Bacon Quinoa Breakfast Bowls

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 450ºF.

Step 2

Prep the veggies: remove the seeds and stem from the bell peppers and slice into strips. Break the broccoli florets into small, 1-bite pieces. For the stem, I recommend peeling it, chopping off the bottom 1/2 inch or so, and then chopping it into small bites. Broccoli stems are so underrated - they're delicious roasted!

Step 3

Toss the veggies with oil, salt, pepper, and the smoked paprika. Spread out on a baking tray (parchment-lined is my preference). Roast on 450ºF for about 25 minutes, or until just started to get a bit crispy.

Step 4

Bacon: Cook the bacon in a shallow skillet or dutch oven; I cook it over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes per side, but just cook it to your desired doneness (feel free to use the oven if you prefer, just be sure to reserve some of the bacon grease). Remove bacon from pan. Set 4 pieces aside for serving (I like to cut them in half so it feels like you get more bacon!). Dice 2 of the bacon slices into small pieces.

Step 5

Drain the bacon grease, but reserve 2 Tablespoons for cooking the quinoa. (Feel free to reserve even more if you like to cook your eggs in bacon grease!)

Step 6

Quinoa: While the pan is still hot, add in the reserved 2 Tablespoons of bacon grease and the chopped bacon. Add the COOKED quinoa and 'fry' as if you were frying rice. This should only take 1-2 minutes. (Optional: feel free to crisp up these chunks of bacon for added texture before adding the quinoa!)

Step 7

Eggs: using fat of choice (bacon grease, butter, ghee, etc.), heat a skillet over medium heat. When quite hot, drop in an egg and cook until the whites are set. I'd cook the eggs as the last step so they're warm when you serve. Feel free to use a different method to cook your eggs - poached and jammy eggs are both great here.

Step 8

Add the quinoa to the bowls and top with the roasted vegetables. Serve each with a slice of bacon and a fried egg.