This Hot Breakfast Bowls Recipe is a Jimmy Dean copycat that’s budget-friendly, lower in sodium, and without additional preservatives.
I came up with it because my teenaged son loves a hearty, hot breakfast on school mornings. I’m not a fan of getting up early to cook, though. So, I wanted to come up with something convenient, which he could microwave and eat in a bowl. I wanted it to be cost-effective, too.
This recipe fits all of our requirements. In under an hour on the weekend, I can make enough to last an entire month. In just two minutes each morning, my son can heat a breakfast that keeps him full until lunch. We’re both happy!
Hot Breakfast Bowls Recipe
Costs Less than Jimmy Dean
When we were grocery shopping one day, my son saw some Jimmy Dean Breakfast Bowls on sale, so I bought four. That week, he made breakfast every day without help from me, and we both loved it.
Then the deal ended. When I went to buy more, I discovered they cost $2.69 per bowl. That’s crazy! I can get a dozen eggs for around that price, I realized. A dozen — not just one meal.
Jimmy Dean’s hot breakfast bowls didn’t seem complicated, so I decided to make a copycat recipe. If you’re a fan of those convenient meals, but not happy with their price, give this recipe a try.
- Meal-prep style, so it’s all made in one go
- Freezable, so there’s no rush to eat it
- Much more budget-friendly
- A filling combination of proteins and carbs
- Ready to eat in minutes
Recipe Tips
Cook the bacon and sausage in the oven. You’ll be able to cook twice as much in the same amount of time. Here’s how to cook bacon in the oven. Make the sausages on a second foil-lined baking sheet at the same time.
Don’t poke the sausages before cooking. This old practice arose from post-war food rationing. Back then, sausages included a lot of bread and water to make up for the lack of meat. When the water reached the boiling point, the sausages exploded. Poking holes allowed the water to drain instead. Now, it just drains the flavor.
Pat the potatoes dry before frying. Dumping damp potatoes into a hot frying pan leads to painful grease burns. Patting them dry before frying helps potatoes cook more quickly, too.
Let everything cool completely before combining. Wait for the ingredients to reach room temperature before combing them, then spread the mixture on baking sheets to freeze. This way prevents hard, icy clumps.
Hot Breakfast Bowls Recipe for Meal-Prep or OAMC
Ingredients
- ½ lb. bacon
- 1 lb. sausage links
- 2 tbsp olive oil divided
- 2 lbs. Russet potatoes peeled and chopped
- 14 eggs large, whisked well
- ½ lb. cheddar cheese grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F /218 °C. Line two baking sheets with foil, spray with cooking spray and place a baking rack on one.
- Put the bacon on the baking rack and arrange the sausage links on the other sheet. Cook for 15-20 minutes until done, turning sausages halfway through.
- Remove the meat from the oven and let cool, then chop.
- Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add ½ of the olive oil. Pat the potatoes dry and add them to the skillet. Cook, frequently stirring, until they are fork-tender but not browned. (About 5 minutes.) Transfer the potatoes to a baking sheet or rack and let cool.
- Wipe out the skillet and add the remaining oil. Cook the eggs, stirring occasionally until they're done. Remove them from heat and let cool.
- Once everything is cool, combine it all on the baking sheets, including the grated cheese. Put the sheets in the freezer for 30 minutes then transfer everything to resealable bags and freeze.
To Serve
- Add 1½ cups of mixture to a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 1 minute at 50% power to defrost, stir, then cook on HIGH for 1 minute, or until thoroughly heated.
Nutrition
More How-Tos:
April says
Thank you! As I sat here eating one of the aforementioned bowl, I looked at the ingredients and said “WAIT. *I* can do this!” And went to search to see if someone had. Thank you for all the tips about freezing, what cheeses, and all the rest- you saved me a lot of frustration! I plan to freeze mine on the sheet then into seal-a-meal portions.
Katie Berry says
Hi April,
Using seal-a-meal portions sounds like a great idea. Enjoy!
Bree says
I searched awhile for a recipe that my husband and I could use for breakfast while camping, and everything I was reading didn’t seem as yummy or didnt have all the ingredients I wanted. Thanks for posting this! Itll make camping so much easier and I’m sure we’ll use it for our weeks as well.
Katie Berry says
Hi Bree,
What a smart use for this recipe! Hope you two had a fantastic time camping.
Michelle says
Ok, can I say this is amazing? I don’t like to microwave in plastic, so I have some way too small glass bowls to store make-ahead breakfasts for my hubby. Now he can just pull out what he wants and he won’t starve to death before lunch! Your method is nothing short of a complete game-changer for this farm wife. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Katie Berry says
I totally agree with you about not liking to microwave in plastic containers. So glad you like this recipe! I imagine as a farm wife you work some very long, very early hours, and I’m glad to have helped you save time in the morning!
TREW Wood says
My microwave is broken. Over ideas?
Katie Berry says
Get it repaired? Just kidding. If you need to reheat them in the oven, I’d do it at 350 F on a lined baking sheet for 10-15 minutes. Stir it halfway through and keep an eye on things so nothing burns.
DH says
love your writing style !
Can i bake the potatoes with the sausages and bacon instead of frying ? (i’m a lazy mom 🙂 )
Katie Berry says
Sure! In fact, that’s a great way to cut down the calories. Thanks for the idea!
Veronica says
Thank you. I like you knew I could make them at home from scratch allot cheaper. Inot anticipation I purchased some relatively inexpensive freezer to microwave containers that will hold 1-2 cups of mixture. I wastill going to prepare all ingredients but the eggs and freeze them then add an egg or two when cooking in microwave as wasn’t sure how well the eggs would taste after freezing them. Your post not only solved that issue for me but also the issue of ingredients clumping. I would not have thought to do it your way and freeze separated ingredients before putting them together. Thanks a bunch for the instructions and recipe. It’s been very helpful!
Katie Berry says
I’m so glad to have helped you save money! Enjoy your breakfasts. 🙂
adrienne says
Great Idea you have here! I’ve been using it for my airbnb guests and have been getting rave reviews on the breakfast! I added salt and pepper, garlic and onion powder to the eggs and potatoes. Thanks for the recipe!
Katie Berry says
I’m so glad your AirBnB guests are enjoying it! Your additions sound delicious — I like topping mine with Sriracha sauce or salsa sometimes just to change things up. Last time I made a batch I swapped diced ham for the bacon. Wow, was that good!
Tammy says
This is awesome. With my schedule this would be great for myself and my family. I can’t wait to make this tomorrow. Thanks for sharing.
Katie Berry says
I hope you enjoy them, Tammy. It really is nice being able to feed the family a hot breakfast without having to get up even earlier to do it!
Bev says
This is exactly what I’ve been looking for!! I ate those Jimmy Dean breakfast bowls this summer to help me with portion control, all the while thinking I should make from scratch. Thank you so much for this information!!
Katie Berry says
You’re quite welcome!