You might be wondering whether all breakfast alternatives are equal in the light of the widespread belief that breakfast is the most significant meal of the day.

Who wouldn’t want to start the morning off right with a delicious, satisfying, and healthy breakfast? Unsurprisingly, the healthiest breakfast options include a moderate amount of whole grains for rapid energy and a combination of protein, fiber, and healthy fats to keep you feeling full until lunch.

Unfortunately, a lot of popular breakfast dishes don’t fit these requirements and can make you feel uncomfortably full, or hungry immediately after eating. So, here are some breakfast recipes that you don’t need to worry anything about!

Everything Bagel Casserole

Our dreams are made of a bagel casserole with all the fixings. The Cheesy Croissant Dish is a tasty alternative that we occasionally make instead of this casserole, which we seriously contemplated preparing every weekend.

INGREDIENTS

• Cooking spray
• 4 everything bagels, chopped
• 1 1/2 cup shredded white cheddar
• 1 1/2 c. halved cherry tomatoes
• one oz. (8-oz.) block cream cheese, cut into 1/2″ cubes
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 8 large eggs
• 2 1/2 c. milk
• 2 green onions, sliced, plus more for garnish
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch cayenne
• a tsp. poppy seeds
• 1 tsp. dried minced onion
• one teaspoon. sesame seeds
• 1 tsp. dried garlic
• 1 tsp. coarse salt

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 350° and grease a 9”-x-13” baking pan with cooking spray. Scatter about half of bagel pieces in baking pan then top with half of the cheddar, tomatoes, cream cheese, and red onion. Repeat to make another layer.
• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and green onions. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Pour mixture over bagels making sure to coat each bagel piece. Sprinkle seasonings over casserole then cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake until bagels are golden and eggs are cooked through, about 25 minutes more. Let cool for 30 minutes.
• Garnish with green onions before serving.

EGGS IN HELL

Despite the dish’s unfortunate name, it is essentially shakshouka—eggs poached in tomato sauce—with the addition of hot sausage.

INGREDIENTS

• Olive oil
• Ground Italian sausage
• Yellow onion
• Smoked paprika
• Salt and pepper
• Garlic
• Crushed tomatoes
• Eggs 
• Fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS

• If you’ve never been taught how to cook Italian sausage, don’t panic, it’s just like browning regular ground beef or turkey. Add the olive oil, Italian sausage, spices, and onion to a large skillet and cook until the sausage is cooked through and the onions are golden brown. 

• Add the garlic to the skillet and cook until fragrant, then stir in the crushed tomatoes. Crack the eggs into the skillet and continue cooking them until they’re as done as you’d like. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately. 

OREO DONUTS

Donuts are the ideal morning item, and serving them with dessert makes them even better.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 oreos, crushed into fine crumbs

For the White Chocolate Frosting

• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 3/4 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 2 oreos, crushed into fine crumbs

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a donut pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
• 1. In a large bowl, whisk together egg, milk, oil, vinegar, and vanilla until combined.
• Next, add baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until incorporated. Add brown sugar and whisk until combined. Whisk in cocoa powder and flour until a smooth batter forms. Fold in crushed Oreos.
• 2. Transfer batter to quart-sized ziptop bag. Seal, cut off one corner, and pipe batter into the donut molds. Place the donut pan into the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove donuts from the pan and place donuts on wire racks to cool.
• 3. While the donuts are cooling, prepare the glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk and confectioner’s sugar. Add vanilla and whisk until smooth.
• In a small heatproof bowl, melt white chocolate chips in the microwave in 15-second increments until completely melted. Add melted white chocolate to the glaze and whisk together.
• Dunk donuts into the glaze, sprinkle with crushed Oreos and let sit until set (or place donuts into the fridge for a couple of minutes to speed up the process). Enjoy!

PECAN PIE FRENCH TOAST

This tantalizing variation on a brunch classic combines pie and French toast.

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 6 large eggs plus 3 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1 loaf French bread, cut into 8 slices
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup pecans, chopped

DIRECTIONS

• In a large bowl combine the milk, cream, eggs, yolks, and vanilla beat well, and set aside. Arrange sliced bread in a large shallow bowl. Pour the liquid mixture over the bread. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight.

When ready to bake…

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F). In a small saucepan over medium heat melt the butter. Remove from heat and whisk in the brown sugar, corn syrup, maple syrup, and pecans.
• Spread this mixture evenly across the bottom of a 3-quart casserole dish. Carefully arrange the soaked bread on top. Bake for 35 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes, then serve warm!

BLUEBERRY CREAM CHEESE BREAKFAST BRAID

Meet your new best pastry friend, morning coffee. Beginning with a flat piece of dough, you’ll cut strips down the side, spread it with cream cheese and sugar, sprinkle blueberries and sliced almonds on top, and then carefully braid the dough over the fillings. Simple as pie!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (8 oz.) tube, crescent dough sheet
• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 1/4 c. granulated sugar, divided
• 2 c. (1 pint) fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1 Tbsp. corn starch
• 1/4 c. sliced almonds
• 2 Tbsp. turbinado or raw sugar

Glaze:

• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 3 Tbsp. cream cheese
• 1-2 Tbsp. milk

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• On parchment paper, roll out the crescent dough, and pinch together any holes or perforations.
• In a bowl, cream together the 4 oz. of cream cheese and 2 Tbsp. of sugar. Spread into the center of the dough, leaving about 4″ on each side. Using kitchen shears or a knife, cut diagonal 1″ strips along the sides of the dough.
• Rinse and drain the blueberries. In a bowl, add the remaining 2 Tbsp of sugar, and the cornstarch, and mix together to coat the berries. Pour the berry mixture over the center cream cheese area of the dough. Sprinkle the berries with the sliced almonds.
• Gently fold over each end of the dough onto the berries, and fold in each strip of the dough, until all the berries and almonds are encased. Sprinkle the top of the dough with the turbinado or raw sugar granules. Bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes.
• While the pastry is baking, mix together the glaze by creaming together the powdered sugar, cream cheese, and milk. Mix until smooth.
• When breakfast braid comes out of the oven, drizzle with glaze. Slice and serve.

SUMMER PEACH UPSIDE DOWN COFFEE CAKE

This is essentially just cake that is being passed off as a coffee cake suitable for breakfast, but who cares? The thing that really, um, takes the cake in this case is that gooey, caramel-y topping (and, believe it or not, this recipe is actually on the light side).

Ingredients

• PEACH TOPPING:
• 2 medium peaches pitted and sliced
• half cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• CAKE:
• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter softened
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease two 9-in round cake pans. Set aside.
• Place sugar, butter, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until caramel is golden-brown and slightly thickened. Remove from heat and divide between the bottom of the prepared pans. Arrange peach slices over top and set aside.
• Make the cake: In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In a separate medium bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in yogurt, eggs, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Fold flour mixture into the liquid until just combined.
• Divide batter between pans, gently spreading over peaches. Bake coffee cakes at 350F for 25-30 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool coffee cakes on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes, then invert each cake onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve warm.

CHEESY BACON AND EGG HASH

This breakfast dish is a staple of comfort cuisine. You won’t be able to stop at one scoop if the skillet is filled to the brim with potatoes, bacon, scallions, and — mmm — mozzarella.

INGREDIENTS

• 24 oz (700 g) potatoes, (about 4 medium-sized), scrubbed clean and peeled
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, (or coconut oil)
• 7 oz (200 g) diced bacon, (trimmed of fat)
• 2 scallions or spring onions, (shallots) trimmed and finely sliced
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (or cheddar)
• Cracked pepper to season

DIRECTIONS

Stove Top:

• Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet or pan over medium heat. Fry the potatoes in the hot oil and cook while stirring occasionally, until golden and crispy (about 20 minutes). To speed up cooking time, cover the pan with a lid, checking the potatoes every 4-5 minutes or so to stir them (this takes about 15 minutes).
• Add the bacon pieces to the pan and fry while stirring occasionally for 10 minutes until crisp. The potatoes will be golden with crisp edges, while soft on the inside. Add the spring onions; stir them through and season with pepper (optional).
• Using a wooden spoon or spatula, make four wells in the hash, crack an egg into each well and arrange the mozzarella around each egg. Fry until the whites are set and the eggs are cooked to your liking. Serve immediately.