This savory Egg and Lentil Breakfast Bowl is a high protein and fiber way to start the day. Ready in minutes, it is hearty, satisfying and your sign that lentils should be a breakfast food!
Jump to:
Breakfast at a Glance
- Prep Time: About 20 minutes total (mainly hands off)
- Planning Ahead: The sauce can be prepped ahead of time or made entirely in the morning. If using dried lentils, you'll probably want to prepare them ahead of time
- Morning Effort: 20 minutes if making it from the start or about 10 minutes if the sauce was made ahead of time
- Protein: 27g
- Fiber: 12g
Nessy's Note
Lentils have been one of my favorite foods for breakfast (and any meal of the day, honestly) for ages but for some reason, people always seem surprised when I mention them.
Which if funny because when you think about it, aren't lentils kind of perfect for breakfast?
They're a great source of protein and fiber (like edamame is in this avocado toast), take on and pair well with so many flavors and especially when you use canned lentils, are incredibly quick to prepare.
This particular egg and lentil breakfast bowl came about when I had some leftover cherry tomato jam in the fridge and needed to whip something up for breakfast.
As it turns out, lentils taste incredible with jammy, garlic tomatoes and when you poach a couple of eggs with it, you have a hearty and satisfying breakfast in minutes.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Lentils- You need pre-cooked or canned lentils for this recipe. If starting from dry, you will need to cook them first which will add about an hour to the cook time (a bit less if you opt for red lentils). I typically use brown or green lentils but whatever you like should work.
- Substitution: The jammy tomato sauce and poached eggs would also pair well with a different type of canned bean rather than lentils.
- Eggs- The lentils cooked this way are pretty delicious on their own so you could leave the eggs out but then you'll just have a lentil breakfast bowl instead of an egg and lentil breakfast bowl.
- Tomatoes- I used cherry tomatoes but you can also dice a large tomato or even sub ¼ cup of canned diced tomatoes.
- Garlic- Since there are so few ingredients in this dish, the garlic is really key for ensuring great flavor and I really don't suggest skipping it.
- Substitution: In a pinch, you can substitute with ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Balsamic Vinegar- The acid really brings the flavor together and I don't recommend omitting it.
- Salt- Adjust to taste.
My Tips for the Best Egg and Lentil Breakfast Bowl
- Make it as written. Since there are so few ingredients in this dish, each plays an important role in the flavor.
- Use canned lentils for speed. This comes together quite quickly by using canned (or pre-cooked) lentils.
- Poach the eggs to your liking. Personally, I prefer this with soft poached eggs as I love when the yolk runs into the lentil sauce but adjust the cook time for the eggs to your liking.
More Bean and Lentil Breakfast Recipes...
If you give this recipe a try, be sure to let me know what you thought in the comments below!
Eggs and Lentils Breakfast Bowl
Ingredients
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt plus additional to taste
- ¾ cup lentils cooked or canned, any color
- 1 and ½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Add the tomatoes, garlic, salt and water to a small sauce pan over medium heat. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes until the tomatoes start to burst. Once soft, use the back of a spoon to gently squash them into a rustic-style sauce.½ cup cherry tomatoes, 1 clove garlic, ⅓ cup water, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Stir in the lentils and balsamic vinegar and cook for 1-2 minutes until heated.1 and ½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar, ¾ cup lentils
- Crack the eggs into the lentil mixture, cover and cook until the eggs are done to your liking. Soft poached eggs take about 5 minutes and hard will take closer to 10.2 eggs
- Spoon into a bowl and enjoy! I love garnishing with a drizzle of EVOO and dipping some crusty bread into the eggs.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Note: Nutritional information is estimated using an online calculator and accuracy is not guaranteed. Remember food is more than numbers and this info is intended as a support.
Marie says
This was so tasty and kept me full for hours!