This cast iron breakfast skillet with potatoes is a fantastic way to start your day! It’s a hearty, cheesy, and super delicious breakfast.
I make this breakfast skillet with tender diced potatoes, bell peppers, ham, and freshly shredded cheese. And my favorite? Crispy sunny side up eggs!
You can whip up this recipe in under 30 minutes, and even faster if you prep ahead the ingredients. It’s so good!
Every morning should start with a really good breakfast! This easy breakfast skillet featuring potatoes, peppers, and eggs is the perfect way to kickstart your day.
My family loves this recipe so much that it’s now become a weekly tradition in our house. It’s hearty, cheesy, and downright delicious.
This skillet is loaded with tender potatoes, sautéed onions, colorful bell peppers, diced Canadian bacon or ham, and, of course, plenty of cheese! And when it comes to the eggs, you can cook them right in the skillet alongside the rest of the ingredients or separately.
And to make my mornings even easier, I like to dice everything ahead of time. It’s super simple and easy!
We LOVE eggs for breakfast! These Chorizo Breakfast Tacos are amazing, as are these Sausage Egg Muffins. If you’re into quiche, try my Mini Spinach Quiche (great for hosting a brunch!) or Asparagus Quiche recipes.
Why we love making this amazing breakfast skillet:
- Hearty and satisfying: Packed with potatoes, protein, and veggies. It’s the perfect way to start your day.
- Quick and easy: Ready in under 30 minutes with little prep. This breakfast skillet is perfect for busy mornings.
- Customizable: Don’t like bell peppers? No problem. Prefer sausage over ham? Go for it.
- Prep-ahead friendly: Dice all your ingredients in advance to make morning prep even easier.
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Ingredient Notes
This fabulous breakfast skillet requires only a few basic ingredients! You may even have all the ingredients in your fridge already. Below, I included a few helpful notes on each, and per usual, quantities can be found in the recipe card down below.
- Frozen diced potatoes: Store-bought frozen potatoes already come par-boiled, so they are perfect for a speedy breakfast. If you prefer to use fresh potatoes, you’ll need to either cook them longer, or par-boil (or pre-roast) them first.
- Bell peppers: Mix and match colors!
- Onions: I use yellow onions for a milder and slightly sweeter flavor profile.
- Canadian bacon or ham: Diced into cubes. Feel free to substitute with bacon or sausage.
- Freshly shredded cheese: For that smooth melty finish to the breakfast skillet. I like Colby Jack cheese or similar.
- Eggs: Choose your preferred method of egg preparation. Fried, scrambled, poached are a few of my favorites.
- Olive oil or any neutral oil for cooking.
- Salt and pepper to taste
Step-by-Step Tutorial
In under 30 minutes, you’ll have a hearty breakfast ready! Here’s a tutorial on how I make my favorite breakfast skillet recipe.
Step 1 | Cook potatoes, peppers, and ham
Heat a few drizzles of olive oil in a large 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add frozen diced potatoes and cook until softened and golden brown around the edges. If desired, cover with a lid for faster cooking. Remove from the skillet, and then cook the onions and bell peppers with a few extra drizzles of oil.
Then, add the diced Canadian bacon or ham and cook for another 3 minutes or so. Return the cooked potatoes to the skillet and stir to combine evenly.
Step 2 | Melt cheese
Sprinkle with freshly shredded cheese and cover the skillet until well melted, about 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat.
Step 3 | Cook eggs
Meanwhile, cook the eggs in a separate skillet. I like to make sunny side up eggs, but cook them any way you’d like! Scrambled, poached, over-easy, soft-boiled…your choice!
Eggs Your Way
I’ve made this breakfast skillet with many types of egg preparations, but sunny side up is my favorite! I really like the combination of crispy sunny side up eggs with the tender and cheesy potatoes.
- Sunny side up: In a non-stick skillet, add a few drizzles of oil and crack the eggs. Cook over medium-high heat until they are cooked to your liking.
- Scrambled: Beat eggs with some cream. Cook over low heat in a non-stick skillet, lightly scrambling in folding motions occasionally.
- Soft-boiled or hard boiled: Lower the eggs into simmering water, cover and turn off the heat. Soft-boiled eggs need about 8-9 minutes, and hard-boiled about 10-12 minutes.
- Poached: Poaching can be a little bit tricky, but this air-fryer poached egg method is super easy. Give it a try!
Prefer to cook the eggs in the same skillet? Before adding the cheese, make a few wells and crack the eggs into them. Then top with cheese and cook, covered, until the eggs are cooked to your desired level of doneness.
Add-ins and Customizations
Get creative with your add-ins here! Try adding diced tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, or even leftover roasted veggies.
You can also add extra flavors with different types of cheese. Try smoked gouda, pepper jack, cheddar, white cheddar, or provolone. I’d highly recommend using freshly shredded cheese for the best texture.
For a spicy kick, add diced jalapenos or a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. And if you want to be a little extra, serve with a dollop of sour cream or avocado slices!
More Breakfast Recipes
Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, so we like to make it extra good. Here are some of our family’s favorite recipes to start the day.
Here are our favorite quick breakfast recipes:
- Denver Omelet Egg Muffins
- Sausage Egg Muffins
- Italian Baked Eggs
- Banana Muffins (make-ahead friendly)
For more fabulous weekend brunch ideas:
- Sweet Potato Quinoa Bowls (add an egg!)
- Stuffed French Toast
- Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
- Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
- Spinach Strata
Recipe FAQs
Yes, but you’ll need to either cook them in the skillet for a bit longer (with some water for steam, covered), or alternatively par-boil or pre-roast. I prefer to use frozen – store-bought frozen potatoes come par-boiled already, so they cook very quickly.
Canadian bacon is my go-to but any type of thick ham (ham steak, diced ham) will work. You can also use bacon or sausage here.
Yes! Make a few wells and crack the eggs into them. Then, generously top with cheese and cook, covered, until desired level of doneness.
You can pre-dice everything in advance to minimize prep time in the morning.
I like to keep it simple and always do toast and jam, but it would also be wonderful with buttermilk biscuits, English muffins, your favorite toasted bread, or a fresh fruit salad.
This recipe was originally published in 2019 and updated in February 2024 to include new photos and information, plus a few recipe modifications.
Tips for Success
- Frozen diced potatoes work best for this breakfast skillet recipe because they already come par-boiled so they cook very quickly. If you prefer to use fresh potatoes, you can cook them a bit longer with a bit of water to create steam, or alternatively par-boil or pre-roast them.
- Use freshly shredded cheese for best results and texture. It will be extra melty and smooth!
- Cover the skillet when melting the cheese. This will help the cheese melt evenly.
- Prep ahead: For a quicker morning prep, the onions and peppers in advance.
- Eggs your way: Cook the eggs any way you want! I personally how crispy sunny side up eggs complement the tender potatoes filling. More ideas in the recipe card down below.
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Breakfast Skillet
Equipment
- 10-inch cast iron skillet or non-stick skillet
Ingredients
- 3 cups frozen diced potatoes - or hash brown potatoes
- ½ a medium yellow onion, diced
- ½ a green bell pepper, diced
- ½ a red bell pepper, diced
- ½ an orange bell pepper, diced
- 1 ½ cups diced Canadian bacon - or ham steak
- 1 ½ cups freshly shredded Colby Jack cheese - or similar cheese, plus more to taste
- 3 large eggs
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Olive oil - for pan
Instructions
- In a large 10-inch skillet, heat a few drizzles of oil over medium heat. Add the frozen diced potatoes and cook until softened and golden brown around the edges. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with a lid for faster cooking. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- To the same skillet, heat a few extra drizzles of oil. Sauté the onions and bell peppers until tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Then add the diced Canadian bacon or ham and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Return the potatoes to the skillet and stir to combine evenly.
- Top with shredded cheese and cover with the lid until the cheese is melted, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a separate pan, cook the eggs to your liking. I like crispy sunny side up eggs, but you can also scramble them. More cooking options listed in the recipes notes below.
- Optional: If you prefer to cook the eggs in the same skillet, make wells and crack the eggs into them. Then top with cheese, cover, and cook until the eggs are cooked to your liking and the cheese is melted.
- Serve warm with your favorite sides. We like to serve this skillet with toast and jam!
Notes
- Prep ahead: Dice the onions and peppers in advance.
- Store leftovers in airtight containers for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave oven.
- Cooking options for eggs:
- Sunny side up: In a non-stick skillet, add oil and crack the eggs. Cook over medium-high heat to your liking.
- Scrambled: Beat eggs with cream. Cook over low heat in a non-stick skillet, scrambling occasionally.
- Soft or hard boiled: In simmering water, cover and turn off heat. Soft-boiled: 8-9 mins, Hard-boiled: 10-12 mins.
- Poached or over-easy.
- Frozen diced potatoes: Frozen hash browns, frozen sweet potatoes.
- Prefer to use fresh potatoes? Cook them a bit longer with a bit of water to create steam, or alternatively par-boil or pre-roast them.
- Add-in ideas: Sausage, bacon, tomatoes. For greens, try spinach or kale.
Theresa says
My favorite breakfast, so good! Never made it myself only had it in a restaurant, thanks for the recipe
Tania says
so happy to hear!