Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli with Olive Oil Fried Egg

Okay, so no big surprise here, but weekends are pretty much my favorite thing.

First off, we get to sleep until whenever we happen to wake up. What a concept! No pesky alarms, and no dragging myself out of bed before the sun even peeks its first rays of light over the hills.

And don’t get me wrong, I love a good sunrise. We get them all the time here, in fact.

But there really isn’t quite anything like letting your body wake up naturally, to the bits of sunlight that filter through and around the shades, and to the sound of the birds singing outside, even if it is just a cooing mourning dove. I so love that about weekends.

Lately, on Saturday mornings, we’ve been jumping out of bed as soon as we wake up (after a half hour of telling the other person to get up…) and heading out for an early run.

We’re usually out the door by 7, and since I like to run the trails for endurance rather than speed, we’re back by 9 and I am famished.

So, we pour ourselves giant bowls of cereal, or toss a couple eggs in a pan, and shovel food into our faces as speedily as is generally considered acceptable (which is about twice as fast for me as for AJ).

But on Sundays? We lounge in bed for a half hour before spending the next half hour telling the other to get up. We make coffee, read the paper, and spend some extra time in the kitchen making breakfast.

Sometimes it’s pancakes, waffles, or french toast, or a simple breakfast hash with whatever veggies we have on hand. And it’s amazing.

If it’s a savory type of morning, salsa is key. And I am pretty darn picky about my salsas.

First off, there should never be any added sugar on the label if I’m using something store bought. Zip, nada, zilch. No agave, no corn syrup, no stevia, no nothin’. Even if there is just a tiny bit in there, I can taste it in the first bite, and I’ll remember to never buy the stuff again.

In that same vein, there must be garlic and cilantro. These ingredients are non-negotiable. I also like mine with a bit of chunky texture rather than a smooth puree, but I want it to be just a bit more exciting than your typical pico de gallo.

So, with this laundry list of things I look for in a salsa, this tends to narrow down the available options considerably. But there are actually a few out there that I really enjoy. Overall, I find that the big-brand ones never get it quite right, but several of the locally made options that are available in my area do a decent job.

Now, onto this recipe here. It’s not a salsa recipe (though I really should get to making my own from scratch…). Rather, this is a super simple breakfast that is greatly enhanced by the addition of a few dollops of good quality salsa, and you’ll be ready to go if you have a favorite on hand in the cabinet, for whenever the mood strikes.

It takes a bit of time to get this dish onto the table since the sweet potatoes are a firm root vegetable that takes some time to cook. But it’s worth it. We love any savory sweet potato hash! You should still be out of the kitchen and enjoying a piping hot meal in under 45 minutes.

I know, I know, if you’re at risk of a hangry outburst, this sounds atrocious for breakfast. Three things to keep in mind:

1. The total time includes all the peeling, chopping, pan heating, and related exercises. Prep your veg in advance, and you can shave a few minutes off that way, if that’s important to you.
2. Consider how long it really takes you to make those pancakes from scratch (an hour at least, for me, from measuring the ingredients and making the batter to getting that final flapjack onto the plate).
3. I made this for lunch, and it was wonderful. Is 45 minutes too long for lunch? Well, it probably depend on the day.

You can also choose to cook the sweet potatoes in the electric pressure cooker, if you really really really need breakfast fast!

Besides the vegetables, the fried egg on top is one of my favorite parts of this meal. I am a bit of a newbie to the fried egg world (hence the little bit of a mishap that I had while I made the one pictured here – I popped it just a teensy bit when I got it out of the pan).

I like them quite a lot, especially when they’re served on top of a heaping pile of veggies.

Served solo, I’m not really into them. I’d rather dig into a plateful of slightly runny scrambled eggs.

But on veggies? Ohh man. Don’t even get me started. Fried for the win! And you can totally make them to your liking, from super runny to something more on the firm end of the spectrum.

I took a cue from Bon Appétit and fried the eggs in what I’d call a slightly excessive amount of olive oil. It made a bit of a mess, but that’s what I tend to do in the kitchen. AJ loves it.

Anyway, the olive oil fry gave the eggs this awesome texture, with plenty of loftiness and a bit of crispiness.

The whites cooked right quick, meaning that even after I took a little too long to flip and cook the top, the yolk was still pretty perfect. And if I can do it, you can do it. I promise.

Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli with Olive Oil Fried Egg

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★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Raquel Smith
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 2 servings 1x

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Description

This easy veg-heavy hash is perfect for breakfast or lunch. Filled with sweet potatoes and broccoli and topped with a delicious fried egg, you’re sure to be satisfied all morning long!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled
• 1 medium head broccoli
• 1/4 onion
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 eggs
• salt & pepper
• salsa

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Instructions

1. Dice the sweet potato into small 1 cm chunks. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium heat, then add the sweet potatoes and cook for about 10 minutes, until starting to blacken in bits. They should still be a bit crunchy in the middle.
2. While the sweet potatoes cook, cut the florets off the broccoli, making sure to keep them in small bite-sized pieces. Peel the broccoli stalk, then slice into 1/4″ rounds. Cut the 1/4 onion in half, then slice into 1/4″ strips.
3. When the sweet potatoes are almost done, add the onions and broccoli. Cook for another 7-8 minutes or so, until the onions are soft and the broccoli turns bright green.
4. Remove the veggies from the pan and place on two plates. Turn the heat down just a bit and add 1 Tbsp olive oil, swirling it around the pan.
5. When the oil is hot, carefully crack an egg and drop it into the hot oil. It’ll bubble and spatter quite a bit. Add the other egg in another part of the pan. Cook until you can get a spatula beneath them, then carefully flip. Cook for just 10 seconds or so until the top is set, then very carefully remove from the pan and top each plate of veggies with one egg.
6. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and freshly cracked pepper, then top with salsa. Enjoy!

• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Category: Hash
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Breakfast

Keywords: fried eggs, sweet potatoes, broccoli, hash

What about you? Would you top this delicious vegetarian hash with your favorite salsa, another condiment, or just go bare? Instead of sauteing the broccoli, use our crispy, roasted broccoli for a beautifully browned variation. You can also steam or blanch them if you want a more simple method of preparation.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. And if you loved this recipe, please give it a rating!

Plus, if you liked this healthy breakfast, you’ll love these:

• Potato and Beet Greens Hash
• Vegan Sweet Potato (or Pumpkin!) Waffles
• 100% Whole Wheat Blueberry Banana Muffins

Photos by Raquel Smith, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published on April 1, 2015. Last updated: October 18, 2021 at 15:21 pm.

*Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.

About Raquel Smith

Raquel is a whole foods enthusiast, an avid mountain biker, and a dog lover. She works by day at Food Blogger Pro and formerly maintained her food blog "My California Roots" (now merged into Foodal).

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