If you struggle with making breakfast a bit more interesting than the usual scrambled egg variety, this Skillet Garden Eggs dish is a recipe I found that I modified so it would be 17 Day Diet friendly.
This would also work for lunch or dinner – you really can have eggs any time of the day!
You can either make the recipe as-is, or substitute your favorite veggies if you’re not a fan of tomatoes or mushrooms.
Skillet Garden Eggs Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this Skillet Garden Eggs recipe:
Lean Protein
A good quality lean protein is the first ingredient you’ll need.
This particular recipe calls for ground turkey, but you could easily use ground chicken if that’s what you have.
If you’re on Cycle 3 of the 17 Day Diet, consider Canadian bacon or a low-sugar sausage.
Non Starch Vegetables
Once you have your protein base, your vegetables are next.
As the recipe is written, you’ll start with red onion. If you’re not a fan of onions like me, you can skip this ingredient.
Next, you’ll want fresh spinach or kale. Fueling up on a fiber-rich breakfast is so important and adding spinach to your dish will do just that.
Spinach will give you extra fiber, minerals and vitamins and will help you stay satiated during lunch time.
You can use frozen spinach, but make sure you squeeze all the extra liquid out once it’s defrosted. Otherwise, you’ll have a very runny breakfast!
Get your morning minerals in with fresh mushrooms. I personally like crimini mushrooms, but any variety will do.
If you want, canned mushrooms are fine as well.
Next, you’ll want to gather tomatoes – either grape or cherry are fine.
If you don’t have these variety, a Roma tomato would be good because they’re typically less juicy than a beefsteak tomato, for instance.
Eggs
Of course you have to have eggs. What’s breakfast without them? Especially this breakfast recipe!
Eggs are a great source of extra protein in the morning.
If your cholesterol is on the higher side, consider scrambling egg whites instead.
Cheese
Finally, you’ll want a good quality cheese.
This recipe calls for mozzarella or Parmesan because they’re lower in fat, but you could crank it up a notch with a yummy goat cheese if you’re in Cycle 3 (or stick to low or non-fat in Cycles 1 or 2).
If you’re on the 17 Day Diet, cheese is allowed! You’ll find it on the condiment section of the Cycle 1 food list to be used in moderation.
The Cycle Food List does mention non-fat cheese, but I personally like less of a full or lower fat cheese. You can read my post about cheese on the 17 Day Diet for more information as to my reasoning.
Ingredient Substitutions or Additions
The sky really is the limit when it comes to this breakfast recipe. If you’re not fond of red onions, but don’t mind scallions for instance, then go with scallions.
If you don’t like mushrooms, skip them entirely.
If you want to add in roasted sweet potato, this would be a great addition!
Be creative and have fun with your breakfast!
Other Low-Carb Breakfast Egg Recipes
If you enjoy this Skillet Garden Eggs dish, you might want to try these other healthy breakfast ideas:
Additional Low-Carb, Egg-Free Breakfast Recipes
If you’re looking for more low carb breakfast ideas with recipes that don’t contain eggs, here are a few more ideas:
- Breakfast Smoothie for the 17 Day Diet
- Dr. Mike’s Power Cookie for the 17 Day Diet
- Busy Bee’s Superfood Smoothie Recipe
- Blueberries and Cream Green Smoothie
- Healthy Homemade Granola
- Breakfast Chia Pudding
If you make this Skillet Garden Eggs recipe, let me know how you enjoy it! I’d also appreciate it if you come back and review the recipe in the card below. Plus, if you’re on social media, tag me @17ddblog so I can see your creation!
If you switch it up a bit and use different ingredients, I’d love to hear from you! Enjoy!
Skillet Garden Eggs
A yummy breakfast dish with all of your favorite garden veggies!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 ounces of Ground Turkey (for Cycle 1 or 2) OR 2 slices Canadian Bacon or Reduced Fat Turkey Bacon (for Cycle 3 only)
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 2 cups chopped spinach or kale (for Cycles 1 or 2) OR 2 cups chopped Swiss chard (for Cycle 3 only)
- 5-6 sliced mushrooms (for Cycles 1 or 2) OR 1/2 small zucchini, finely chopped (for Cycle 3 only)
- 1/2 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup grated low-fat mozzarella or Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large nonstick skillet over medium, heat the olive oil.
- Add the meat and onion and sauté until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the greens (spinach, kale or swiss chard) and mushrooms or zucchini and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and beginning to brown.
- Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.
- Stir well, then arrange the vegetables in an even layer.
- Using a spoon, create 4 wells in the vegetables, each about 2 inches across.
- Crack an egg into each well. Cover the skillet and cook until just shy of desired doneness, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Sprinkle the cheese over the vegetables and eggs, then cover and cook for another minute. Use a spatula to transfer half of the vegetables and 2 eggs onto each plate.
Notes
Approved all cycles. See recipe for substitutions for later cycles.
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I’ve been loving the 17 Day Diet since 2011. I love sharing my favorite healthy recipes and meal plans to keep you motivated and on the right path to success!
When I’m not hanging out here, I enjoy quick trips to the Oregon Coast, designing my jewelry line, being a proud Swiftie, and tinkering with my personal Youtube Channel!
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Oh trying.now
Why is zucchini for Cycle 3 only in this recipe?
It’s only allowed on Cycle 3. It’s not on the lists for 1 or 2.
Not sure if this is a question or a comment !! I am on day four of the challenge, and have been following the plan to the letter. After the first day ( and the previous ”smoothie”day ) I had lost five and a half pounds !! The next day, I was up almost a pound, and then up a bit this morning, too. I have still lost four pounds in the first three days, which I realize is awesome :) but am puzzled about the ”bounce back” of the weight, and wondered if anyone has experienced the same thing ?
Hi Barbara, this happens to a lot of people, and for some, not at all. Everyone loses/gains weight differently. The best thing I can say is if you’re going to weigh yourself daily, make sure it’s the exact time each day. Your body weight naturally fluctuates during the day anyway. My second best thing is if you have a hard time seeing the weight go up and down everyday, consider weighing weekly instead of daily.
I weighed myself first thing in the morning, at more or less exactly the same time…..just to see if things were going in the right direction ( i.e. DOWN !! lol). I think that initial 5 1/2 lbs in two days was a fluke ( water weight ?) and the 4lbs in 3 days ( including the weight apparently ”gained back”) much more realistic, and in my eyes anyway, a very satisfactory amount !! I feel good on the diet, am enjoying the food, and have decided to just stay off the scales completely until the 17 days are complete. Thanks so much for the support, it REALLY helps !!
Very possible it was water weight! I’m glad you’re back down!
This was one of the best breakfasts I have ever had. I did not have the right meat add used prosciutto and didn’t have the mushrooms. I used parmesan for the cheese. It was gorgeous and incredibly tasty! Thanks for this recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it, Christine! I love your use of prosciutto. I bet it was yummy!
Good Morning Torey, I am on day 1 of Cycle 1. Is coffee with creamer allowed or no?
Hi Megan, if you’re sticking by the book, coffee creamer isn’t allowed. However, many members use it and don’t have an issue. If you’re looking for a bit of flexibility in your diet, you can certainly try it and see how it goes. Another alternative is unsweetened almond milk. It’s allowed starting on C3, but many use it throughout all cycles and don’t have an issue.
Was interested in the challenge starting May 10, but I’ll be starting Cycle 2 on May 6. :-(
Hi Paula! You can be on any cycle/day when we begin. We usually have members starting on different days, or have already been going for a while so it’s quite common! The meal plan you receive is Cycle 1 friendly, but EASILY customizable to fit into your Cycle 2. If you register before the Thursday deadline, you’ll also receive a 7-day meal plan for extra variety! I hope you’ll join us!
As a single Greek woman, I make this recipe, cut in half, in a “green pan”, one of those ‘seen on TV’ non-stick jobs that closes like a clam. My modification is adding some feta instead of parmesan and sometimes sneaking in 3-4 Kalamata olives that have been halved. I usually wait until I have been 100% good for 3-4 days for my little olive cheat.