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!
How long do they last in the freezer?
There’s no hard expiration date, but depending on how air-tight they’re packed and the conditions in your freezer, I’d say 2-3 months.
What is the calorie content of the breakfast bowls?
Easiest way to find out would be to plug everything into myfitnesspal.
yummy!
how long will this last in the refrigerator if im trying to stretch it out to make the week? Im just concerned about the eggs over time..
Probably about 4-5 days.
Fantastic recipe! I made these the other night, and took some into work as a morning treat for everyone – they loved them! Everyone demanded that I email them the recipe immediately.
Quick question though: Can these be reheated in the oven? I don’t have a microwave at home, just at work, but I definitely want to be able to eat these on my days off too!
Thanks!
Honestly, I don’t know much about reheating foods in the oven. I almost always use the microwave just because it’s SO much faster. I think I’d definitely cover them if using the oven, though, just to make sure they don’t dry out.
Make sure your freezer containers are safe for the microwave!!
This recipe has been sitting on my Pinterest board for quite awhile. I work a lot of early shifts, so my “lunch” is more around breakfast time. In my quest to find a cheap but filling breakfast, I’ve made a few versions of breakfast sandwiches to be froze, and they just haven’t turned out as good as the ones I like to buy. I combed through my Pinterest saved recipes and discovered this one again, which is similar to a frozen meal I’ve been buying on sale for around $2.
I made these bowls the other day, but didn’t add salsa. I did buy some precooked bacon and added that on top. Coming from someone who does not enjoy leftovers, I will tell you this is a great find! I ended up getting everything on sale and divided it into 8 portions so my version would be around 330 calories, they ended up costing around 60 cents a bowl, give or take a few cents for the spices that I was too lazy to calculate cost on. I think my next batch will have more cheese.
Thanks so much!
I want to thank you for inspiring me, I have been struggling each morning to make my husband something fast, very little time in the morning, up and out the door in 15 minutes, cereal gets old fast
Not sure what I did wrong/different but the potatoes only took 20 minutes to cook. Took them our to stir only to find that they were done cooking.
I love this recipe!! Doesn’t need to be only for breakfast!! What’s better than roasted potatoes (add some onion), scrambled eggs, salsa and CHEESE!!! YUM!!! I have even added some sour cream when finished! Oh, love this! Thanks!
How long do you reheat this? Power level?
Thank you for this. I don’t usually make or eat large, savory breakfasts for myself so I had no idea what the hell to feed my husband for work (who would not be satisfied with a fruit bowl, smoothie, or some yogurt thing in the morning as a meal). Plus, I felt like the frittatas and sandwiches were getting old, and he buys crap when left to his own devices, so this with the roasted potatoes is a nice alternative. It has been added to the meal plan this week. :)
I’ve got these going now, but I’m adding bacon. I’m also doing a batch of breakfast sandwiches, on toasted English muffins, so I’ll have a couple options of quick breakfasts ready to go. This is a great idea! I love the potatoes–I’ve found myself popping a few in my mouth every time I assemble another bowl. :P
I think these potatoes would also be good in breakfast burritos, maybe with peppers/onions cooked with them (but from experience I think the onions/peppers may char before the potatoes are ready, so I’d probably add them after I toss the potatoes at the half-way cooking point.)
I know I hate making breakfast for myself when I have to get up early, and I know my SO will be able to follow the reheat directions for when I’m not home. I’m looking forward to enjoying these in the early mornings. The hot and fresh one I had while prepping was delicious!
Thanks for the great idea!
What’s the calorie intake on this reciepe?
I did 3 oz potatoes, 1 oz ham, 2 oz scrambled eggs and a 1/2 oz sharp cheddar. I used a food scale to evenly portion each container. In doing this I calculated the calories to be roughly 275 per bowl.
The potatoes were fabulous!! Ate at least one portion while putting the bowls together.
how long do you warm them up when ready to eat from freezer and from fridge?
It depends on your microwave and how big your portions are, but I usually start with a minute, then stir, then add 30 or 60 second intervals as needed until it’s hot. Stir between each interval.