EGGcellent 10 minute brunch ideas
It has been said that if you have an egg, you have a meal. We have put together some delicious egg-based brunch ideas right here.
Easy Egg Brunch Recipes
Eggs can be cheap, full of protein and can be jazzed up or paired down depending on your mood.
Here we list some of our favourite ways to prepare and serve eggy meals
Love it or hate it?
Depending on which Marmite camp you are in, it is a surprisingly popular accompaniment for eggs. Smeared on buttered toast, or even a crumpet, and topped with an egg or two (fried, scrambled or even poached works here) somehow elevates a plain meal into a dish with a lovely umami flavour.
Under the sea
Perhaps an even more divisive option is to combine your eggs with fish - from the classic smoked salmon (top tip: a cheaper option in supermarkets is to go for the pack of trimmings - perfect for mixing with something else and significantly cheaper per kilogram than slices), to the old-school option of kippers (be prepared to be thirsty for much of the day!) or even saltier, anchovies (surprisingly subtle in an omelette).
All the veggies
An easy way to add to your 5-a-day (or is it 10 now?) vegetables in almost any form pair beautifully with eggs.
Crispy fried mushrooms offer a balance of textures, oven baked cherry tomatoes give a burst of sweetness and almost any green leaves can be added to the mix for an extra dose of fibre.
Try something new
A lovely meal for any time of day is Shakshuka, a North African / middle eastern dish which is super tasty, cheap to make and uses up store cupboard ingredients like chopped tomatoes. By frying vegetables such as peppers, onions and garlic and adding a tin of chopped tomatoes to a large pan, you create a tasty base to crack some eggs on top of. Add in any herbs or spices you like and you can experiment by crumbling in cheese. Eat with a big side of toast or crusty bread for a filling meal. Here is a great recipe to show you how it can be done.
Shakshuka
What you will need
1 tbsp olive oil
2 red onions, chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, sliced
small bunch coriander stalks and leaves chopped separately
2 cans cherry tomatoes
1 tsp caster sugar
4 eggs
How to make Shakshuka
Heat the oil in a frying pan that has a lid, then soften the onions, chilli, garlic and coriander stalks for 5 mins until soft. Stir in the tomatoes and sugar, then bubble for 8-10 mins until thick. This part can be frozen for 1 month so really handy to have made ahead of time (or not!)
Using the back of a big spoon, make 4 dips in the sauce, then crack an egg into each one. Put a lid on the pan, then cook over a low heat for 6-8 mins, until the eggs are done to your liking. Scatter with coriander leaves and serve with crusty bread.
Say cheese
The list of things that are improved by cheese is endless - including eggs! Grated cheddar in an omelette, cubes of feta nestled in among scrambled eggs, fried eggs with lacy, golden, crunchy parmesan edges... Is anyone else salivating?
Parmesan Egg with Spinach
What you will need
1 large egg
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 handful fresh spinach leaves
1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 clove garlic, chopped
How to make Parmesan Eggs
You need a heavy base metal pan with a lid. Use a baking tray on top if you don't have a lid that fits
Heat olive oil in the pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook briefly, just until fragrant. Add spinach leaves and toss, cooking until just wilted. Remove to a plate. Wipe out the pan.
Reduce heat to medium-low. Add parmesan to in an even layer, forming an oval in the middle. Let cook 30 seconds, then crack an egg over one edge of the parmesan, so the egg is half on and half off the parmesan. Cover the pan and cook until egg is just set. Remove lid and allow to cook another 30 seconds or so more. Use a spatula to transfer parmesan/egg to plate with spinach.
Some like it hot
Adding some spice to your eggs takes the marmite bite to the next level. Try spooning spicy infused oil over your egg or making some Jalepeno Popper Egg Cups for a Mexican-inspired meal.
Jalapeno Popper Egg Cups
What you will need
12 slices bacon
10 large eggs
60 g sour cream
50 g grated Cheddar
50 g grated mozzarella
2 jalapeños, 1 crushed and 1 thinly sliced
1 tsp. garlic powder
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
non-stick cooking spray
How to make Jalapeno Popper Egg Cups
Preheat oven to 190°C (170ºC fan). In a large pan, cook bacon until slightly browned but still pliable. Set aside on a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, cheeses, jalapeño and garlic powder. Season with salt and pepper.
Using non-stick cooking spray, grease a muffin tin. Line each dip with one slice of bacon, then pour egg mixture into each muffin cup until about two-thirds of the way to the top. Top each muffin with a jalapeño slice.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until the eggs no longer look wet. Cool slightly before removing from the muffin tin.
The warmth of Indian spices like garam masala and cumin are a gentler way to spice up your scrambled eggs and offer such a comforting, interesting dish.
Indian Scrambled Eggs
What you will need
1 tbsp butter
1 small red onion , finely chopped
1 green or red chilli , deseeded and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves , crushed
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp garam masala
good pinch of turmeric
2 large tomatoes , deseeded and finely chopped
7 eggs , beaten
small pack coriander , roughly chopped
4 chapatis (or gluten-free alternative), lightly toasted, to serve
How to make Indian Scrambled Eggs
Heat a large frying pan over a low-medium heat and add the butter. Gently fry the onion, chilli and garlic until the onion is soft. Add the spices and cook for 1-2 mins more, stirring around the pan until aromatic.
Add the tomatoes, cook for 1 min, then pour in the eggs and lower the heat. Stir slowly to scramble the eggs as they cook, and remove from the heat while they are still a little runny. Continue stirring off the heat for 1 min more until the eggs are just set.
Stir through the coriander and serve with chapatis for a delicious brunch.
What we love about an egg-based meal is that you can use pretty much any flavour combination to make something special out of something simple.
The choices are endless and many of them are pretty delicious! Impress friends and relatives, or whip something up for the family at the last minute to make a lunch or breakfast just a little more interesting.
