Make Ahead Savory Breakfast Bowls
Make a hearty breakfast bowl that puts the frozen version in a plastic tub to shame with high nutrition your body can thrive on. Celebrate whole foods you can make ahead and assemble for the best start to your day.
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Good food is nourishment and fuel that stabilizes blood sugar, helps you think clearly, and gives steady energy for your day.
But it can sometimes feel hard to do consistently. That’s why you’re going to master the make-ahead components of these breakfast bowls so you can enjoy one every morning.
How does a savory breakfast help you feel better?
If you make it count. Savory breakfasts will serve you better than sweet. They help balance blood sugar and, as a result, can be useful in managing mood swings and energy dips throughout the day.
Keeping steady blood sugar levels has been shown to regulate hormones, including stress hormones such as cortisol, while also reducing inflammation.
When your hormones are well regulated, you are more likely to have healthy sleep patterns too. All good things!
In addition, savory breakfasts can provide a good dose of healthy fats and proteins which can help keep sugar cravings controlled throughout the day.
Are Jimmy Dean or other frozen breakfast bowls healthy?
While it might be tempting to pull a Jimmy Dean breakfast bowl off the shelf and call it breakfast, you are MUCH better off making your own.
If we remember that our bodies run best on fuel we can pronounce and with ingredients you can buy off any grocery store shelf individually, then there’s plenty to consider.
Have a look at the evidence below. I’ve highlighted most (but not all of the ingredients that are linked to inflammation–like seed oils and refined sugar–and the ingredients that are reserved just for the food industry.
You can’t buy most of this ingredient list at the store.
You can easily look up the ingredients in these bowls online but the key to remember is that not all calories, fat or food are created equal.
Can breakfast bowls be made ahead?
Yes they can and I highly suggest it!
It’s an awesome way to set yourself up for success for the week. Make enough for 3-4 days worth of breakfasts and store everything in glass if you can. I’m still updating my stash, but I really like these glass containers.
Some tips for making breakfast bowls ahead
- Cook sprouted quinoa, eggs, and sauteed vegetables in advance, cool and refrigerate; keep everything together in one large container, or separate each part and assemble one bowl at a time
- Bacon can be partially cooked and then reheated in a skillet if you want it to be crispy
- Leave off the avocado, sprouts and cheese until ready to eat
- Reheat the hot components in a skillet and avoid the microwave. It breaks down the nutritional content of the food
So many ingredient options for healthy breakfast bowls
There are nearly endless options for ingredients in the world of breakfast bowls. It can be hard to pick, but here are some of my favorites:
- Potatoes or sweet potatoes. Try them baked, fried, mashed, or hash browned. Great to cook ahead and rewarm.
- Sausage! Crumbled patties are my favorite. If you are going for links, make sure to select an uncured product.
- Crumbled bacon. Grab something uncured and sugar free and steer clear of precooked, microwave ready products.
- Eggs any style. If you’re doing fried eggs, cook them fresh each morning. Hard boiled are best for grab and go breakfast bowls.
- Quinoa. Get sprouted grains if you plan to use them. Try cooking it in meat stock for amino acids, collagen and gelatin your body needs. Plus it’s delicious!
- Sliced avocado. Add this at the very end so it doesn’t get brown and mushy.
- Steamed dark greens. Kale and spinach are my favorites here. Try not to eat them raw–they are hard on the body to digest.
- Fresh or roasted tomatoes. I love tomatoes cooked with a bit of garlic just until softened. These can be cooked in the pan when you are steaming your greens.
- Fresh herbs – dill, parsley, and cilantro are some of my favorites.
- Sprouts will add some nutrients and glutathione. Broccoli and alfalfa are awesome options.
- Spices, seasonings, and sauces. I love adding everything bagel, red pepper flakes, hot sauce, sea salt (great mineral content), and/or olive oil for some healthy fats.
Tips for roasting vegetables ahead for breakfast bowls
The most time consuming part of breakfast bowls is roasting the veggies. Luckily, these are easy to prepare ahead of time.
- Roast any veggies you would like to add to your bowls a day (or even a couple of days) in advance. Lay your diced vegetables like zucchini, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, bell peppers or onions out on a big sheet pan and drizzle them with ghee or avocado oil.
- Add salt and pepper and toss before throwing them in the oven at around 425 degrees F. Alternately, you can cook them in a skillet on the stove, but the oven is hands off and easy.
- Cook times will vary depending on the veggies and the size of the dice. Roasted carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, zucchini, spinach, kale, and/or onions are some of my favorites.
- Do your immune system a favor and throw some whole garlic cloves in the mix. They are naturally antibiotic and antibacterial. Mash them after they’ve roasted and add them to your bowls.
- Once everything is roasted and cooled, store it all in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble your breakfast bowl.
How big should a breakfast bowl be?
While you don’t want to overload these tasty bowls (it’s easy to do with so many different options), it is important to get enough nutrients from your breakfast in order to ward off mid-morning hunger and cravings throughout the day.
Aim for an egg or two, a couple of pieces of bacon or sausage, 3/4 of a cup of grains if you are using them, and 3/4 of a cup of your favorite cooked vegetables.
What about cheese?
Cheese can really elevate your bowls. I try to stick to cultured cheeses such as gruyere, aged cheddar or parmesan, but feel free to go bananas with your favorites.
Try plopping some protein rich cultured cottage cheese on top of your bowl for a fun twist or crumbling on a bit of feta like I did for the photos here.
Other fast make ahead breakfast ideas to try
Not super excited about breakfast bowls, but still looking for a savory breakfast? I have quite a few recipes you can explore here.
I’ve been loving these southwest breakfast sandwiches, these egg + ham muffin cups, and this pimento cheese breakfast casserole.
Make Ahead Savory Breakfast Bowls
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken stock homemade is best; see note 1
- 1 1/2 cups sprouted quinoa
- 6 slices bacon uncured, sugar free
- 3 eggs hard boiled, peeled and sliced in half, see note 2
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 12 ounces spinach kale, collard greens or mustard greens could substitute
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3/4 cup broccoli sprouts optional
- 4 ounces feta cheese crumbled; optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring the chicken stock to a boil and cook the quinoa according to package directions.
- While the quinoa cooks, cook the bacon in a skillet or by laying it on a cookie sheet and baking it in the oven on 400 until crisp; about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Slice the tomatoes in half and set aside.
- If using hard boiled eggs, you can leave them whole until you're ready to eat or cut them in half now, then set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add the tomatoes. Cook until just beginning to soften, about 1 to 2 minutes then add the spinach to the pan.
- Add the garlic on top of the vegetables and stir until the spinach wilts. Season the vegetables with a pinch of salt and pepper and set aside.
Assemble bowls
- Add 3/4 cup cooked quinoa, 1/3 of the spinach and tomatoes, one hard boiled egg, two slices of bacon, a handful of sprouts and about 2 tablespoons of crumbled feta to each bowl. Drizzle with olive oil or lemon juice if desired, serve warm.
To reheat bowls
- Warm a medium skillet over medium heat and add 1 teaspoon butter, ghee, avocado oil, etc. Add the quinoa, tomatoes and spinach to the skillet and stir to heat through. Lay the bacon slices in the skillet to warm, then transfer to a bowl and top with hard boiled egg, sprouts, and cheese.
About the Author
Rachel Ballard, RN, BSN brings more than 20 years of professional nursing expertise to Feast and Farm. With a love for nutrient dense foods that support wellness, she works to distill complex health information and current trends into recipes that fuel the best version of yourself. Read more about Rachel here.