Each of these recipes calls for basic ingredients that you probably already have on hand, plus recommended substitutions and adaptations that will help you minimize food waste and maximize creativity.
When you think your fridge is empty, think again. When you feel like you've been staring at the same pantry for weeks, take another look: because even the wilting stowaways in your vegetable drawer, cheeses cut down to the rind, and leftover protein from last night's dinner can be transformed into a nutritious, filling breakfast that's a little more interesting than scrambled eggs and bacon.
Each of these recipes calls for basic ingredients that you probably already have on hand. Below, you'll also find our recommended substitutions and adaptations, so just in case you don't have kale or bacon, you can make a swap with spinach or ground beef and still end up with a winning dish that minimizes food waste and maximizes creativity.
1. Instant Pot Breakfast Congee
Base ingredients → swaps and substitutions:
- Short grain rice → any variety of white or brown rice (except basmati), frozen rice, or reduce the liquid and use leftover cooked rice
- Chicken broth → water, vegetable broth, or any combination of broth and water
- Green onions → shallots, chives, yellow or white onions
- Bacon → diced ham, cooked sausage, salami, diced steak
2. Sweet Potato Toasts with Scrambled Eggs
Base ingredients → swaps and substitutions:
- Sweet potato → yellow or white potato, thick slices of crusty bread
- Prosciutto → Black Forest ham, bacon, pancetta
- Cheddar → any melty cheese like mozzarella, Monterey Jack, etc.
- Crème fraîche → sour cream, Greek yogurt
- Microgreens → green onions, fresh herbs (dill, mint, or basil)
3. Baked Egg Baguette
Base ingredients → swaps and substitutions:
- French baguette → bagels, pretzel buns, sub rolls, sourdough loaf
- Shallot → yellow or white onion, scallion, chives
- Bell pepper → tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, or any leftover diced vegetables
- Half-and-half → cream, milk, non-dairy milk
- Mozzarella or Provolone → your favorite melty cheese
4. Leftovers Breakfast Hash
Base ingredients → swaps and substitutions:
- Stuffing → stale or day-old bread of your choice
- Spinach → frozen peas or corn, roasted root vegetables, leftover steamed vegetables
- Gruyère and Parmesan → cheddar, mozzarella (the possibilities are endless!)
- Fresh chives → dried chives, oregano, parsley, basil
5. Baked Eggs with Chorizo and Hash Browns
Base ingredients → swaps and substitutions:
- Chorizo → bacon, ham, ground beef, sausage
- Hash browns → chopped roasted potatoes or root vegetables
6. Breakfast Oats with Poached Eggs
Base ingredients → swaps and substitutions:
- Walnuts → chopped almonds, macadamia nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios
- Oats → steel cut or quick oats, barley flakes, quinoa flakes, leftover grains
- White vinegar (for poaching) → apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar
- Banana → chopped apple, fresh/frozen/dried berries
- Peanut butter → almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter
7. Sausage, Kale, and Ricotta Quiche
Base ingredients → swaps and substitutions:
- Puff pastry → refrigerated crescent rolls, refrigerated biscuits, phyllo dough, pie crust
- Kale → spinach, Swiss chard, collard greens, beet greens
- Breakfast sausage → Mexican chorizo, ground beef, diced steak
- Ricotta → cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, mascarpone
- Marinated tomatoes → fresh diced tomatoes, any leftover cooked vegetables (zucchini, sweet peppers, mushrooms, sweet corn)
8. Freezer Breakfast Sandwiches
Base ingredients → swaps and substitutions:
- Chunky salsa → chili oil, pesto
- Spinich → chopped kale, Swiss chard, bak choy, or fresh herbs
- English muffins → bagels, croissants, sliced bread
- Canadian bacon → Mexican chorizo, hummus, ground beef, sliced steak
9. Breakfast Quesadillas
Base ingredients → swaps and substitutions:
- Bacon → sausage, diced steak, shredded chicken
- Red onion → white onion, shallot, scallion
- Mexican-blend cheese → any cheese that melts well, such as mozzarella, pepper jack, and Monterey jack
- Spinach → your favorite leafy greens or sautéed peppers
- Tortilla → pita pocket, lavash, naan
10. Apple Cinnamon Raisin French Toast Bake
Base ingredients → swaps and substitutions:
- Cinnamon raisin bread → white or wheat sandwich bread, rolls, baguette, or even plain burger buns (Tip: add a handful of dried fruit and a teaspoon of cinnamon if using plain bread!)
- Apples → pears, fresh or frozen and drained berries
- Milk → non-dairy milk, water
- Pecans → your favorite chopped nuts or shredded coconut
11. Fluffy Crustless Quiche
Base ingredients → swaps and substitutions:
- Cream → milk, half-and-half
- Cheddar cheese → mozzarella, Parmesan, Swiss, Gruyère
- Bacon → sausage, diced steak, cooked ground beef, pork, diced chicken
- Scallions → diced onion or shallot
- Spinach → your favorite leafy greens or sautéed vegetables
12. Kale Egg in a Hole
Base ingredients → swaps and substitutions:
- Kale → spinach, Swiss chard, collard greens
- Cheese → cheddar, Parmesan, Gruyère, Taleggio
- Shallot → red or white onion, scallions
13. Sweet Potato and Kale Frittata
Base ingredients → swaps and substitutions:
- Onion → sliced shallots or chives
- Garlic → 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or replace salt in recipe with garlic salt)
- Kale → spinach, Swiss chard, bell peppers
- Goat cheese → feta cheese, cheddar cheese, dollops of plain Greek yogurt
- Sweet potatoes → white potatoes, root vegetables
14. Texas-Style Egg and Potato Skillet
Base ingredients → swaps and substitutions:
- Turkey bacon → pork bacon, sausage, corned beef, sautéed ground beef, pork, shredded chicken
- Potatoes → sweet potatoes, hash browns, root vegetables
- Salsa → sautéed onions and peppers, chopped tomatoes
- Smoked cheddar → any cheese that melts well, such as cheddar, mozzarella, or pepper jack
- Tortillas → toasted bread, or simply enjoy right out of the skillet!
- Cilantro → fresh parsley or chives; dried cilantro, parsley, or chives
15. Twice Baked Steak and Egg Sweet Potatoes
Base ingredients → swaps and substitutions:
- Sweet potatoes → leftover baked potatoes
- Steak → leftover meatballs, cooked bacon, prosciutto, ham
- Asparagus → leftover sautéed or steamed vegetables
- Comté or Gruyère → Parmesan, cheddar, or any cheese that melts well
- Chives or green onions → sautéed onions, dried chives, pinch of oregano
16. Swiss Onion Quiche
Base ingredients → swaps and substitutions:
- Homemade pie crust → premade store-bought pie crust or crust from a boxed mix
- Onion → shallot, chives, scallions
- Fresh thyme → dry thyme, chives, parsley, basil
- Bacon → sausage, steak, sautéed ground beef or pork, cooked chicken
- Swiss cheese → mozzarella, Parmesan, Gruyère
- Milk → non-dairy milk, water
Have questions about a particular recipe or substitution? Send us an email at familyfarmteam@peteandgerrys.com and we'll gladly help!
