Cold mornings push me toward the oven, and the oven happens to make the highest protein breakfasts on this list. An egg casserole bakes once and covers 3 to 4 days of mornings. I split these into baked dishes, skillet breakfasts, cold bowls, and the griddle and toaster group. Eggs in a casserole need to reach 160°F.
Casseroles you bake once
Egg Bake
A dozen eggs, 1 cup of milk, cheese and whatever vegetables are in the drawer, baked in a 9 by 13 pan for 35 minutes. I add a pound of cooked breakfast sausage so each square carries meat and eggs together. The FDA says dishes containing eggs should be cooked to 160°F, which is about when the center stops jiggling. Cut it into 8 and reheat a square in the microwave for 90 seconds.
Sausage and Cheddar Breakfast Casserole
Cubed bread soaked overnight in eggs and milk, with browned sausage and sharp cheddar layered through it. The overnight soak is the whole trick, so assemble it before bed and bake it in the morning. Egg casseroles keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge after baking. Turkey sausage is what I buy most of the time, and nobody notices.
Everything Bagel Breakfast Casserole
Torn bagels, eggs, cream cheese and everything seasoning baked into 1 dish. It tastes like the bagel sandwich without the 20 minute line. For protein, I use 10 eggs for 4 bagels and fold in diced ham. Let it rest 10 minutes before cutting so the squares hold.
Egg Muffins
Beaten eggs poured into a greased muffin tin with cheese, peppers and bacon, baked at 350°F for 20 minutes. Each muffin is roughly 1 egg, so 3 of them is a real breakfast. They come out of the fridge cold and reheat in 45 seconds. I make a dozen on Sunday and they are gone by Wednesday.
Skillet and stovetop
Shakshuka
Eggs poached right in a skillet of spiced tomato sauce with peppers and onion, about 25 minutes start to finish. Two eggs per person is the standard, and I push it to 3 after a morning workout. Crumbled feta over the top adds a little more protein and some salt. Bread for scooping is not optional.
Spinach and Feta Omelet
Three eggs, a handful of spinach wilted first, and feta folded inside. A nonstick pan over medium heat and a soft fold is all the technique it needs. My rule is to pull it off the heat while the center still looks slightly wet, since it keeps cooking on the plate. Done in 6 minutes.
Turkey and Sweet Potato Hash
Diced sweet potato crisped in a skillet, then ground turkey browned with onion and a lot of smoked paprika. A pound of turkey and 2 sweet potatoes feeds 4. I crack eggs into wells in the hash and cover the pan for the last 5 minutes. This is the breakfast I want on a cold Saturday.
Egg Crepe Pinwheels
Thin egg crepes made from 2 beaten eggs each, spread with cream cheese, layered with ham and rolled tight, then sliced into pinwheels. They are mostly egg and ham, which is the point. Keep the pan on medium low so the crepe sets without browning. They hold up in a lunchbox too.
Poached Eggs with Bacon and Polenta
Soft polenta under 2 poached eggs and a few strips of bacon. Polenta takes about 30 minutes of stirring, so this is a weekend plate. For a bigger protein hit, I stir parmesan into the polenta and add a third egg. Vinegar in the poaching water helps the whites hold together.
Savory Oatmeal
Steel cut oats cooked in chicken broth instead of water, topped with a fried egg, scallions and a drizzle of soy sauce. The egg and a spoon of peanut butter stirred in bring the protein up to where oats alone never get. Oatmeal is a source of soluble fiber, and most people fall short of the 25 to 35 grams a day Harvard suggests. Make the oats ahead and reheat them with a splash of broth.
Cold bowls and things you spoon
Yogurt Bowl with Granola and Blueberries
Plain Greek yogurt, a handful of granola and frozen blueberries that thaw in the bowl by the time the coffee is ready. Greek yogurt is the move over regular, since the straining concentrates the protein. I keep granola to a quarter cup so it stays a topping and not the whole bowl. A drizzle of honey if the yogurt is too tart.
Cottage Cheese Bowl
One cup of cottage cheese with sliced tomatoes, cracked pepper and olive oil, or with pineapple if you want it sweet. A cup of 1 percent cottage cheese carries about 28 grams of protein by USDA numbers, which beats most breakfast plates. This is my pick when there is no time to cook. Everything bagel seasoning on top is the version I eat most.
Chia Pudding
Three tablespoons of chia seeds per cup of milk, stirred twice in the first 10 minutes so it does not clump, then left overnight. I make it with milk instead of almond milk and add a scoop of vanilla protein powder, which turns a snack into breakfast. Top it with berries in the morning. It keeps 4 days in jars.
Savory Yogurt Bowl
Greek yogurt treated like a dip, with cucumber, olives, cherry tomatoes and olive oil on top. Think of it as a breakfast tzatziki plate. My version gets a soft boiled egg on the side and warm pita for scooping. It takes 5 minutes and there is nothing to wash but a bowl.
Griddle, oven and toaster
French Toast
Thick slices of bread soaked in eggs, milk and cinnamon, cooked on a buttered griddle until golden on both sides. The custard is where the protein lives, so I use 4 eggs to 1 cup of milk and let the bread drink it up. Day old bread holds the soak without falling apart. Serve with Greek yogurt and berries over syrup alone.
Dutch Baby
A big oven pancake that puffs up in a hot cast iron skillet and falls as it cools. The batter is 3 eggs, 1/2 cup each of flour and milk, blended smooth. Four eggs instead of 3 gives it more structure and more protein, and I always go with 4. Lemon and powdered sugar, or berries, and it is on the table in 25 minutes.
Waffles with Berries
A standard waffle batter gets most of its protein from the eggs, so my batter swaps half the milk for Greek yogurt and adds an extra egg. They come out a little denser and crisp up well. Frozen mixed berries warmed in a pan make the topping. Extra waffles freeze and go straight into the toaster.
Blueberry Muffins
Bakery style muffins with a domed top, baked at 425°F for the first 5 minutes and then 350°F for 15. I replace the oil with Greek yogurt, which keeps them moist and adds a few grams of protein each. Frozen blueberries go in tossed in flour so they do not sink. One muffin with 2 eggs is a breakfast.
Banana Bread
Three overripe bananas, 2 eggs, butter and brown sugar, baked in a loaf pan for about 1 hour. Bread this sweet is a side for me, not the meal, so a slice goes next to eggs or a yogurt bowl. Toasting a slice and spreading it with peanut butter is the other way I eat it. It keeps 3 days on the counter wrapped tight.
Smoked Salmon Bagel
A toasted bagel with cream cheese, smoked salmon, red onion, capers and dill. The salmon is the protein and 3 ounces per bagel is a generous layer. I use a whole wheat bagel and go light on the cream cheese so the fish is the main flavor. No cooking at all, which matters on a dark morning.
Ingredient protein figures are based on USDA FoodData Central. How we calculate nutrition.
