Most of us like a little breakfast for dinner every once and a while. Some eggs, bacon, maybe even pancakes or waffles – it's not such a stretch. But how about dinner for breakfast? We don't usually consider last night's leftovers as a breakfast possibility (unless it's pizza) but one of our favorite Twitter feeds has us reconsidering.
As you may have guessed, the Tweets we're referring to are written by Ruth Reichl. Her poetic messages, often sent out early in the morning, have inspired us to take another look at dinner food for breakfast. (They've also inspired the hilarious mashup feed @RuthBourdain.) Just take a look at what Reichl wrote this past Sunday morning:
Amazing morning. Outside. Warm sun. Birds singing. Ducks on pond, clattering. Steakbone, coffee, crossword puzzle. Spring!
And just two days earlier, it was:
Sunshine. Scarlet breakfast. Lobster claws cooked in cream, touched with tomato, spooned over buttered toast. Blood orange juice. Fresh!
Steakboke with coffee and lobster claws with toast and orange juice – that's definitely not what we've been eating for breakfast! And yet, it sounds absolutely delightful.
Perhaps it's not such a strange approach. In the conversations we've had about breakfast this week, many of you have expressed a preference for savory foods over sweet. Who's to say that has to be eggs or breakfast sausage?
We've mentioned eating quinoa, brown rice and sweet potatoes in the morning and at least one commenter expressed a fondness for oatmeal with butter and soy sauce. Our leftovers may not be steak and lobster, but we may give last night's pasta a second look when we're mulling over our breakfast options.
Do you ever eat dinner for breakfast?
Related: Weeknight Meal Inspiration: Breakfast for Dinner
(Image: Flickr user trekkyandy, licensed under Creative Commons)
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Frequently! I agree, I prefer the savory over the sweet and dinner leftovers usually fit that bill- Pizza,(Italian Tomato Toast), fettucine alfredo (crisped up in a frying pan, sometimes with bacon or eggs),some leftover chinese. Rice and beans put in a burrito...the possibilities are endless. I think of it as a weekday early brunch instead of dinner for breakfast.
I don't like traditional breakfast food so I always have my "doggie bag" left overs for breakfast. Of course this is usually on Saturday mornings after I have gone to my favorite Mexican restaurant the night before!!
How funny. Right now, I am eating some leftover barley from last night's Beef Barley soup... granted, it's pretty much like oatmeal but still...
I agree, too! My family thinks I'm weird for eating leftovers for breakfast whether it be pasta, fish, chinese, or pizza. I find most breakfast foods to be too heavy, anyway, and cereal is just cold and boring. Gimme real food, please!
I'm a fan of the "if it has an egg on top, it must be breakfast" philosophy. I usually make this vaguely Mexican garlicky breakfast fried rice with leftovers, but also make a Southeast Asian breakfast fried rice. And last week put a poached egg on top of leftover Middle Eastern pilaf with stewed okra.
breakfast is supposed to be a hearty meal. dinner for breakfast makes perfect sense to me. i eat dinner leftovers almost every morning. only when i'm feeling under the weather do i actually eat any "breakfast" food at breakfast. eggs are the exception tho
I eat spaghetti for breakfast all the time--it's one of my favorites. Gets me weird looks in the office, though.
considering the american eggs'n bacon breakfast is considered weird by many cultures, i see no reason to say no to dinner for breakfast. if it has protein in it, it's a good breakfast for me. in fact, i am about to dish me out some red lentil loaf from last night. yum!
I had a meatloaf sandwich for breakfast today, so, yes. That's almost always my strategy. I love a bowl of yellow rice for breakfast.
I do this all the time. My husband thinks I'm weird. ;-)
Just yesterday I ate a bowl of rice topped with leftover meatloaf and a fried egg. YUM
i've done it many times... it depends on how hungry I am. Sometimes eggs and toast just won't cut it for me...
I am having a food attack, just looking at that spaghetti! I LOVE cold spagetti, especially for breakfast! When my husband and I married, he had to break it to me gently that my eating tuna for breakfast, right out of the can, was a vexation to his spirit!
Cold pizza or cold lasagna are the best breakfast!
I absolutely love leftovers. Ever since I was a kid I would eat leftovers for breakfast. For years I was mafe fun of by my cold cereal eating sisters. Redemption!
I love leftovers for breakfast and (unless it's a rice dish) I usually prefer to eat them cold...especially pasta. Before my favorite local Italian restaurant closed, I would get their linguini portofino and eat only half, no matter how hungry I was, because the cold leftovers were always SO divine the next morning. Sigh...I miss that place. :(
Leftover spaghetti or lasagna are two of my favorite breakfasts (re-heated though--I don't like them cold). I also make big green salads for breakfast during the summer--so refreshing! I don't think of it as "dinner for breakfast," I just think of it as breakfast.
Leftover thanksgiving dinner is the best breakfast ever!
I'm also on board with cold pizza and cold lasagne for breakfast but I also have a chicken tortilla casserole that I make and leftovers never make it to the next day's lunch.
I like a black bean burrito or grilled cheese and tomato sandwich for a late breakfast, but not too early in the morning.
My days always go better when I have "dinner" food for breakfast. I sometimes add an eggs for protein as that is also a good thing for a happy day. my 8am prof. years ago thought I was a total nut job ... until he realized i was the only one in class everyday (always eating pasta & sauce) ... all while passing every quiz he needed to give for his kicks and giggles.
My favorite leftover dinner for breakfast after cold pizza is cold spaghetti! YUM!
It's quite often that I"ll make myself a turkey sandwich for breakfast, especially after a workout. And leftovers are always fair game on the weekends. During the week, leftovers are usually brought for lunch.
But I am not ok with cold leftovers. That's why we have microwaves. :)
Cold leftovers, all the way. I often have stir-fries, pilafs, pasta or other rice dishes. I love them as breakfast food, and without a microwave I've gotten used to eating them cold. Though sometimes left over rice dishes or mashed potatoes just need to be formed into patties and fried :)
I live alone and have to use up my own leftovers, so I eat dinner for breakfast several times a week. Works for me!
I adore leftover dinner for breakfast. I usually can't eat anything sweet early in the morning until I've been up for a while, so leftover dinner often seems more appetizing. cold steak, cold chicken, and cold spaghetti are favorites. and, of course, pizza.
If only I had seen this two days ago, when I had tomato soup and grilled cheese- one of my favorite breakfasts. We also have the leftovers issue, so eating leftovers for breakfast works well.
I love hot leftovers for breakfast. I hated cereal and toast as a kid so my mother let us eat leftovers. As long as we ate something in the morning, she was happy. I've eaten leftovers for breakfast for over 20 years!
I'm a grown up now cooking my meals and now I view leftovers as a great morning treat. Minimal fuss, big taste and very filling. In fact, I had some leftover lamb stew this morning for breakfast. I'm not a fan of cold leftovers for breakfast though. There's something very bachelor about it. I have a microwave and I'm not afraid to use it.
Two words: Fried Spaghetti!!
Heat up a bit of olive oil, fly a little garlic, chuck in the leftover spag. Fry, flip, fry, flip. When crispy in some parts and totally warmed through, chow down! It's my all time FAVOURITE dinner for breaky. Top with cheese and smile :)
My cravings know no bounds. Dinner for breakfast, breakfast for dinner, dessert for lunch. As longs as I end up with a balanced day, anything goes. I love pizza, pasta, mexican anything, and brussel sprouts.
I like sandwiches for breakfast - apart from egg/cheese, like several others noted above, a meatloaf sandwich is awesome for breakfast. It's actually my favorite part of having meatloaf. I also like spaghetti sandwiches - butter the bread, heat the spaghetti. Pretty much anything leftover works for me between two slices of bread.
My husband and kids love leftover rice (white or Chinese) with an over easy egg on top.
I am ALL for cold spaghetti (or any kind of pasta really) or a cold hamburger the next day. BETTER THAN THE DAY BEFORE!
:) So yum!
My sister's favorite breakfast growing up was leftover burritos. I think it still is her favorite, actually.
Me? Not so much with the burritos or pizza. But traditionally dinner or lunch foods for breakfast? Why not?! A cold meatloaf sandwich is delicious! As is leftover pasta. :)