32 Breakfast for Dinner Ideas That Will Yank You Straight Out of Your Cooking Rut
On a busy morning, we’re lucky if we can manage to grab a granola bar on our way out the door. That leaves a measly two days a week to actually enjoy our very favorite meal, breakfast. Thankfully, we found a solution to this problem: brinner (or, you know, breakfast for dinner). Breakfast foods are typically quick to prepare, pretty healthy (since they’re meant to fuel you for the day ahead) and TBH, we’ll sign up for any plan that involves eating more bacon. Here are 32 breakfast for dinner ideas that will kick your supper rut to the curb.
1. Slow-Cooker Mediterranean Frittata
We’d follow a good set-it-and-forget-it recipe to the ends of the earth. This one is already packed with plenty of veggies, but a crisp salad on the side wouldn’t hurt either.
2. Easy Breakfast Tacos
These come together in less than 30 minutes, and everyone in your picky family can throw on their own favorite toppings. Basically, they’re a weeknight dinner godsend.
3. Sunday Morning French Toast
Straight carbs and sugar are not our usual dinner M.O., but some days (looking at you, Monday) simply demand it. Add a side of fruit and yogurt to reclaim a little virtue, if you must.
4. Chicken Ranch Breakfast Hash
This is already kind of a breakfast-dinner hybrid. With all that delicious bacon, chicken, spinach and creamy ranch dressing, we’d happily eat it any time of day. Bonus: It’s both Whole30 and Paleo friendly.
5. Leek, Kale and Goat Cheese Strata
Strata is basically just a fancy word for breakfast casserole. We dig it for dinner under either name, because we can assemble it before we go to work and just pop it in the oven when we get home.
6. Breakfast Enchiladas
We love breakfast and we love enchiladas, so what could possibly go wrong? These guys are stuffed with scrambled eggs, ground turkey and roasted potatoes before being topped with tangy poblano sauce, and we’re here for all of it.
7. Joanna Gaines’s Asparagus and Fontina Quiche
This recipe is just about as versatile as it gets. It’s fabulous with fruit salad for brunch or with green salad for dinner. It’s also elegant enough for company but easy enough to throw together on a weeknight (praise the store-bought pie crust!). Yet again, Joanna Gaines can do no wrong.
8. Breakfast Sliders
We’re of the opinion that everything is better in miniature form—including sandwiches. These adorable little bites are stuffed with eggs, sausage and cheddar cheese, and are guaranteed to make dinnertime just a bit more fun.
9. Spinach and Artichoke Egg Casserole
We’ve ruined more dinners than we care to admit by overindulging in the spinach and artichoke dip at cocktail hour. Thank goodness for Maria Lichty, who turned all that creamy, cheesy magic into the main event.
10. Apple Blinchiki (Russian Pancakes)
Pancakes are delicious in their own right, but with the smart addition of grated apple in the batter, they become a hearty meal that’s too good to serve at breakfast alone.
11. Waffle Breakfast Sandwich with Chorizo
We’re not sure why we never thought to swap out bread for waffles in our sandwiches before, but we’re never going back. This one uses savory cheese waffles, spicy chorizo and a runny egg.
12. Red Shakshuka
Talk about an impressive centerpiece. This Israeli dish is loaded with produce—like garlic, red bell pepper and crushed tomatoes—as well as fresh herbs. The star, though, is the runny eggs begging to be dipped into with a hunk of crusty bread.
13. Breakfast Pizza
We’d be pretty psyched if every night was pizza night. But topping the dough with bacon, eggs and cherry tomatoes is a great way to mix things up just a little bit.
14. Breakfast Burritos
Fun fact: Breakfast burritos are amazing for meal prep. Cook all the ingredients, assemble and wrap in foil, then throw them in the oven when you’re ready to eat. It’s a major lifesaver for early mornings, but we recommend it on busy weeknights, too.
15. Skillet Eggs and Chorizo
This dish checks all of our boxes, no matter the time of day. It comes together in 30 minutes, uses only one pan and is chock-full of all our favorite things (runny eggs, chorizo, spicy tomatoes and a sprinkle of feta cheese). Sign us up.
16. Pancake Tacos with Cheese and Bacon
Everyone who can never choose between sweet and salty for breakfast, this one's for you. Feel free to make the pancakes ahead of time (or use store-bought) to get dinner on the table even faster.
17. Savory Slow Cooker Oatmeal with Crispy Bacon
Forget the brown sugar, chocolate chips and fresh fruit—have you tried savory oatmeal? This one is closer to risotto than the sweet stuff you're used to, thanks to garlic, herbs and all the Parmesan. We'll take extra bacon and avocado on top, please.
18. Breakfast Caprese with Soft-Boiled Eggs
It doesn't get simpler than a 15-minute, five-ingredient brinner. If you need help peeling the soft-boiled eggs, add a tablespoon of baking soda to the pot while they cook.
19. Huevos Rancheros
Refried beans may feel like an ingredient reserved for taco night, but they're actually a stellar way to start (or end) the day. Their high protein content (plus that of the egg) is sure to keep you full for a long time.
20. Slow-Cooker Breakfast Casserole
Dump the frozen hash browns and cheese into the Crock-Pot to make a base for the casserole. Then, just add the rest of the ingredients, set it and forget it until dinner time.
21. Overnight Waffles with Whipped Meyer Lemon Cream and Strawberries
Whip up the yeast batter in the morning and let it sit until you get home at night. Then, make the four-ingredient whipped cream while the waffle iron preheats. It's so good, you might never look at syrup the same way again.
22. Egg and Veggie Breakfast Bowl
Runny eggs make *everything* better, including fresh arugula, roasted Brussels and tender sweet potatoes. You'll also fall hard for the two-ingredient harissa vinaigrette (be warned, you'll want to put it on everything).
23. Mini Spanish Tortilla with Zucchini
This is a job for your mini cast-iron skillet. Think of this single-serve beauty as a giant omelet loaded with potatoes, zucchini and Manchego cheese.
24. Quiche with Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Crust
No flour, no problem. Ditch the store-bought pie crust for thin-sliced sweet potatoes, which are gluten-free and make for a chic, delicious final product.
25. Sheet Tray Pancakes with Peaches and Strawberries
Aren't they pretty? They'll look even better once you realize you won't have to do any flipping (and you'll only have one dirty pan to clean after dinner).
26. English Muffin Breakfast Pizzas
We have a feeling your kids will be more than willing to help assemble them.
27. One-Pan Eggs with Asparagus and Tomatoes
Six ingredients + 30 minutes + your trusty baking sheet = the simplest, most nutritious dinner you've ever made. One serving boasts only 158 calories and a whopping 11 grams of protein. Feel free to make it heartier with a side of white rice.
28. Green Shakshuka
If you love the O.G., you need this spicy rendition on your table ASAP. This version swaps tomato for spinach, jalapeño and plenty of herbs.
29. Southwestern Tofu Scramble and Breakfast Sweet Potatoes
Eggs are a no-brainer...unless you're vegan. Substitute this simple tofu scramble that's cooked with red onion, bell peppers, asparagus and lots of seasoning.
30. Sheet Pan Eggs with Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese and Dill
Just assemble, bake and devour. Serve a slice with toast and a green salad, or go full breakfast mode instead by sandwiching a slab on an everything bagel.
31. Breakfast Nachos
Frozen waffles never looked so next-level. Did we mention this Insta-worthy main comes together in just 25 minutes?
32. Giant Cinnamon Roll
Oh, so it was that kind of day? We have just the fix. Keep this soul-soother (and a few tubes of crescent roll dough) in your back pocket to whip out on evenings when you just can't even.
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