This healthy sweet potato breakfast skillet is perfect for getting tons of vitamins, minerals, good fats, and protein, all packed into a simple meal. It’s great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! (Post and recipe notes updated 1/13/2018).
Having three little bodies running in my house often leads to cold cereal and yogurt as our morning breakfast. Although not bad, gets a little boring, and a little pricey. Those tiny bodies can pound a box a day.
So at least a few times a week I try to make pancakes, eggs, muffins, oatmeal, etc. This sweet potato breakfast skillet is a perfect lazy weekend, “please don’t make me fat” breakfast. Use the orange variety or the yellow – they are both excellent!
On top of just being a light but filling meal, this recipe is a great way to get in a ton of essential vitamins, fats, and protein as well! It’s awesome that something so simple can pack in so much nutritional goodness. If I haven’t convinced you, see below.
Why this Breakfast Skillet is Mega-Healthy
I’m not gonna lie, I don’t usually choose my foods because of the super-high health benefits. I choose them because they taste good, and then I eat a wide variety of food and eat in moderation. It’s worked for me. So it’s always a win-win when I have a food that I totally love eating, AND it has extremely awesome health benefits as well. Woohoo!
Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes:
Sweet potatoes (especially those of the orange variety which contain higher levels of beta-carotene) are EXTREMELY HIGH in Vitamin A. Vitamin A is a powerful antioxidant that helps reduce inflammation. It is also good for promoting healthy vision, healthy neurological function, and healthy skin.
Just to clarify, sweet potatoes are also often called “Yams” in the U.S. in grocery stores. We’ll go into the real history of yams another time, but just know, in the U.S., yams/sweet potatoes are pretty much interchangeable terms.
Health Benefits of Avocados:
Avocados are full of vitamins and nutrients. They also contain a substantial amount of healthy monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) which can aid in absorption of fat-soluable vitamins and minerals, skin health, and even a boost to the immune system. They’re been shown to promote a healthy heart, and are actually a great aid for digestion, being very high in fiber.
Health Benefits of Eggs:
Eggs are an inexpensive way to pack in some protein! Almost half of the protein is actually found in the white. They are regarded as a complete source of protein as they contain all nine essential amino acids (the ones that we must obtain from our diet).
Although there used to be a concern about eggs raising cholesterol levels, that myth has been debunked. There are vitamins and minerals which promote heart health , and have a high level of Vitamin D to help combat diseases such as osteoporosis.
If I haven’t convinced you yet, or you don’t really care about the healthiness factor, well try it anyway because it JUST TASTES AMAZING!
The husband was skeptical at first, but once he took a bite he loved it. Only problem he said, was that he wished there was more. I think that’s a good problem to have!
TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FOR A DELICIOUS SKILLET:
This is a recipe that is really hard to mess up, but we do have a couple of tips to help it shine just a little more!
When baking the sweet potatoes for the first portion, don’t overcrowd the skillet, or bake the sweet potatoes on a separate baking sheet (we love this Gold Touch Baking Sheet from Williams-Sonoma. No kidding, it’s kind of life-changing and worth the price tag!). Sweet potatoes have a high moisture content. If you overcrowd the pan, they can get a little soggy. They still taste great, but won’t have that nice toasty crunchy exterior.
You can use any oven-safe pan to make this dish, but we absolutely love using a cast-iron skillet. It holds the heat well, and provides nice even heating. And it just has a great presentation!
Sweet Potato and Avocado Breakfast Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes or yams
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 large eggs
- 1 avocado
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 425 F.
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Peel and cube potatoes.
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Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper.
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Bake in an oven-safe skillet (10 or 12 inch is best) for 25 minutes, flipping once during cooking to promote even browning.
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Push sweet potatoes aside to clear out three 2 inch diameter circles. Crack eggs into the circles.
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Place skillet back in oven and bake for 5 more minutes, or until eggs are set to your desired level (if you leave them in the pan after removing from oven, they will continue to cook.)
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Top skillet with diced avocado, salt, and pepper. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
For an alternate method of cooking the potatoes, place on a separate baking sheet for the initial cook (we love the Williams-Sonoma Gold Touch). Transfer to a preheated skillet when time to add the eggs. This can help give the potatoes a little bit nicer exterior "crunch".
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Bring on the avocado dude. That looks good.
Thanks Karen! Yeah, this one’s an over and over winner.
Making this as we speak!! Thanks for the idea. I’m doing this all in the skillet though. what does the baking do that the skillet can’t do? Seems like too much back and forth between the oven and the cast iron skillet when the skillet can do all the work anyway.
I think doing it all in the skillet is a great way to have to clean one less pan. I just like the way Williams Sonoma gold touch sheet pans get my potatoes perfectly crisped on the exterior and soft on the inside. Did it turn out well doing the potatoes in the skillet?
This is wonderful! I was looking for a quick, filling and yummy dinner and this fit the bill exactly!
So glad that you liked it Lauren!
This is a weeknight favorite I’m our house! So delicious!!
We’re so glad that you like it Jennifer!
Sounds delicious & healthy !
Thank you Donna! It seems almost too simple – but the flavor combo will blow you away and it’s just perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! Let us know how you like it.