A few weeks ago I was talking about working with a very limited pantry and sparsely equipped kitchen while housesitting for a friend. Even so, I still managed to piece together a delicious and fragrant Honey Garlic Lemon Chicken dish.
But, that was just one evening out of many that I had to pull together something to eat without having access to a lot of stuff. And yeah, I’m a wimp. I really didn’t want to keep walking the mile to the grocery store in -22C weather. Carrying one bag is one thing cuz you can jam your free hand into your pocket to keep it warm less cold. And then switch it up half way through so you can jam the other hand in your pocket. Two bags mean both hands get no reprieve!
I did get to eat out a few nights and I have a recap of some of my favourite places to eat in Toronto over the last six months coming soon! But for now… breakfast for dinner!
One of the easiest meals to make with a limited pantry is breakfast. Eggs, bacon, veggies and a little cheese and you’ve got the makings of a killer omelette or scramble. Throw in some toast and you have a pretty balanced meal with very little effort.
And the beauty of breakfast is, you can eat it for dinner. And that’s pretty much what this skillet dinner is. Except, remove toast and add udon noodles. Throw some bacon in a frying pan. As it starts to brown toss in some chopped up garlic and the udon noodles. Next up, throw in your veggies. Harder veggies like asparagus or broccoli should go in first. Create a hole in the skillet and crack an egg into it. Then pop in your softer veggies like cherry tomatoes and spinach and cook until they just start to wilt. Season with salt and pepper and anything else you have on hand that you like. I added some feta cheese, and a few squirts of lemon. If I’d had dill or basil on hand, one of them would have gone in too.
Et voila – breakfast for dinner – in about 15 minutes!
The best part is, as long as you have bacon and eggs, you can adapt it however you like. Any veggies you have on hand can go in. Seasonings are whatever you enjoy and are in your pantry.
- 2 slices of uncooked bacon chopped up
- 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
- ½ package of udon noodles
- 1½ cups of veggies (I used chopped asparagus and grape tomatoes)
- 1 to 2 eggs
- handful of feta cheese (you can use any cheese you have on hand or skip it altogether if you like)
- seasonings to taste - I used salt, pepper and lemon juice but basil, dill, oregano would all work well - you can even mix in salad dressing in a pinch.
- heat a skillet to medium and add chopped bacon - stir until just starting to wrinkle
- add garlic and udon noodles and stir till coated with bacon fat
- add in your firmer veggies (like peppers, asparagus, broccoli, carrots etc) and stir a few times
- as your veggies start to cook their colours will become more vibrant - when this happens pull the whole mixture over to one side of the pan and crack your eggs into the other side.
- As the eggs cook, toss in your softer veggies like tomatoes and spinach and stir into the noodles. Just as the veggies start to wilt season everything with your salt and pepper and whatever else you choose to use. Make sure you season the eggs as well!
- By this time the eggs should be fully cooked on one side with a firm white and a runny yolk. Pop them on top of the noodle mixture.
- when served, pop the yolks and let them run over the noodle mixture for extra deliciousness!
This sounds yummie. And it made me laugh because I watched this today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elUNFHEWaCc
I would eat this for breakfast. I would eat this for dinner. Win win.
The best part of breakfast (or breakfast for dinner) is that it can be so many things: pancakes, eggs, stratas, shakshuka – whatever you’ve got on hand. Your version is bright, colourful, and seems pretty healthy to boot.
What a great recipe you made with noodles. And the flavours are so delicious. I can’t wait to make it.