Hearty Beef Brunch Skillet (Printable version)

Savor tender beef, crispy potatoes, eggs, and veggies cooked together in a skillet for a hearty meal.

# What You'll Need:

→ Meats

01 - 10 oz ground beef (85% lean)

→ Vegetables

02 - 2 medium russet potatoes, diced
03 - 1 small red bell pepper, diced
04 - 1 small yellow onion, diced
05 - 1 cup baby spinach, roughly chopped

→ Eggs & Dairy

06 - 4 large eggs
07 - 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

→ Pantry & Spices

08 - 2 tbsp olive oil
09 - 1 tsp smoked paprika
10 - ½ tsp garlic powder
11 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Garnish (optional)

12 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
13 - Hot sauce, to serve

# Directions:

01 - Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add diced potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer potatoes to a plate and set aside.
02 - Add remaining olive oil to the skillet. Add ground beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned and cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain excess fat if needed.
03 - Add diced onion and bell pepper to the beef. Sauté until softened, approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
04 - Stir cooked potatoes into the skillet along with smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly to combine all ingredients.
05 - Add chopped spinach and cook until just wilted, about 1 minute.
06 - Create four wells in the mixture. Crack one egg into each well and sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese evenly over the top.
07 - Cover the skillet and cook over medium heat until eggs are set to desired doneness, about 5 to 7 minutes for slightly runny yolks.
08 - Remove from heat. Garnish with chopped fresh chives and serve hot with optional hot sauce.

# Expert advice:

01 -
  • Everything cooks in a single skillet, which means less cleanup and more time actually enjoying breakfast with people.
  • It's flexible enough to customize for whoever's at your table, from the meat-lover to the person sneaking extra spinach.
  • The crispy potatoes and runny egg yolks create these little pockets of richness that taste way more indulgent than the effort required.
02 -
  • The lid is essential—without it, the eggs will cook unevenly and the cheese won't melt the way you want. Don't skip this step even if you're tempted.
  • Cut your potatoes into roughly equal pieces so they finish cooking at the same time, and resist the urge to move them around constantly; letting them sit creates those crispy edges everyone loves.
  • If your skillet doesn't have a lid, cover it with foil, but check underneath at the 5-minute mark because foil sometimes traps more heat than a glass lid would.
03 -
  • If you're cooking for a crowd, make two skillets instead of one large one—you'll avoid the eggs cooking unevenly and everyone gets their food at the right temperature.
  • Dice your ingredients the night before and store them in separate containers; this knocks 10 minutes off your morning and makes the actual cooking feel effortless.

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