Breakfast is an awesome opportunity to sneak in some vegetables. Because, yada, yada, yada, like we’ve been hearing all our lives, most of us need to eat more of them, according to Mom, and reports.
The USDA recommends that an average male between the ages of 19 to 50 eat 4 cup equivalents of veggies per day. For the average female, it’s 3 cup equivalents.
What-the-what is a cup-equivalent? It considers the form of the food. Example: one cup of light and airy, raw spinach leaves, has a 1/2 cup equivalency.
And how many vegetables are Americans in these age groups actually eating? Males are eating between 1.5 to 2 cup equivalents, and females are eating between 1.3 and 1.75 cup equivalents.
We can do better, people. Here are 17 simple yet tasty ways to enjoy veggies at breakfast.
1. Smashed avocado toast and veggies
The avocado toast craze is real, and we’re not complaining, especially when it’s churning out varieties as veggie-rific as this one.
There’s so much goodness going on here, from the coconut-oil glazed onions, asparagus, and peppers to the creamy avocado and runny egg.
This is one trend we hope never dies out.
2. Veggie breakfast tacos
The breakfast taco varieties out there are endless. This recipe caught our eye because the tortillas are stuffed with colorful veggies, scrambled eggs, and crumbled cheese.
Use corn or whole-wheat flour tortillas. And if you like it spicy, shake on more hot sauce.
3. Healthy vegan breakfast burritos
If you’re vegan, or simply looking to switch it up from eggs for breakfast, the tofu filling in these burritos will not disappoint.
Sautéed with onions, meaty mushrooms, peppers, and herbs, these healthful wraps are so flavorful, they’ll convert even the most stubborn skeptics of soy.
4. Mexican breakfast pasta
If pizza for breakfast is a thing, why can’t pasta be?! Switch up your morning carbs with a serving of spaghetti. Make it whole-wheat pasta for extra fiber, too.
Three bell peppers, chopped, join a can of black beans, and lots of grated cheese for ooey-gooey goodness.
The eggs cracked over the top give the whole thing a protein upgrade along with that breakfast-y vibe.
5. Vegan Southwest sweet potato breakfast hash
There are four components to this breakfast (stay with us), and they’re all easy and quick to make. Together they create amazing textures, flavor, and health benefits.
Can’t you just taste it? Lightly caramelized vitamin A-rich sweet potatoes and tangy, lycopene-packed pico de gallo. Chunky fiber-filled guac (one avocado has 8 grams of fiber), and smooth-as-silk chipotle-coconut cream.
6. Homemade hash browns with spinach and carrot
Why make regular old hash browns when you can make this much prettier version of them? Adding spinach and carrots to potato certainly jazzes up these panfried cakes in the color department.
And carrot also gives you beta carotene, and zeaxanthin, which studies show could lower the risk of macular degeneration.
7. Roasted vegetable skillet for one
Skillets aren’t just healthy one-pot meals, they’re a great way to use up whatever produce you have in your crisper.
Throw in that last handful of kale, lone mushroom, quarter of green pepper, and breakfast is ready in minutes. And the crisper’s clean.
8. Sweet potato and kale veggie cakes
Sweet potatoes step in for the usual white shredded spuds, adding way more vitamin A and C.
We love the way the batter made of almond meal, brown rice flour, and flaxseed, binds the sweet potato, onion, and kale into toasty panfried cakes.
9. Healthy breakfast salad
Pine nuts and avocados add healthy mono-unsaturated fat to the brimming bowl of cucumbers, tomatoes, and bell peppers. Top this Mediterranean salad with fried eggs. That runny yolk goodness creates awesome dressing.
10. Breakfast salad with green tahini lime dressing
If you just can’t digest (sorry, couldn’t resist) the idea of salad for breakfast, add a “spoonful of sugar” in the form of some fresh fruit. This one offsets the greens with the natural sweetness of mango, peaches, and strawberries.
A creamy tahini dressing ties everything together. See, there’s a reason other than hummus to buy that sesame seed spread.
11. Savory rosemary veggie oats
This veggie-packed breakfast boldly goes where few oatmeals have gone before. Mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, and greens replace the usual nut and berry suspects. Your taste buds will thank you for switching things up.
12. Savory oatmeal
Black beans in oatmeal? Why yes! Call this savory spin on oatmeal, “breakfast all day.” Carrots and lycopene-rich sun dried tomatoes provide the veggie factor here.
13. Savory veggie waffles
Bust out of the Belgian waffle iron, and go savory for a change. Orange or red bell peppers naturally sweeten these fluffy whole-wheat babies, and add some healthy fiber and vitamin C.
14. Healthy crock-pot breakfast casserole
Your slow-cooker will make this awesome breakfast for a crowd. Yum, hash browns, eggs, and cheesy goodness. And what? There’s really an entire head of broccoli in there? Yup.
15. Crustless vegetable quiche
As soon as a busy day hits, you won’t be nearly as tempted to fill up on bakery pastries if you’ve got this healthier homemade grab-and-go waiting in your bag.
We recommend that you make this on a Sunday, so you’ve got six delicious morning meals ready for the week. Come Monday morning, go ahead and hit “snooze” a few more times.
16. Beginner’s luck green smoothie
We’ll be surprised if you can tell there’s a vegetable at all. Here, spinach whirls up with mango, pineapples, and bananas. There’s no milk of any kind, so the flavors of veggies and fruit are really present.
17. Savory smoothie
Many produce based breakfast beverages mask a vegetable with an abundance of fruit, but here veggies proudly stand alone.
Okay, well cucumber and tomatoes may technically be fruit, but we really think of them as vegetables. This is like a homemade V8. Believe it or not, the option of nutritional yeast boosts the savory flavor.
We know we gotta do it: eat more veggies so we can pack in vital minerals, nutrients, and antioxidants. All good things. Instead of waiting until lunch and dinner time though, these recipes are a great way to get a head start.
