Hearty Winter Vegetable Egg Scramble Recipe

In cold weather, we crave warm, nourishing breakfasts to energize us for the day ahead. This hearty winter vegetable egg scramble is the perfect weekend breakfast when you have a little extra time to cook. It's packed with winter veggies like sweet potato, broccoli, and kale to give you a dose of nutrients and fiber, and it's stick-to-your-ribs filling without being unhealthy.

According to Ksenia Prints of At the Immigrant's Table, the combination of vegetables and eggs makes for a satisfying meal that will keep you full and focused all morning long. In fact, the beauty of this recipe lies in its simplicity. All you need is some olive oil, onions, and veggies sauteed together in a skillet before adding beaten eggs to create a scrambled egg mixture. Sprinkle on some tangy feta cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste, and you've got yourself a meal that will keep you going even when the temperatures drop.

In about 30 minutes, you'll have a colorful, veggie-loaded scramble ready to enjoy for breakfast, lunch, or even dinner. Forget about bland egg dishes — this recipe will brighten up any winter morning. Serve it straight out of the skillet along with some toasted bread for a heartier meal.

To make this hearty winter vegetable egg scramble, you will need olive oil, yellow onion, sweet potato, broccoli florets, kale, eggs, feta cheese, salt, and pepper. The onion, sweet potato, broccoli, and kale form the vegetable base, the eggs bind everything together when scrambled, and the feta cheese adds tang. That's all you need to make a delicious and nutritious winter vegetable egg scramble!

Heat the olive oil in a large, cast-iron or non-stick skillet over medium heat.

Add the sliced onion and saute on medium heat for 5 minutes, until it starts to change color.

Lower the heat to low and continue cooking the onion for 10 minutes, until it caramelizes.

Add diced sweet potato and broccoli florets to the skillet. Saute for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften.

Add the chopped kale, cover with a lid, and continue cooking for 5 more minutes, until the kale is wilted.

While the kale cooks, crack the eggs into a small bowl and beat lightly with a fork.

Pour the beaten eggs over the vegetables in the skillet. Using a spatula, gently scramble the eggs, stirring and folding them continuously, until they are fully cooked through but still moist, about 3 minutes.

Crumble the feta into the skillet, then remove the skillet from heat.

Season the vegetable egg scramble with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

You absolutely can substitute different vegetables in this recipe. The beauty of a veggie scramble is that it's endlessly customizable in accordance with what you have on hand, what you love to eat, or what's in season. Some great options to swap in are red, yellow, or orange bell peppers that will add sweetness. Try zucchini in summer, spinach for a more greens-centered meal, and mushrooms for a woodsy touch. Asparagus and green beans are best in spring, Brussels sprouts in fall, while cauliflower, butternut squash, or any winter squash varieties offer another healthy winter option. Just aim for 1–2 cups of diced veggies in total. The cooking time might vary a bit depending on the veggies, so keep an eye on them and adjust the heat and time as needed. For example, mushrooms and spinach will cook faster than denser veggies like squash. Play around and have fun with different flavor and texture combinations!

You'll know the eggs are fully cooked when they are no longer runny or liquidy looking and the curds are set. The scramble should be moist but not wet. Be patient and stir continuously using a silicone or rubber spatula as the eggs cook. Folding the eggs helps form small, tender curds rather than large chunks. It usually takes 2-4 minutes of gentle stirring and folding once the eggs are added for them to fully cook through. If in doubt, err on the side of undercooking rather than overcooking the eggs. You don't want the eggs to overcook or they can become dry and rubbery. The finished texture should be soft, creamy, and moist. If you're still unsure, you can make a small slit in the thickest part of the scramble to check that no liquid egg remains.

Prepping some of the components in advance works great for this recipe. If you're trying to save time or if you're making a large batch of this dish, we suggest that you prep and cook the vegetables 1–2 days ahead, let them cool completely, then refrigerate in an airtight container. When ready to make the scramble, saute the vegetable mixture over medium heat first to warm everything through before adding the eggs. However, if you are thinking about cooking the eggs in advance, we recommend that you abandon this shortcut. Eggs that are left in the fridge will harden and will taste dry and rubbery, ruining your precious dish. Instead, we suggest you prep the rest of the ingredients in advance and leave the egg cooking to the last minute — after all, it's only a matter of 2–4 minutes of cooking! With some simple prep work, you can have a fresh veggie scramble ready in no time.