eggs

Everything But the Bagel Breakfast Bake

December 2, 2019 by Alyssa

An easy, flavorful make-ahead breakfast bake stuffed with everything bagels, NestFresh eggs, veggies, and chunks of cream cheese.

I love everything bagels. They’ve always been my go-to choice when I eat bagels so I’m not sure why it took someone so long to bottle up the spice mixture but I’m sure glad they did! So, let’s all lend a giant thank you to Trader Joe’s for bottling it and marketing the heck out of their Everything But the Bagel seasoning because now we can find it everywhere and most stores have their own version of it which inspired this breakfast bake.

Everything Bagels Everywhere

My breakfast bake stars my favorite Everything But the Bagel spice that’s not only added as a key seasoning to the dish but also makes an appearance in the form of actual everything bagels. Traditional breakfast bakes use day-old bread as a base so swapping in bagels is an easy substitution that lends major flavor. If you don’t have day-old bagels, then cut your fresh bagels in half and let them ‘dry-out’ in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 350°F making them crusty and ready to use in the breakfast bake.

I chose Dave’s Killer Bread Epic Everything Bagels as my base for this bake because I love the quality organic ingredients (plus there’s no high-fructose corn syrup!), the extra boost of protein in the bagels due to the variety of grains (13 grams compared to the average 7-8 grams), and Dave’s everything bagel topping which includes both flax and chia seeds. And, because you can’t have a bagel without cream cheese, I also incorporated dollops of cream cheese on the top of the bake that extends the everything bagel flavor.

Egg-cellent Eggs

The bagels get cozy in the casserole NestFresh eggs and milk, spices and veggies that form a rich, thick, eggy custard. I choose NestFresh eggs due to their certified humane status for producing cage-free and free-range eggs. This means I can feel good about the breakfast I’m eating knowing the eggs came from chickens who were raised in a natural environment with the ability to ‘stretch their legs’ and have access to proper food and water. If you aren’t familiar with egg production practices, visit the NestFresh site to get egg-ducated.

Get Creative with the Ingredients

I filled my Everything Bagel Breakfast Bake with my favorite veggies using onions, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and green onions. I also added crumbled, lean turkey sausage for a protein boost but the best part about the bake is you can really get creative and make it your own. Here’s a few easy variations on my bake:

Add a cup of cooked, chopped spinach for extra greens
Use both red and green bell peppers for added crunch
Throw in some herbs like basil or dill for a punch of fresh flavor
Grate some smoked gouda or spicy jalapeno cheddar cheese for a simple smoke or spice

Prep the Night Before

While you can make this bake the morning-of, you can also prep this Everything Bagel Breakfast Bake the day before (bagels, eggs, veggies and all!). Just cover it and let it sit in the fridge overnight which makes this a perfect breakfast for Christmas or New Year’s morning or as a meal prep breakfast to eat all week long. I actually prefer the overnight method since it lets the flavors develop a bit more and it makes breakfast quick in the morning with minimal cleanup. To bake it the morning-of, just let the bake sit out for about 30-minutes before placing it in the oven to bake.

More Favorite Breakfast Recipes

While this post was not sponsored, I did receive products from NestFresh with no obligation to post about it. All photos and opinions are my own.

The Everything Bagel Breakfast Bake

Save Print

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

50 mins

Total time

1 hour 20 mins

Author: Alyssa

Serves: 12

Ingredients

4 day-old everything bagels, cut into bite-sized pieces (about 6-7 cups)
9 eggs
½ teaspoon olive oil
½ cup white onion, diced
1½ cups whole milk
1½ teaspoons ground mustard
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper
1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup roasted red peppers, sliced
¼ cup green onion, green parts only
1 cup cooked crumbled breakfast sausage of choice
4 ounces cream cheese, cut into ¼ inch cubes
2 teaspoons everything bagel seasoning

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan using a bit of butter or olive oil. Place the torn bagel pieces into the prepared baking dish and set aside.
In a small skillet, add ½ teaspoon of olive oil and heat over medium-high. Once hot, add in the white onions and cook, stirring occasionally until lightly browned. Remove from heat and allow to cool while prepping the remaining ingredients.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, ground mustard, salt, and pepper.
Fold in the cooked white onion, cheese, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, green onions, and breakfast sausage.
Pour the egg mixture over the bagel pieces then dollop the cream cheese cubes on top. Sprinkle the Everything Bagel seasoning on top.*
Bake for 30-minutes. After 30-minutes, place a sheet of foil over the pan to keep the top from burning and cook another 20 minutes until the eggs are set.
Remove from oven and allow the bake to cool for 10-minutes prior to serving.

Notes

* If prepping the day before, cover the bake and place it in the fridge. In the morning, remove the bake from the fridge and allow it to sit out for 30-minutes prior to baking. The bake may require an additional 10-15 minutes in the oven (for a total of 60-65 minutes) due to the temperature difference.

My Favorite Summertime Breakfast: Turkish Eggs with Yogurt

June 11, 2018 by Alyssa

Turkish Eggs with Yogurt pairs a 6-minute egg with creamy lemon-garlic yogurt for a refreshing, protein-rich summertime breakfast.

I love eggs for breakfast and I’m always looking for different ways go enjoy them. Turkish Eggs with Yogurt is a great summertime alternative to traditional poached eggs & toast. It’s a savory breakfast that’s refreshing in the summertime heat while being filled with good for you protein and fat.

My Turkish Eggs dish whips up in about 15-minutes and is something I can easily make on a week day before rushing off to work. You can even shorten the process some by making a big batch of the lemon-garlic yogurt ahead of time if you meal prep on the weekends.

Ever since my trip to Greece, where I enjoyed thick, creamy yogurt, I’ve swapped my standard 0% yogurt purchase for 2% Greek Yogurt (I know, it’s Turkish Eggs but I’m using Greek yogurt…relax). This swap has made a world of difference when it comes to taste and the bit of extra fat from the yogurt helps with the meal’s satiety. I highly recommend using Fage 2% Greek yogurt for this recipe (and always).

As for the Turkish Eggs, I chose to use a 6-minute egg instead of a standard poached egg. I like 6-minute eggs as they result is a runny yolk and solid white, similar to a poached egg, but they’re easier to make and in my opinion, you don’t lose half the whites in the water.

The key to making a 6-minute egg is to immediately plunge it into a ice bath once your 6-minute timer expires to stop the cooking process. This results in a deliciously, runny yolk. After cooling the egg, gently crack and remove the shell, handling the egg like a delicate glass slipper so it doesn’t break before you lay it upon its bed of yogurt.

If you aren’t a fan of runny egg yolks, you can still use a similar technique but instead, cook the eggs for 7-8 minutes for a more solid center. Also, I love Vital Farm eggs because of their farming ethics. The yolks are so golden in color and packed with nutrients when compared to traditional farmed eggs.

I like to drizzle a spicy olive oil (harissa olive oil from Con’ Olio is my choice!) on top of my Turkish Eggs and add a sprinkle of chopped walnuts for crunch. To mop up the yolk and yogurt, I also toast up a slice of seedy bread (try Powerseed from Dave’s Killer Bread) but this is totally optional.

However you choose to enjoy this dish, I hope you make it a summertime breakfast staple!

5.0 from 5 reviews

My Favorite Summertime Breakfast: Turkish Eggs with Yogurt

Save Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

6 mins

Total time

21 mins

Author: Alyssa

Serves: 1

Ingredients

2 Vital Farm eggs
½ cup plain 2% Fage Greek yogurt
¼ tsp grated garlic
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 slice multi-grain bread, like Powerseed from Dave's Killer Bread, toasted
½ teaspoon harissa olive oil
2 teaspoons chopped walnuts
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Prepare an ice bath by adding 1 cup water and a cup of ice to a small mixing bowl. Set side.
Bring 2-cups of water to boil in a medium-sized sauce pan over high heat.
Once boiling, gently slide the eggs into the water using a slotted spoon and boil on medium-high heat for 6-minutes.
After 6-minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the boiling water and gently place it into the prepared ice bath for 1 minute.
Remove the eggs from ice bath and gently crack to remove the shell. Be sure to remove all shell pieces from the eggs before plating.
While the egg is boiling, place the Greek yogurt in a small bowl and whisk in the garlic, lemon juice, zest, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Spread the yogurt onto a plate.
Place the cooked egg in the center of the yogurt.
Drizzle with olive oil, chopped walnuts, and serve with multi-grain bread on the side.

One Pot 30-Minutes Huevos Rancheros

March 8, 2016 by Alyssa

Until moving to Texas, I had never heard of Huevos Rancheros, which means ranch-style-eggs…or at least some translation similar to that. But after living in Austin, I saw it on menus everywhere. Every restaurant has their own version of Huevos Rancheros but they all contain eggs, some style of beans, and tortillas. This meal is typically found on a breakfast or brunch menu but in our house, we eat it for dinner.

…