If you’ve been following the blog for a while, then you know how I love to meal prep my breakfast. It’s just so much easier to spend a little time on the weekend to get my breakfast in order so I can just pop one in the microwave every morning and have a nice hot breakfast in about 90 seconds. These Country Breakfast Bowls are one of the first breakfast meal prep recipes that I ever made. And I haven’t stopped since.
Shown with Pyrex 3-cup glass meal prep containers, which can be found in my Amazon Shop.
I got the idea for these Country Breakfast Bowls while watching TV. I saw a commercial for some frozen breakfast bowls that no doubt cost about $4 each and thought, “I can make that!” And for much less, of course. These breakfast meal prep bowls are so incredibly easy, you can make them while you’re watching TV on Sunday afternoon and have breakfast sorted for the rest of the week.
What’s in a Country Breakfast Bowl?
My breakfast bowls start with a bed of seasoned roasted potatoes, and are then topped with scrambled eggs, a little salsa, and cheddar cheese. You could also add these fun toppings:
- sautéed breakfast sausage
- crumbled bacon
- green onions
- ham
- bell pepper
- hot sauce
How Long do The Breakfast Bowls Stay Good?
You can keep these Country Breakfast Bowls in the refrigerator for about four days, or in the freezer for about three months. To freeze the bowls, make sure to cool them completely in the refrigerator first (overnight), then transfer them to the freezer the next day.
How to Reheat Country Breakfast Bowls
I reheat my Country Breakfast Bowls from the refrigerator in the microwave for about 90 seconds on high, but the total time needed will depend on the wattage of your microwave and your containers. To reheat from frozen, first use the defrost setting for about 3-5 minutes, then finish on high for 1-2 minutes. Or you can transfer the breakfast bowl from the freezer to the refrigerator the day before and skip the defrost step.
And who says you have to eat this for breakfast? NO ONE. They’re also great for taking to work for lunch, or a quick lazy dinner!
Country Breakfast Bowls
Servings 4Ingredients
- 2 lbs russet potatoes ($1.00)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- ¼ tsp salt ($0.02)
- Freshly cracked black pepper ($0.03)
- 6 large eggs ($1.40)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.26)
- 1 cup salsa ($1.49)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese ($0.85)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Wash and cut the potatoes into ½-inch cubes.
- For extra protection against the potatoes sticking, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Otherwise, rub 1 Tbsp of the olive oil over the surface of a large baking sheet. Spread the potatoes out onto the baking sheet. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of oil over the potatoes, along with the smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat the potatoes in oil and spices.
- Roast the potatoes in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until they are golden brown and crispy. Stir once half way through roasting.
- When the potatoes are close to being finished, crack the eggs into a large bowl and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Gently whisk the eggs.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. When the butter is melted, pour in the eggs. Gently move the eggs around the skillet until they are mostly solid, but still soft and glistening. Be careful not to over cook the eggs at this point because they will cook further when the breakfast bowls are reheated.
- To prepare the bowls, divide the roasted potatoes and scrambled eggs between four freezer safe containers. Add 1/4 cup of salsa to each container then top with about 1/4 cup of shredded cheese.
- Chill the bowls in the refrigerator before transferring to the freezer. Or, leave them in the refrigerator if you plan to eat them within 4-5 days.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Country Breakfast Bowls – Step by Step Photos
Begin by preheating the oven to 400ºF. Clean and dice 2 lbs. russet potatoes into ½-inch cubes. Line a baking sheet with parchment for extra protection against sticking, or, if you like to live dangerous like me, just smear a tablespoon of oil over the surface of a baking sheet. Spread the potatoes out over the prepared baking sheet.
Add a second tablespoon of olive oil to the potatoes along with 1 tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp salt, and some freshly cracked black pepper. Toss the potatoes to coat them in oil and spices.
Roast the potatoes in the preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes or until they are golden brown and crispy. Stir once half way through roasting.
When the potatoes are almost done roasting, crack six large eggs into a bowl and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Lightly whisk the eggs.
Heat two tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Once melted, add the whisked eggs. Cook the eggs slowly, gently moving them around the skillet with a spatula, until they are mostly set, but still soft and glistening. It’s really important not to overcook the eggs at this point because they will cook even further when you reheat the bowls.
To build the country breakfast bowls, divide the roasted potatoes between four containers.
Next, divide the scrambled eggs between the four containers.
Add ¼ cup salsa to each container.
Lastly, add ¼ cup shredded cheddar to each container. Refrigerate the containers for 4 days, or freeze for longer storage.
To reheat, simply microwave until heated through and enjoy!
Can you buy a bag of frozen diced potatoes? maybe the ones with onions and peppers in them already and use those? instead of dicing your own?
thanks!
Yes, that should work. They might have a bit more moisture, though, so they might not brown up quite as well.
Not sure if this has been asked/answered before but how long will these stay fresh in the freezer? 3m? Just want to know prior to doing a major food prep :)
There’s no hard line for when they’ll be “good” or “bad”, but I usually try to eat them before three months. They will just slowly dry out and grow ice crystals over time.
I’m so excited to try these! I’ve had some of those breakfast bowls that I got on sale with a coupon that I doubled. I was looking at it and the nutrition facts full of sodium, packaging and nothing too complicated. So glad you posted these. The bowls are so great for my cubicle confined mornings. I have a bunch of dried chives left over from the garden. I’m wondering if they’d be a substitute for the green onion?
Yes, chives would be a lovely substitute. :)
I was eating one of those frozen things this morning thinking I could make that and low and behold you’d already beat me to it! Thanks for the recipe!
Have you ever tried another method of reheating other than microwaving them? I try to avoid using it when possible and I was curious if anything else worked well without sacrificing taste and texture!
I haven’t, I’m sorry!
Hi, I haven’t tried it with this particular recipe, which is divine! but, if you change your container to one that is toaster oven safe (glass, ceramic or metal) it should heat nicely. However, with it frozen, I’d make sure I covered it in the beginning so that it thawed and heated without drying out. Hope this helps? And hoping I’m not stepping on your toes Beth! Love this recipe!
Has one tried this with sweet potatoes?
I did a mixture of 1/2 russet potatoes and 1/2 sweet potatoes and it was delicious! I think using all sweet potatoes wouldn’t be very good, because it would be too sweet, though that’s just my taste preference.
Wanted some breakfast inspiration and found this recipe, my potatoes are in the oven just now :-) I parboiled my potato cubes because I’m starving :-D really looking forward to eating this and the salsa will be used to make the salsa, ricey one pot chicken thing but using pork. We always have a jar of salsa in now so we can make it, it’s a favourite x
If I freeze these, how long will it take to microwave a bowl?
It just depends on your microwave. I would start with a minute, then stir and cook more at 30 second intervals (stirring between each) until it’s heated through.
Beth, these are stellar! I struggle to eat a good breakfast every day and these are a simple and easy solution. The potatoes are sooo very good – mmm. Thank you!
Hey I got a question for you!
I have pre-made eggs and kept them in the freezer or the fridge and couldn’t eat them without gagging. :( Any suggestions? They always turn out rubbery and nasty. Will the undercooking help?
Yes, I think undercooking will help some, but water does tend to seep a little out of eggs that have been frozen. Under cooking will help prevent over cooking when they’re reheated, though! :)
Tip: Don’t freeze green onions. They turn rancid when frozen!
I’ve frozen chopped green onions lots and have never had a problem with them. I chop them, put them on a cookie sheet in a single layer, and then once frozen, put them into a plastic freezer container and take out whatever amount as needed. I think I’ve had some frozen for up to 6 months or so and they were fine for anything I was cooking. They don’t work on salads, or anything fresh, of course, but they’re great for anything that’s cooked (soups, casseroles, etc.).
Great idea, thank you! I just made these bowls and added homemade turkey sausage. This is just what I needed to make sure my teenage son get something nutritious and quick in the AM.
Totally awesome. These can be changed according to what you have on hand. I roasted the potatoes for the bottom layer. Then I added smoked pulled pork, then scrambled the eggs. (Note: if you add a couple of tablespoons of orange juice to the eggs, they will keep their bright color). I also added cream cheese to the eggs. Then topped it all with shredded pepper jack cheese and cheddar. A minute or so in the microwave (if thawed) was perfect.
Had a chunk of leftover corned beef from a New England boiled dinner I made. Made half the bowls with salsa; half the bowl with chunked corned beef instead. Otherwise, just as written. Delish!
To prevent extra ice and ice crystals, I’ve started cooling the food in the fridge without the lid or without sealing the bag to let the steam escape. When it has cooled, THEN I seal the bag, and then shortly after put in the freezer.