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!
Definitely would suggest doubling the spices used on the potatoes. It creates a more flavorful potato.
if using hashbrowns,how long would you cook them in the oven and what temp?
I made these for my husband last week and he loved them! I’m going to make another batch tonight for him for this upcoming week, but was going to try adding some sausage. If I do that, will they all still be on in the fridge all week? Or, because I’m adding meat do I need to freeze them instead, even though they’ll all be eaten within the next 5 days?
They should be fine in the fridge for about five days. Just make sure the sausage is fully cooked first. :)
I’ve never done freezable foods. How would you suggest reheating them to eat them both from the fridge and the fdeezer?
I just use the microwave. You’ll have to play around with the time because it differs from microwave to microwave. Just make sure to stir it a few times as it reheats. :)
I made these last Sunday. I put sausage and bacon in them. They worked great all week. The only thing is the bacon was soggy after reheating. I currently have the potatoes in the oven for another week’s worth of meals. My husband requested these for lunches. We felt like the 9 eggs wasn’t enough stretched across 6 bowls, so I will be adding a couple more today. Thanks for such a great recipe. We love the potatoes!!!
if the bacon is soggy try making the bacon the time you heat the breakfast bowl thats what i do or i use real hormel bacon bits for faster breakfast i just sprinkle some on top b4 putting the bowl into the microwave
This looks great! Any idea on the nutritional info on this dish?
I measure them out so I can track the calorie content on these. Makes it very easy to grab and go.
I imported the recipe into MyFitnessPal and it told me:
466 Calories
18g fat (9g saturated)
46g carbohydrate
9g fiber
22g protein
It’s kinda high in sodium (cheese tends to be), but it also has a lot of protein, fiber, calcium, iron, and potassium. If calories were a concern, I’d probably just split the recipe into eight portions instead of six. That would get it down to about 350 calories, and it would still be a pretty good serving size.
Thanks I have a hard time cooking in the morning this is a great idea.
gravy instead of hot sauce. would shredded potatoes work?
I think shredded potatoes would be great.
I see people saying frozen potatoes don’t reheat well. Any ideas on another carb that could replace the potatoes and would reheat well? Maybe cheese grits or something else?
Cheese grits is a great idea!
Am I the only one who finds potatoes taste disgusting after they have been frozen? No? Just me? oh… ok.
No, I agree. I liked this when it wasn’t frozen, but after re-heating in the microwave it did not taste good.
Do the potatoes ever get dry after reheating them? I’ve always tried to avoid reheating breakfast potatoes. I’m not a huge fan of salsa on eggs either, but if their purpose is to prevent dead potatoes I guess I could go for that.
Yes, the salsa definitely helps. The moisture creates steam when they’re reheated, which prevents the potatoes from drying out. Also, laying a lid loosely over the top as it microwaves helps hold in that steam. Just don’t clamp the lid down or the steam can cause it to explode.
Try putting a wet paper towel over the food before you micro it. Steams it and keeps food moist. Also works great with rice.
I didn’t add salsa to my bowls. My potatoes never got dried out or hard. They stayed moist since I left the lid loosely on the bowl while reheating.
How long do we reheat them when it comes time to eat???
It will depend on your microwave, but I usually start with one minute, give it a stir, then do more intervals of heating and stirring (30-60 seconds at a time) until it’s heated through. It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes, though.
Does it have to have salsa? Is there something else I can change it for?
I find that the salsa adds a lot of flavor and a little bit of moisture, but that’s optional I suppose. I’m not sure what would be a comparable replacement.
I would suggest cream, chopped green onions (just a little), and rosemary as a good replacement. Hotel chefs usually add cream to their scrambled eggs, so that works with that, and potatoes will keep some much needed moist. You could even try greek yoghurt instead
Greek yogurt! it freezes and microwaves well, i’ve tried it. you can keep it plain or make a simple sauce just by adding herbs and condiments- garlic powder, black pepper or chopped green onions would go great with the mix
i love breakfast ideas, i am not a good morning manager, so something quick like this grab and go is a wonderful idea. My question is could you mix sweet potatoes with the russet?
Ooh, yes, that would be delicious.
this looks awesome. about how long do you think these will last in the freezer before going bad? I’m thinking about how far ahead I can make these (im a lazy/busy college student)
Probably 2-3 months. They don’t “go bad” per se, they just slowly degrade in quality over time (dryness and freezer burn).
You got 9 large eggs for $1.49?
I eat a lot of eggs, so I usually buy and 18 pack. Generic store brands are much less expensive, as well.
If you have an Aldi Foods close to you they sell a dozen eggs for $1.49 most all the time. Gallon of milk $1.39-$1.49. Cheeses at great prices too! Not sure where all Aldi stores are located.
Do you take them straight from freezer to microwave, and for how long in microwave?
I do microwave them straight from the freezer. The time needed to reheat will depend on your microwave, but I usually start with one minute, give it a stir, then add more time in 30 to 60 second intervals with stirring in between until it’s hot all the way through.
How do I heat this up after I take out of the freezer?
I usually start with one minute, stir it, then add more time in 30-60 second intervals with stirring in between, until it’s hot all the way through.