I have quite a lot of love for eggs. They are in fact my favorite MacGyver tool because they are so versatile and are a key component in many dishes. If you are low-carbing it, eggs are one of the few satisfying things you get to eat in the first Phase and some folks get bored. However, I have yet to get bored with omelets and I am always challenging myself to come up with new fillings. I’ll take this opportunity to put a shout-out to my brother-in-law who I have deemed Omelet MacGyver because it seems like he can find anything in the fridge and make it an omelet (Special recognition for using green olives in that last one fellow Mudblood). So take note that omelets are a great way to use up leftovers!
Omelets are not just for breakfast. You can find just about any cooking magazine featuring a quick weekday night supper as being an omelet and a green salad. If you move your thinking away from breakfast you can come up with some really great fillings that are delicious AND satisfying. I have also noticed that I can hide some pretty good stuff in an omelet and suddenly I have kids eating ham, cheese and onions and getting a balanced meal! I also tend to gravitate toward the omelet because it takes a few steps less than a frittata and you can tailor an omelet to an individual versus making one huge pan of eggs (my typical frittata recipes call for 6-8 eggs). However, I did just read an interesting food tip via Twitter about popping an omelet in an oven the last few minutes of cooking to make it nice and fluffy…I’ll let you know when I try it out!
Good Housekeeping has an Omelet 101 on its website
but I will also share a few of my tips:
- If using freshly cut vegetables, sauté them in the pan with a little butter or oil first and the set aside to add to omelet when time. This ensures the vegetables aren’t super crunchy and it also gives you the opportunity to season them to your liking.
- Leftover meat also does well sautéed and then removed. Also, make sure you fully cook any meat you selected that was not previously cooked. I will often cut up some raw bacon, cook it in the pan, add some onion and then remove and reserve a little of the bacon grease as my fat for cooking the eggs.
- Some recipes suggest you add the cheese to the egg mixture. I have found that the omelet consistency is not as good and it sometime sticks worse that way. My method for cheese is to sprinkle a little on the cooked half, then add the other fillings and then a little more cheese.When the cheese melts, the sides of the omelet adhere a little better
- Pay attention to your seasoning based on your fillings. For example, if you are using bacon as a filling, be conscious that it’s pretty salty on its own.
- Drain liquid based fillings well before adding to the omelet. I used chili once and because I did not drain the excess liquid, the omelet got soupy fast.
- Use a good non-stick pan and a good wide spatula. I have tried to make omelets in a non-stick pan when on travel and it always becomes a scramble.
So what are my favorite omelet fillings? The top has to be goat cheese and asparagus as I ate that omelet for the entire first week of Phase 1 of South Beach. Pretty close is the Italian one I made with Genoa salami, pepperoni, chopped tomatoes, a little garlic salt and mozzarella. I also love a good veggie omelet, especially when its spinach, onions and mushrooms. Other suggestions:
- steak and onions
- peppers and onions with taco seasoning and monetary jack or pepper jack
- capers, prosciutto and basil
Experiment with your own creations. Also, if you are an egg substitute person, there is no limit to your fillings either. You just have to pay special attention to ensure you are moving the pan around and pushing the cooked portions up enough to not overcook them.
