Build Your Own Breakfast Hash

Let me introduce you to my favorite meal: the breakfast hash. I love meals that are adaptable and can be made with whatever you have on hand. Although I do love cookbooks, I often cook without following a recipe.

Does this ever happen to you? You find the perfect recipe, only to realize you’re missing one key ingredient? And after a failed attempt at a quick Google search to look for any acceptable substitution you give up and find a different recipe? This has often been my experience, so I want to share this recipe that is easily adjustable to what you have on hand!

You can use whatever you have in your house (such as any vegetables that are currently hiding in your fridge.) This recipe is great with or without potatoes and if you’re opting for a meatless meal, it’s easy to sauté everything in one pan. Below is some detailed information to help in chosing your ingredients and making the cooking more efficient

Detailed Instructions

1. Choose your meat (if using)

This dish is a perfect way to get both your veggies and your favorite breakfast meats or vegetarian protein options. You can use bacon, sausage, or throw in whatever meat you have left over from the night before! Cook your meat in a pan until it is done. For easier clean up, place it on parchment paper on a baking sheet and bake it in the oven until cooked all the way through.

2. Pick your starch

This can be red potato, russet potato, sweet potato or even butternut squash! Whichever you choose, chop into bite sized pieces. You can choose to peel it if you’d like. Here I’ve chosen sweet potato, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with chili powder. To save time (and so I don’t have to watch them), I pop them in the oven at 375 °F for 20 minutes. This allows me to prepare the rest of the dish without having to pay attention to them on the stove.

3. Sauté onion

Yellow onion, red onion, shallots or leeks all will provide great flavors. Heat a tablespoon or so of oil in a frying pan. Dice the onions and cook until they are soft and translucent. This will allow the flavor to come out.

4. Gather your vegetables

The Okanagan is great for fresh, local vegetables. Some of my summer time favorites are asparagus, zucchini, tomatoes and cucumbers. You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand! Cook the tougher vegetables first (ex. asparagus, bell peppers, broccoli) and toss in soft, quicker cooking vegetables a few minutes later (ex. tomatoes, zucchini, kale). Aim for about 2 cups of uncooked vegetables per person. I typically lose track of the amount of vegetables I’m using and end up with leftovers for the next day!

5. Spice it up!

Garlic is one of my favorite flavors to add to savory dishes. If you’re using garlic, mince it and add to the pan with the vegetables. If you add it too early (say with the onions) it might burn. Other great seasoning options include chili powder, thyme, rosemary, pepper, or any seasoning mix you like. Go light on the salt; this dish already has lots of flavor!

6. Mix it all together

After your potatoes and vegetables have cooked, you can mix them together in the pan and let them hang out while you cook a couple eggs and get other toppings ready. You can always leave the potatoes to stay warm and crisp in the oven. Just make sure you lower the heat so they don’t dry out!

7. Top it off

Since it’s a breakfast hash, I top mine with two over easy eggs. My favorite part of eggs is that you can have them so many different ways. I’m a huge fan of a runny yolk. It creates a sauce over my potatoes and vegetables (ask me about my tips for the perfect over easy egg). Other great toppings are shredded cheese, avocado, fresh herbs, salsa, pesto, and/or hot sauce. I am a lover of spice and top any dish I can with hot sauce.

If you follow each of these steps, you’ll be crafting a breakfast hash just to your liking in no time. There's no measurements, so if you end up making too much, save the rest to reheat for the next day. This is my go to weekend brunch dish as it doesn’t require much planning, can be adjusted to the flavors I want that day, and is easy to throw together with whatever I have in the house. And if this sounds good but a little too much work right now, I highly suggest a breakfast bowl from Krafty Kitchen, Rustic Reel or Naked Cafe!