Bacon Braised Greens on Toast
Tired of the same boring breakfasts? I present Bacon Braised Greens on Toast- a recipe that seems like a fancy brunch menu item but in actuality is easy and fast enough to be made on a weekday morning. It is also extremely flexible, so use what you already have on hand and enjoy this delicious way to add some greens to your breakfast!
Brief Rundown
Prep for this recipe by chopping your shallot, dicing bacon slices and washing and chopping your kale (see kitchen tip below). Cook bacon and shallot in a skillet until bacon is crispy, if bacon does not have much fat you may need to add a small amount of olive oil to the pan. Remove crispy bacon and cooked shallots to a paper towel lined plate. Add greens to the pan and braise until just wilted and bright green. Add spices and cooked bacon and shallots back to the pan, turn to low the keep warm. Make your sourdough toast, I like to use thicker pieces for this recipe! Top toast with bacon kale mixture and a quick poached egg. Enjoy right away while warm and the yolk is runny.
Nutrition Tip!
Lately nutrient balance is a topic that has come up a lot with my clients. This meal is a wonderful example of nutritional balance, and I want to take this opportunity to explain how. In order for a meal to be considered nutritionally balanced, we should aim to include multiple food groups in that meal such as carbohydrates, proteins, produce, and healthy fats. I always love to include some flavor factors for a bonus! We ideally want the biggest portion on our plate to consist of produce, and the smallest of fats. In this meal we have carbohydrates in the form of sourdough bread, protein in the form of the egg, lots of kale and some shallot for our produce, and bacon and some olive oil for our fat and flavor! Starting your day with a nutritionally balanced meal gives us the energy we need in the morning, as well as satisfaction from the multiple food groups to last us until our next meal or snack.
Kitchen Tip!
Do you know how to quickly and efficiently remove the ribs from kale? This tip was a game changer to me when it comes to prepping kale, hopefully it helps you too! Simply firmly grip the kale at the bottom of the stem with one hand and pinch the bottom of the leaves with your other hand between your thumb and fingers. Squeezing slightly, slide your fingers up the stem which should cause the leaves to rip off of the stem between your thumb and forefinger. You will be left with little kale stem wands, and leaves that are easy to tear for salad prep. Refer to the pictures above if you are still a little confused by this description.
Bacon Braised Greens on Toast
Ingredients
- 1 bunch kale (or other greens such as collard greens, spinach, etc.)
- 4 slices bacon
- 1 shallot (or 2 green onions, 1/4 small yellow onion)
- 2 large slices sourdough bread
- Small drizzle olive oil (if pan is dry)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 2-4 eggs (depending on how many you typically eat for breakfast)
- Butter for cooking eggs (about 1/2 - 1 Tbsp)
Instructions
- Wash and dry kale. Remove ribs by firmly gripping the kale at the bottom of the stem with one hand and pinch the bottom of the leaves with your other hand between your thumb and fingers. Squeezing slightly, slide your fingers up the stem which should cause the leaves to rip off of the stem between your thumb and forefinger. Roughly chop and set aside.
- Dice raw bacon into 1/2" pieces and set aside. Finely chop shallot.
- To a large skillet cook diced bacon and shallot over medium heat until bacon is crispy.
- While bacon and shallots are cooking, slice and toast sourdough bread.
- Once bacon is crispy, remove from skillet and reserve on a small plate or bowl. Add kale or whatever greens you are using to the skillet. If pan seems dry, add a small drizzle of olive oil. Cook kale stirring constantly until wilted and bright green, 3-4 minutes.
- Turn skillet to low heat, add bacon shallot mixture, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.
- Make quick poached eggs by turning a nonstick skillet to medium heat. Add butter and melt. Crack eggs gently into the pan so that yolks stay intact. Quickly salt and pepper your eggs, then add 2 Tbsp water (or a small splash), cover with a lid and let steam until egg whites are cooked but yolks are still runny. Watch closely, this should take no longer than 30 seconds to 1 minute depending on how hot your pan is.
- Assemble by piling kale bacon mixture onto toast. Top with poached eggs. Season with additional salt, pepper, or red pepper flakes if needed. Enjoy while warm and yolk is runny.
