A quinoa breakfast bowl is a great way to kick-start your day. They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but I know for many people it can be hard to eat a hearty breakfast first thing. Nevertheless, I have found that when I do, I’m not starving hours before lunchtime. Full of fiber it can help with cholesterol and blood sugar levels lowering your risk of diabetes and heart disease. So there is more to breakfast than just oatmeal! I have had a couple of quinoa breakfast bowls at local restaurants, but they’ve always been just ok. I knew I could create a much better-tasting one. So here’s my version of a savory quinoa breakfast bowl recipe.
I start by putting a layer of fluffy quinoa on the bottom of the bowl, then I top it with crispy breakfast potatoes that have been made with rosemary, onions, bell peppers, and spinach, and the bowl is finished off with an over-easy egg and diced avocados. It’s breakfast perfection in a bowl. You can play around with what goes inside, consider adding crispy bacon or sausage or use sweet potatoes instead of russet. The options are endless and I can’t wait for you to try this recipe out.
Here’s what you need to make quinoa breakfast bowls:
Here are the ingredients for this healthy breakfast bowl. First, you need cooked quinoa. There are a few kinds available. The most common is white, but you will find a red variety and Tri-color. All kinds work in the recipe. The red quinoa tends to have a more nutty flavor, with the white having a very mild taste.
Next, you’ll need two russet potatoes, one red bell Pepper, half of a yellow onion, one clove of garlic, and three cups of spinach. If you prefer baby kale to spinach that would be a great option. Sautéed kale is delicious and would offer a ton of health benefits. You could also try sweet potatoes, instead of russet.
To top these bowls off, I recommend an egg or two prepared any way you like. An over-easy egg is my go-to but scrambled come in a close second. Some might prefer a perfect soft-boiled egg or hard-boiled, or no egg at all, it’s your call! To finish the bowls off I add diced avocado and salsa. There are many different things you can put into this breakfast bowl, so feel free to make it your own!
Here’s how to make this savory breakfast bowl:
Begin by making the quinoa. Add one cup of quinoa and two cups of water to a pot. Next add 1 tablespoon of butter, a pinch of salt, and some black pepper, and bring it to a boil. Once it starts to boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pot with a lid. Let simmer and absorb the liquid for about 12 -15 minutes. Once all of the liquid is absorbed, remove from the heat and fluff with a fork, and then put the lid partially back on until it’s time to eat.
PRO-TIP!
Consider making a big batch of quinoa at the beginning of the week. Making the quinoa ahead of time cuts down on the cooking process. It can turn this into a pretty quick breakfast. You could also par-cook the potatoes as well. Cut them and let them cool before putting them into the refrigerator.
Cooking potatoes and veggies:
While the quinoa is cooking, par-cook the potatoes. Par-cooking just means to partially cook ahead of time so it can be finished later. I find that this step is crucial when making breakfast potatoes. When you are pan-frying raw potatoes the outside tends to get brown, but you are left with a hard center. It also takes a very long time to cook the potatoes on the stove-top from the raw state. So I par-cook them in the microwave for about 5-6 minutes. The potatoes are pretty soft and cook up in about 10 minutes on the stovetop. You are going to want to cut the potatoes into small cubes or bite-size chunks.
Now let’s cook the fresh veggies. Over medium heat add olive oil to a large frying pan. Once the oil begins to shimmer add the diced onion and peppers. Add in the spices of oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the onions and peppers are soft add the potatoes, rosemary, salt, and pepper. I also like to drizzle some olive oil over the top and then stir it all together. Then let the potatoes sit for 2-3 minutes before stirring again. This allows for the potatoes to brown and caramelize. You’ll end up cooking the potatoes for about 10 minutes or so, but you can cook them longer if you want them to brown more.
Once the potatoes are cooked to your liking, make room in the middle of the pan by pushing the potatoes to each side. Add a bit more olive oil and the minced garlic. Let the garlic cook for about 20 seconds or so and then add in the spinach. It will seem like too much spinach, but it will cook down and be the perfect amount. As the spinach wilts down stir to combine the spinach and potatoes. Once everything is mixed together turn the heat to low and prepare the eggs.
If you are serving multiple people I’d recommend scrambling the eggs. Soft, fluffy scrambled eggs on top of the potatoes and quinoa are the best way to serve a few people at one time. You could also use only egg whites if you’d prefer. If there are only a couple of people then I’d recommend frying the eggs. Over-easy with a runny yolk takes the savory bowls to the next level. If runny yolk is not your thing then a good choice might be to have hard-boiled eggs. These can be prepared ahead of time which could help make this a quick breakfast.
Once the eggs are finished it’s time to assemble the bowls. Use a shallow bowl and add the quinoa to the bottom. Next, add the potatoes mixture and then place the eggs over the potatoes. To top off the bowl I add creamy avocado and a bit of salsa. You can add hot sauce or red pepper flakes for some heat. Diced fresh cherry tomatoes and crumble goat cheese would also be tasty. The options are endless which is the best part of this recipe-just add what you like so you enjoy this healthy breakfast.
More breakfast recipes to try!
quinoa breakfast bowl
This Quinoa breakfast bowl is filled with fluffy quinoa, breakfast potatoes made with onion, peppers, and spinach topped with fried eggs and creamy avocado.
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 Russet potatoes, par cooked and diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- Salt & pepper
- Dash garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried or fresh rosemary
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 4 -8 eggs, scrambled, fried or hard boiled
- 1 avocado, diced
- Salsa for topping
Instructions
- Begin by making the quinoa. Add 2 cups of water and 1 cup of quinoa to a pot. Add 1 tbsp of butter, 1/4 tsp of salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Bring to a boil. Then lower the heat to a simmer and cover for 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and check to see that the liquid is absorbed. If it is then fluff/stir with a fork and put the lid on but slightly off and let sit until it's time to use. If there is still liquid put it back on the heat for 1-2 minutes with the lid on.
- While the quinoa is cooking par-cook the potatoes. Wash and dry the potatoes. Then, using a sharp knife poke several holes on all sides of the potatoes. Put into the microwave for 5-7 minutes. They should not be totally soft, but easy to poke a knife into the flesh. The middle might still be a bit hard, but that’s ok.
- After the potatoes come out of the microwave they will be pretty hot to handle so be careful not to burn yourself. Cut the potatoes in half and then each half should be cut into fourths. Depending on the size of your potato you should have 8 wedges per potato. If using a smaller potato then only cut each half in half leaving you with 4 wedges. After you cut the potatoes into wedges then cut them into cubes or small chunks.
- While the potatoes and quinoa cook, dice the onions, peppers, and garlic.
- Start cooking the veggies. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and then add olive oil. Once it starts to shimmer add the diced onion, bell peppers, 1/2 tsp oregano, dash of garlic powder, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook until soft, stirring occasionally. This takes about 5 minutes.
- Add the potatoes, rosemary, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, drizzle olive oil and stir to combine. Then let the potatoes sit for 2-3 minutes before stirring again. This allows for browning and caramelization. Cook the potatoes for a total of 10 minutes. You can cook them longer if you want them to brown more.
- Make room in the center of the pan by pushing the potatoes to each side, then add about a tsp of olive oil and the minced garlic. Let the garlic cook for about 20 seconds and then add in the spinach. It’s going to seem like there is too much spinach, but it will wilt down and there will be the perfect amount. Once the spinach starts to wilt down stir everything together so the potatoes, peppers, onion, and spinach are combined. Turn off the heat and prepare the eggs.
- Prepare the eggs in a separate pan. Scrambled, over easy, or even hard-boiled would work. I think one fried egg or hard-boiled egg is a sufficient per bowl, but if you are scrambling the eggs you might want to consider 2 per bowl.
- Assemble the bowls. Divide the quinoa between 4 shallow bowls. Then top the quinoa with the potatoes mixture to that add the eggs and top with diced avocado.
