Omelet Recipes & Ideas

I mean, it couldn't be *that* hard, could it?

It's equal parts easy, impressive, and delicious.

If you’re still on the fence about cottage cheese and not quite ready to eat it on its own, this breakfast is a great, non-scary way to dip your toes into the water. When spooned into the center of a warm spinach-laced omelet, the cottage cheese curds instantly soften and melt against the eggs. It becomes creamy and ricotta-like, and adds richness and an extra punch of protein to this vegetarian omelet.

After your first bite, you might start wondering what this reminds you of — it's spanakopita, friends.

Gone are the days when omelets were reserved for a lazy weekend morning breakfast. Two minutes in the microwave is all that stands between you and plunging a fork into fluffy eggs studded with fresh spinach and salty pieces of feta. This protein-packed meal makes a decent weekday breakfast feel manageable. It’s quick to pull together and easy enough to make in the office kitchen.

Just because weekday mornings are rushed doesn’t mean you don’t have time for an omelet for breakfast. It’s the kind of meal that shouldn’t be reserved for weekends only. This version of a western omelet is served in a mug and cooks up in less than two minutes. Just as you’d expect if it were cooked on the stovetop, this omelet boasts light and fluffy eggs studded with diced onion, bell peppers, pieces of ham, and a sprinkling of shredded cheese on top.

When you’re searching for a solid make-ahead solution to breakfast, the easy options for breakfast lead quickly to breads and carbs: muffins, oatmeal, coffee cakes. As much as I love a blueberry muffin first thing in the morning, I prefer a more protein- and vegetable-packed breakfast on ordinary weekdays. The healthier answer to muffins and quick-breads in the make-ahead breakfast game is very simple: the oven omelet.

A well-made omelette is a thing of magnificence. It’s soft and custard-like, golden-yellow, and best eaten while still piping hot from the skillet. An omelette makes a fantastic breakfast seasoned with just salt and pepper, but it’s also a mighty fine delivery vehicle for anything from diced ham to sautéed mushrooms, eaten any time of day. Omelettes can also be intimidating in their simplicity. No more!

Roasting radishes may be one of my favorite spring treats. The bite of raw radishes gives way to a sweet, earthy flavor once they’ve spent some time in the oven. An omelet might seem like an odd pairing for these radishes, but I love the roasted radish flavor alongside eggs and herbs.

There’s no place like Vegas for rockstar chefs to lay their winning cards down on the table — Michelin stars seem to be as plentiful there as penny slot machines. But even the most ambitious eater needs an off-the-strip respite after a globe-trotting (and gluttonous) tour of the Strip. And so it was at a kitschy mom-and-pop breakfast joint that I found solace in the form of an enchilada omelet. My sister, a professional poker player, packs up her bags and moves to Vegas every summer.

Judith Jones, the cookbook editor best known for championing and publishing Julia Child’s Mastering The Art of French Cooking, died yesterday in her home in Warren, Vermont. But her reach goes far beyond Julia. In the culinary realm, she brought us Lidia Bastianich and Edna Lewis — and long before then, she played a critical role in getting Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl into bookstores and homes.

I have recently become infatuated with quinoa for breakfast. Quinoa porridge, quinoa muffins, and my newest obsession, quinoa stuffed inside omelets along with rich sun-dried tomatoes and tender bites of wilted spinach. This bad boy is so tasty, it’s easy to forget it’s good for you. I keep one old and battered 10″ nonstick skillet from my post-college days for the sole purpose of making omelets.

Whether I’m trying to put a late-night dinner on the table or cooking for one, a Thai-style omelet (kai jeow) is what I often turn to for an easy meal in minutes. Browned and crispy, it’s quite different from a French omelet, especially thanks to the punch of umami from its essential ingredient: Fish sauce! Rather than salt, fish sauce is added to the beaten eggs, along with green onions, herbs or shallots.

Here is one last recipe from my new book Not Your Mother’s Casseroles. This is one of the very easiest recipes I know how to make in the oven. This recipe is really just a template for a baked egg dish that comes out creamy and fluffy inside — like a traditional American diner omelet — and that can be filled with anything you like. I call for ham, Parmesan cheese, and parsley here, but you can add anything!