Greens for breakfast? When considering options for weekday mornings, Swiss chard doesn’t immediately come to mind. However, the hearty leaves made an ideal partner for a fried egg (a welcome change from toast), especially when the rich, drippy yolk broke and mingled with the earthy greens. (Chard leaves contain abundant antioxidants and are also rich in vitamins K, A, E, and C.) To keep our breakfast quick, we simply bloomed minced garlic in olive oil, then wilted handfuls of chard before adding red bell pepper for sweetness and a pinch of red pepper flakes to perk everything up. The greens became tender and vibrant in 5 minutes. We then drained our vegetables to banish excess liquid before portioning them out, and used the same skillet to quickly fry 4 eggs before sliding them atop our greens. A complementary spritz from a lemon wedge added pleasant brightness. You will need a 12-inch nonstick skillet with a tight-fitting lid for this recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 pounds Swiss chard, stemmed, 1 cup stems chopped fine, leaves sliced into ½-inch-wide strips
- 1 small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
- Salt and pepper
- 0.12 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 large organic eggs
- Lemon wedges
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil and garlic in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until garlic is light golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Increase heat to high, add chopped chard stems then chard leaves, 1 handful at a time, and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in bell pepper, ¼ teaspoon salt, and pepper flakes and cook, stirring often, until chard is tender and peppers are softened, about 3 minutes. Off heat, season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to colander set in bowl.
- Crack 2 eggs into small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Repeat with remaining 2 eggs in second bowl. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering; quickly swirl to coat pan. Working quickly, pour one bowl of eggs in one side of pan and second bowl of eggs in other side. Cover and cook for 1 minute.
- Remove skillet from heat and let sit, covered, 15 to 45 seconds for runny yolks (white around edge of yolk will be barely opaque), 45 to 60 seconds for soft but set yolks, or about 2 minutes for medium-set yolks.
- Divide chard mixture evenly among serving plates, top each with one egg, and drizzle with oil to taste. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
