Start Your Day with a Nutritious Breakfast
Cooking Light is working with the Partnership for a Healthier America and USDA’s MyPlate to give anyone looking for healthier options access to thousands of recipes that will help them create healthy, tasty plates. For more information about creating a healthy plate, visit the MyPlate website.
Eggs Blindfolded over Garlic Cheddar Grits
Blindfolded eggs are a short-order cook’s version of poached eggs. The grits in this recipe make a divine bed for the perfectly cooked eggs.
Quick Breakfast Burritos
We love how easy it is to take this breakfast on the road. A full breakfast wrapped up in a nice neat little package—and it tastes delicious too.
Libanais Breakfast
This Middle Eastern-inspired breakfast is a popular selection at Medina, a Belgian breakfast spot in Vancouver, where the dish includes a boiled egg and three salads—tabbouleh, cucumber salad, and baba ghanoush—complemented with crisp pita toasts. Our simplified version features just one salad: tabbouleh.
Blueberry-Passion Fruit Smoothie
With plenty of fruit, fiber, and protein, this quick shake is a sweet snack you can feel good about. You can also enjoy a larger serving as a healthful breakfast. Look for canned passion fruit nectar with other bottled and canned juices or in the Latin food section of your grocery store. If you can't find it, substitute pineapple juice.
Egg White and Sun-Dried Tomato Frittata
The frittata gets a healthy makeover by only using egg whites instead of the whole egg. Also, you can substitute feta if ricotta salata is unavailable.
Three-Grain Breakfast Cereal with Walnuts and Dried Fruit
This mixture of barley and oats with nuts and raisins will keep you going all morning. Walnuts provide omega-3 fatty acids, but pecans also work nicely in this high-fiber cereal. Serve with yogurt or milk, and top with fresh fruit.
Mushroom Frittata
This vegetarian egg recipe is ideal for a light breakfast or brunch, but you can also serve it for dinner paired with a simple side salad.
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Baked Egg-in-a-Hole
These bacon-and-egg toasts make for a fun breakfast or easy dinner. This kid-friendly recipe is sure to be a hit, any time of day.
Banana Breakfast Smoothie
This breakfast smoothie is loaded with protein and easy to take along with a handful of granola for a quick breakfast on the go. Adding the yogurt at the very end imparts a creamy texture to the smoothie.
Baked Oatmeal
Try baked oatmeal for an unexpected morning treat. It's a mix between an oatmeal bar and traditional creamy breakfast oatmeal.
Summer Vegetable Frittata
Garden-fresh summer vegetables will make this frittata a special breakfast or brunch treat.
Spinach, Green Onion, and Smoked Gouda Quiche
We like the creamy, custardy consistency of this quiche when it's baked for 35 minutes. If you prefer a firmer texture, bake an additional 5 minutes.
Tony's Breakfast Couscous
You can prepare this dish the night before and serve warm or cold. The recipe is easy to double to serve more people. Use any combination of dried fruits you like–cherries, apples, blueberries, or raspberries. You can substitute one cup fat-free milk for dry, and decrease the water to 1/4 cup.
Classic French Omelet
Pull the pan off the heat as needed, while stirring, to control how fast the eggs cook. The finished omelet should be golden outside and unbrowned, while still creamy at the very center.
Cinnamon Banana Crunch Bowl
Mix up your oatmeal routine with bulgur in this crunch bowl. The results are a quick and easy breakfast of champions.
Baked Eggs en Cocotte with Onions
Keep an eye on the eggs as they cook, bearing in mind that cook times vary depending on the thickness of the ramekins and your personal preference for the texture of the eggs.
Blackberry-Mango Breakfast Shake
Silken tofu gives this drink a smooth, creamy consistency. If you don't like the seeds in blackberries, substitute frozen blueberries.
Fingerling Potato-Leek Hash with Swiss Chard and Eggs
Comfort food isn't strictly reserved for dinnertime. Start your day with something warm and delicious to keep you fueled throughout the morning. To trim Swiss chard, pull or cut the stems out of the leaves. The dish goes from stovetop to tabletop using just one pan.
Grilled Goat Cheese Sandwiches with Fig and Honey
These sandwiches are equally good for breakfast or dinner. Mixing honey with the goat cheese makes it easier to spread over the cinnamon-raisin bread.
Gingered Carrot Smoothies
Start your morning off with a tasty smoothie full of veggies and fresh ginger.
Breakfast Quinoa
Like most whole grains, quinoa is surprisingly filling, but if you need more for breakfast, serve with an egg on the side.
Sunflower Granola Breakfast Parfaits
To make this portable breakfast a snap, prepare the granola in advance and store it in an airtight container. Be sure to keep a close eye on the broiler so the granola doesn't burn. You can also sub pitted fresh cherries or any ripe berry for the raspberries.
Watermelon, Cucumber and Mint Smoothies
The sweet taste of watermelon and cucumbers mix deliciously with creamy Greek yogurt and fresh mint in this easy-to-make smoothie.
Mango Lassi Smoothie
Chop and freeze the mangoes the night before to cut down on morning prep time.
Nutty Whole-Grain Granola
This granola is fantastic on its own, but is also great on top of yogurt for a hearty breakfast on the go.
Steel-Cut Oats with Cinnamon-Blueberry Compote
Prepare the blueberry mixture and the oats the night before and refrigerate. In the morning, simply cook the compote and finish the oatmeal. Easy-peasy!
Herby Frittata with Vegetables and Goat Cheese
Take ten minutes at night to blanch the asparagus and create the egg mixture. All you'll have to do in the morning is cook the frittata, and ta-da! You've got a delicious and nutritious breakfast.
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Huevos Rancheros Wraps
Turn breakfast into a fiesta with these flavor-filled wraps. If you make the salsa before bed, your morning prep time is next to nothing.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Waffle Sandwiches
Standard toaster waffles get a tasty upgrade in this easy-to-prepare breakfast dish.
Shakshuka
Don't let the funny name deter you; this dish is a delicious way to get vegetables with your breakfast.
Breakfast Tortilla
This hearty, open-faced omelet, called a tortilla, uses potatoes inside instead of serving them on the side. This omelet maximizes flavor with Yukon Gold potatoes, fresh tomatoes, and Manchego cheese.
Apple-Stuffed Strata
A layer of sweet, baked apples and crunchy pecan topping helps this breakfast bread pudding shine. Last-minute prep couldn't be simpler: Just add a dusting of sugar and nuts.
Citrus Waffles with Marmalade Compote
Marmalade and citrus makes for just the right combination of sweet, tangy, and tart whole wheat waffles. Sift powdered sugar over the top of the waffles for an excellent start to your morning.
Blueberry Pancakes
A time-honored pancake filler, blueberries not only add natural sweetness, but pack in antioxidants as well.
Cucumber, Apple, and Mint Cooler
Drink this to boost your daily veggie count: Each serving of this smoothie offers a half-cup of vegetables, plus a little fruit.
Carrot Cake Pancakes
Stuffed with toasted walnuts, shredded carrots, and all the spices found in carrot cake, these light buttermilk pancakes are a guilt-free breakfast pleasure. Top with some homemade honey butter or light pancake syrup.
Spinach-Cheese Bake
You can assemble the spinach and cheese casserole in less than 10 minutes by using preshredded cheeses. The casserole's spinach, cheese, and nutmeg ingredient combination produces a rich layer of flavor that everyone will love. Pair this dish with fresh fruit salad and mini muffins for a lovely brunch.
Three-Grain Breakfast Cereal with Walnuts and Dried Fruit
This mixture of barley and oats with nuts and raisins will keep you going all morning. Walnuts provide omega-3 fatty acids, but pecans also work nicely in this high-fiber cereal. Serve with yogurt or milk, and top with fresh fruit.
Peach-Mango Smoothie
You're only 2 minutes and 5 ingredients away from enjoying this fruit-packed, energy-boosting smoothie.
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Mixed Berry Crepes
Frozen berries make these sweet crepes a year-round treat, not just a seasonal splurge. Prepare and refrigerate the filling up to a day ahead.
Pain Perdu
Pain Perdu—literally "lost bread"—was traditionally a simple breakfast of day-old French bread dredged in beaten eggs and pan-fried in butter. Our lightened version is a 5-star hit with the addition of blueberry sauce.
The Cheesy, Hammy Euro Special
Skip the fast food drive-thru in the morning and make your own breakfast sandwich at home with significantly less fat and salt.
Coconut-Banana Grape-Nuts with Lime
Bananas, coconut flakes, and macadamias make these crunchy wheat-and-barley nuggets with 49g whole grains a little nutty and a little sweet.
Creamy 7-Grain with Goat Cheese, Yogurt, and Fig
Whole-grain wheat, rye, oats, triticale, barley, brown rice, oat bran, and flaxseed pack a punch of texture and 37g whole grains per serving. Add fresh figs if you have them on hand.
Savory Buckwheat with Tomato, Cheddar, and Bacon
This gluten-free, polenta-like cereal packs 41g whole grains into one serving.
Crunchy Peanut Butter Bulgur with Berries
This grain works while you sleep—a no-cook cereal with 40g whole grains per serving.
Rolled Oats with Carrot and Apple
Sugar and spice make whole grains extra nice especially in this mix of oats, wheat, barley, and rye that's stacked with 37g whole grains per serving.
Creamy Wheat with Pear and Ginger
Creamy Wheat with Pear and Ginger loads 42g whole grains into each packet and is ready in just 1 minute.
Rasberry-Ricotta Waffle
Naturally sweet raspberry preserves combined with part-skim ricotta cheese is dolloped on top of a whole-wheat waffle to satisfy you and keep you full all morning. Serve with a side of fruit for a complete breakfast.
Steel Cut Oats with Warm Berry Compote
Warm berries are poured over steel cut oats to create a sweet treat in a healthy breakfast bowl with 41g whole grains per serving.
Cherry Almond Ricotta Drop Scones
Reserve half of the citrusy-sweet ricotta mixture to dollop over the warm scones. These crumbly, cakelike biscuits are best enjoyed the day they are made.
Tortilla Española
Shaking the pan helps prevent the omelet from sticking while allowing the egg and potato mixture to cook together.
Citrusy Banana-Oat Smoothie
Make morning prep even faster by freezing the banana and cooking and refrigerating the oatmeal the night before.
Mushroom, Gruyère, and Spinach Quiche
Light yet luscious, this veggie-filled custard is a 317-calorie slice of heaven that's worthy of a starring role on your spring brunch menu.
Green, Egg, and Ham Waffle
A riff on the classic ham-and-egg duo, our Green, Egg, and Ham Waffle features a little avocado, cilantro, and prosciutto for a savory, energizing breakfast.
Creamy Coconut-Citrus Waffle
With the combination of orange, macadamia nuts, maple syrup, and coconut, you’ll savor every last bite of this sweet, zesty waffle.
Berry and Browned Butter Waffle
Fresh is always better. Instead of topping off our waffle with traditional preserves and syrup, we opted for fresh strawberries for antioxidants, and almonds for a protein boost.
Lemon-Poppy Seed Pancakes with Blueberry Compote
Weekend breakfasts should feel special. Make a double batch and freeze the extras, and weekday mornings can feel special too.
