Egg Skillet for the Table

Egg Skillet is a hearty breakfast dish that has it all – crispy potatoes, soft onions, peppers, eggs, and ham (or bacon) – all made together in one skillet! This filling breakfast meal is packed with good ingredients and is straightforward to make.

Make sure to try this Smoked Sausage Hash or Ham and Cheese Quiche next! This Quiche Lorraine is another favorite breakfast recipe!

Egg Skillet

This country breakfast Egg Skillet is such a fun and straightforward breakfast to make…with so many satisfying flavors packed in!

I call this the “all-in-one” breakfast… it has all the best parts of a big breakfast in one recipe: eggs, potatoes, ham or bacon, and CHEESE. The onions, red bell peppers, and potatoes sizzle until soft on the inside and crispy on the outside, then the ham and eggs get scrambled in, followed by (a large amount of) melty cheese.

This breakfast skillet tastes wonderful as is, and is just as reliable when stuffed in a tortilla and rolled into a breakfast burrito. The best part about this incredibly flavorful, crisp, cheesy, eggy, ham, flavor-packed egg skillet is that it only takes one pan to make!

Quick Tip

Breakfast for dinner? Egg Skillet would make a terrific choice!

How to make Egg Skillet

• Meat: Consider two options for this skillet breakfast: ham or bacon. If you have leftover ham, dice it up and add it in or you can buy store-bought cubed ham. Alternatively, if using bacon, you’ll want to cook that first and then set it aside to cool.
• Veggies: The pepper, onion, and potatoes go in the pan first. We’re going for a crisp-tender texture, meaning that the veggies are “tender” (your teeth can easily sink all the way through) and “crisp” meaning there is still a slight crunch and that the veggies still have structure. Stir the veggies often to keep them from getting too browned on one side.
• Eggs: When you finish the veggies, move them to a plate while we cook the eggs. I absolutely love the method I share below for soft-scrambling eggs. They end up evenly soft scrambled every single time! Of course, if you like your eggs more well done, cook them longer, but home cooks enjoy them still a bit wet and shiny.
• Finishing touches: Once you’re done cooking the meat, veggies, and eggs, toss them together with cheese. Use freshly grated cheese to avoid greasy ingredients or clumping (packaged cheese has a cellulose coating that can cause it to get greasy). finish with fresh herbs if desired and eat as close to finishing as possible!

How to cook eggs in a skillet

This is my absolute favorite and foolproof way to cook eggs in a skillet:

• Add butter to a large nonstick skillet over medium-a hot burner. Tip and rotate the skillet to coat the bottom of the pan with the butter.
• As soon as the butter is melted, pour the whisked egg mixture into the skillet. Swirl the skillet to get the eggs in one layer covering the bottom of the pan.
• Let stand for 30 seconds without touching.
• Use a silicone spatula to push the eggs to one side and immediately tilt the skillet to get the uncooked eggs to fill the empty section of the pan. Continue to press the eggs gently to the other side of the pan and tilt the pan to move any uncooked eggs to the cooking surface.
• Break up large clumps of egg with the spatula and then move them to a plate to keep them from overcooking.

Can you cook eggs in a cast iron pan?

I highly recommend a nonstick skillet to keep the eggs from sticking or getting messy. That said, you can cook it all in a cast-iron pan; in fact, the Kitchn details all the tips and tricks to do so.

Keep in mind that cast-iron pans hold their heat. So, as soon as eggs are added, turn the heat all the way to low; the heat from the pan will continue to keep the eggs hot until they are scrambled.

Tips for making an Egg Skillet breakfast

• Use a large nonstick skillet for best results.
• Don’t forget to season! Salt and pepper go a long way to help this dish reach its flavor potential.
• Egg Skillet is very versatile, so feel free to add any other toppings you love such as some extra ham/bacon, sour cream, chopped parsley, cilantro, or salsa.
• Add some spice by drizzling hot sauce to the skillet or individual plates.

More satisfying breakfast recipes

• Dutch Baby German pancakes
• Banana Pancakes with fresh bananas and maple syrup
• Healthy Banana Muffins sweetened with honey
• Egg Wrap with pesto
• Healthy Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (divided)
• 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper (skippable)
• 1/3 cup chopped yellow onion
• 2 cups cubed red potatoes (scrubbed clean (peel if desired; I leave peel on))
• Salt
• 6 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream (or milk or half-and-half; I use heavy cream)
• 1/4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (skippable)
• 1 cup diced ham (or 7 slices cooked, crumbled bacon; see note 1)
• 1 cup freshly shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• Fresh parsley (or cilantro, finely chopped, skippable)

Method

1. Coarsely chop the onion and red pepper in 1/2-inch pieces (not finely diced). Wash and dry the red potatoes. Peel if desired (I leave the peel on). Cut into small pieces, about 1/2-inch. The potatoes need to be small to get tender in time and the onions and pepper large enough they don’t burn in the time it takes to cook the potatoes.
2. If using bacon instead of ham, see note 1.
3. In a very large nonstick skillet (12 inches), heat 4 tablespoons butter to a medium burner. When butter has melted, add in prepared red pepper, onion, and potatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and cook over a medium burner for about 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally. If anything begins to burn, turn down the heat; if it’s not sizzling and cooking, slightly increase the heat. Once done (crisp on the outside, tender on the inside), empty the veggies onto a plate to sit while cooking the eggs.
4. Combine eggs, heavy cream, Cajun seasoning, and salt and pepper. Briskly whisk with a fork to beat air into the eggs and mix until smooth and combined. In the empty skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and heat to medium-high. Use a silicone spatula to spread the butter to coat the skillet. As soon as butter melts, pour the eggs into an even layer. Let stand for 30 seconds without touching. Then use the spatula to push the eggs from one side of the skillet to the other, tipping the skillet so uncooked eggs fill the empty space. Continue this process until eggs are cooked but still slightly wet and shiny. Do not overcook. As soon as eggs are set, empty on top of the potatoes. Let pan slightly cool, then return to the burner on a low burner.
5. move all the food from the plate back in the skillet and top with freshly shredded cheese. Stir to melt the cheese. check the seasoning and adjust any seasonings as needed. move to plates and top with chopped bacon or ham.
6. serve while it is hot or stuff into tortillas to make breakfast burritos.