Egg Skillet

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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 easy to make.

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

The finished, savory breakfast, hot and ready for serving.

Egg Skillet

This country breakfast Egg Skillet is such a fun and easy breakfast to make…with so many delicious 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 perfect 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!

Fresh vegetables sautéing in a pan with whisked, seasoned eggs ready to be added.

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, transfer them to a plate while we cook the eggs. I absolutely love the method I share below for soft-scrambling eggs. They end up perfectly soft scrambled every single time! Of course, if you like your eggs more well done, cook them longer, but we love 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). Garnish with fresh herbs if desired and eat as close to finishing as possible!

Eggs cooking in a skillet with melted butter.

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-high heat. 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 transfer 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.

Egg skillet on a plate garnished with fresh parsley, ready to eat.

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.

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Egg Skillet

5 from 8 votes
This hearty breakfast Egg Skillet has it all - crispy potatoes, soft onions, peppers, eggs, and ham (or bacon) - all made together in one skillet! This filling egg skillet is packed with good ingredients and is simple to make.
The finished, savory breakfast, hot and ready for serving.
Print Recipe

Egg Skillet

The finished, savory breakfast, hot and ready for serving.
5 from 8 votes
This hearty breakfast Egg Skillet has it all - crispy potatoes, soft onions, peppers, eggs, and ham (or bacon) - all made together in one skillet! This filling egg skillet is packed with good ingredients and is simple to make.
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Keyword egg skillet
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Chelsea Lords
Calories 295kcal
Cost $4.91

Ingredients

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

Instructions

  • PREP: Coarsely chop the onion and red pepper; we don't want these finely diced, but chopped to about 1/2-inch pieces. 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.
  • BACON: If using instead of ham, See Note 1.
  • ONION, PEPPER, AND POTATOES: In a very large nonstick skillet (12 inches) heat 4 tablespoons butter to medium heat. When the butter has melted, add in the prepared red pepper, onion, and potatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and cook over medium heat 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 we cook the eggs.
  • EGGS: Combine the eggs, milk (or half-and-half or heavy cream), Cajun seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. 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 the butter is melted, pour the eggs into one 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 of the skillet. Continue this process until eggs are cooked, but still slightly wet and shiny. Do not over-cook. As soon as the eggs are set, empty on top of the potatoes. Let pan slightly cool and then return to the burner on low heat.
  • CHEESE: Transfer all the food from the plate back in the skillet and top with the freshly grated cheese. Stir to melt the cheese. Taste and adjust any seasonings as needed. Transfer to plates and top with chopped bacon or ham.
  • SERVE: Serve immediately or stuff into tortillas to make breakfast burritos.

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Bacon or ham: Use 1 cup chopped, cooked ham OR 6-7 slices of bacon.
  • If using bacon (instead of ham), cook the bacon before preparing the vegetables or eggs. Transfer cooked bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate and wipe out the skillet. Coarsely chop the bacon once it's cool enough to handle.
  • If using ham, just stir it in to heat through at the end of cooking the potatoes/peppers/onions and then transfer to the plate. 
Nutrition information will vary, depending on any extra toppings you add; this nutrition label represents the ingredients in the written recipe.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4servings | Calories: 295kcal | Carbohydrates: 14.3g | Protein: 21.2g | Fat: 24.9g | Cholesterol: 348.9mg | Sodium: 144.5mg | Fiber: 1.7g | Sugar: 2.2g

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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15 Comments

  1. Now this is exactly how I want to wake up every Saturday morning! Butter, cheese, potatoes? You can never go wrong there!

  2. Sounds good. I make something similar using frozen Potatoes O’Brien, sausage, eggs and cheese. Might be another option to try.

    1. So glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks for trying out so many of my recipes and leaving comments! 🙂

  3. I was wondering if I could use ground beef instead of bacon. How much do you think I should use? 1 pound? I can’t wait to try this, it sounds amazing.

    1. I haven’t tried ground beef in this recipe and wonder if it would have enough flavor. If you do try it, I’d probably stick to 1/2 pound

  4. 5 stars
    Use jalapeño instead of red pepper… what I had on hand plus leftover carne asade instead of ham and bacon. Oh my. Delicious

  5. 5 stars
    Delicious! This is my new go to brunch dish. I used refrigerated hash browns instead of diced potatoes and added diced chicken sausage.

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