what we have in the fridge and how much time we want to allot. We usually end up making the same thing several days in a row, or until the required ingredients run out, before a new dish enters the rotation.

Notes

We don’t have a toaster at home, so anytime toast is mentioned below it’s fried in a pan on the stovetop in copious amounts of butter. We usually use bread from Free Bread or The Gluten Free Bakery, both sold at our local grocery store, but everything tastes 100 times better with freshly baked sourdough. We haven’t tried making that at home, yet, so usually buy ours from Bien Cuit, a French bakery in our neighborhood.

When we want a runny yolk (versus an omelette or scrambled) we either soft boil our eggs by steaming for 6 ½ minutes (following this technique) or fry them in butter. Prem will often soft boil eggs the night before, while we’re cleaning up from dinner, so they’re ready to go in the morning.

Avocado Toast

The easiest of all. If you’re spending $10 to eat this outside of the house you’re wasting your money. Mash avocado with a fork and season with salt and pepper. If you have the ingredients or time also mix in lime or lemon juice, paprika or cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes, cilantro, toasted pepitas and/or feta cheese. Toast your bread while you’re frying or soft boiling your egg. Spoon the avocado mixture onto the toast, top with the egg, flaky sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

Kimchi Fried Rice

This is a great way to use up leftover rice. Heat sesame oil in a pan and add the white ends, sliced, of a couple of scallions. Once softened, add chopped kimchi. Once that softens, stir in the cooked rice with some soy sauce and a couple drops of fish sauce. Combine and heat until rice is warmed, adding more kimchi sauce if you’d like. Season with salt and pepper, top with a fried or soft boiled egg and garnish with shredded seaweed, sliced scallion greens and/or toasted sesame seeds. You can also throw in chicken, sausage, bacon or shrimp if you have any in the house.

Similar: Kimchi Fried Potatoes

Roasted Tomato Tartine

This one takes a bit more time but is worth it. We’ve modified this recipe from The Kitchn by tossing tomato wedges and garlic cloves with salt and olive oil, spreading them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roasting in the oven at 425 degrees fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes. We spread a small bit of Dijon mustard on toasted bread followed by a generous amount of ricotta cheese (seasoned with flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper), the roasted tomatoes and garlic, chopped basil, a drizzle of olive oil and a fried or soft boiled egg.

Bacon, Egg and Cheese

Bacon, egg and cheddar cheese on sourdough toast

We all know this one. We’ve found this tastes the absolute best when you use quality bacon and bread. As for the cheese, we prefer a sharp cheddar.

Asparagus and Egg

Asparagus, radishes and a fried egg, topped with parmesan cheese and lemon zest

Reserved for spring and early summer when asparagus is in season. Blanch your asparagus, sauté in some olive oil and salt and top with a fried egg. Garnish with freshly cracked black pepper, freshly grated parmesan cheese and lemon zest. More detailed recipe here.

French Cheese Omelette

French omelette with mixed greens on the side

Prem has mastered the art of the French omelette, which takes patience. Pour whisked eggs into a buttered pan over low heat and cover for a couple of minutes. Once the center of the eggs are just slightly runny, add cheese in a line down the center and, using a rubber spatula, gently roll the eggs into an omelette. Cover for another minute or so before gently rolling onto a plate. Season with flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. We’ll often eat this with a cooked vegetable, such as spinach, zucchini or tomatoes, either in the omelette or, one of these or a simple salad, on the side.

Slow-Scrambled Eggs

This is only possible if we have plenty of time, as proper slow-scrambled eggs take about 15 minutes and all your attention. Cook on a very low temperature, stirring constantly, for super rich eggs. We either eat this on top of bread or, as with the omelette, with a vegetable or salad on the side. For a super rich breakfast, we add prosciutto and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Breakfast Tacos

If you have tortillas and eggs you can make breakfast tacos. A great way to clean out the fridge, you can add vegetables, cheese, meat, beans, herbs or sauces to your liking. Or you can follow our breakfast taco recipe, which includes bacon and a spicy mayo.

Spiralized Sweet Potato

We like the taste of spiralized sweet potato cooked in coconut oil and simply topped with a fried or soft boiled egg.

Paleo Pancakes

Whisk together 2 eggs, 1 mashed banana and a spoonful of almond butter until it resembles a batter. Cook in a buttered pan just as you would pancakes. After making this many times, we found not too much batter in the pan at a time works best; a too thick pancake is harder to flip and doesn’t cook through as easily. Top with butter, maple syrup, nuts and/or fruit.