There's something wonderful about having a houseful of people. All the conversation and laughter seem to make the house feel lighter and brighter. Along with a house full of people comes the delight of feeding them.
I confess one meal that sometimes poses a challenge when cooking for a crowd is breakfast. Especially if I want to serve a more traditional breakfast. Cooking all those eggs and flipping all those pancakes takes a while which means you're either having people eat in shifts, trying to keep it warm in the oven which sometimes causes overcooking, or serving food a little colder than you'd like.
All of which is why I've become a huge fan of the sheet pan breakfast. It all started with bacon when I discovered cooking bacon in the oven was a super easy way to make it without creating a huge splatter on the stovetop. From there it progressed to pancakes and then eventually to eggs. The fabulous thing about making breakfast this way is how simple it is to get everything into the oven. And while it's cooking is a great time to set the table, make a fruit salad, or fruit and yogurt parfaits, and when breakfast is ready it's super simple to serve.
A few notes:
- In sharing these recipes I've chosen my favorite add-ins, feel free to substitute the vegetable or fruits of your choice.
- If you're making all three recipes at once you'll need three racks in your oven. If you don't have three racks you can use a footed cooling rack to make a space. Place the footed rack into the bacon, not the other dishes.
- When making the eggs and pancakes it's helpful to use unbleached parchment paper for an easier cleanup. Lightly brush the tray with a little oil to help the parchment paper stick, lay down the paper, and then lightly oil the paper. I know it seems like a lot of work but cleanup is so much better when you do it this way
- Chop and dice ingredients as needed before beginning the assembly process
- The timing doesn't come out exact for all the recipes (meaning they don't all finish cooking at the same time) but it's close enough
Sheet Pan Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 pound uncured bacon, preferably from pasture-raised pigs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F
- Add parchment paper to the baking tray
- Place a cooling rack (flat) on the tray
- Lay out the strips of bacon on the rack
- Place the tray in the oven on the bottom rack
- The bacon will take 30-45 minutes to cook depending on thickness and crispiness preference so you'll need to keep an eye on it
- When bacon is cooked to your preference remove it from the rack and pat dry with toweling to remove excess grease
Sheet Pan Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free flour blend, such as King Arthur's Measure for Measure
- 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
- 5 teaspoon baking powder (yes I know it's a lot, trust me on this)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon organic sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup organic milk
- 1/3 cup avocado oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 3 cups fruit - I tend to use mixed berries but chopped apples or pears would work well here too
Instructions
- Prepare a tray with parchment
- Whisk together dry ingredients
- Then add liquid ingredients and blend until fully combined and the batter is smooth
- Pour mixture into pan and spread into an even layer
- Top with fruit, if using apples or pears dust with cinnamon
- Bake 5 minutes
- Reduce heat to 350°F and bake for another 10 minutes or until pancake is firm and bounces back when tapped
- Remove from oven, slice, and serve with maple syrup or jam
Sheet Pan Eggs
Ingredients
- 18 eggs
- 1/3 cup organic milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup diced mushrooms
- 1/3 cup diced bell peppers
- 1/2 cup diced cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup diced lunchmeat, optional
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups shredded organic cheese, optional
- Guacamole
- Hot sauce
Instructions
- Prepare a tray with parchment
- In a mixing bowl blend eggs, milk, herbs, salt, and pepper until well combined
- Pour eggs into pan
- Sprinkle veggies over the top of the egg mixture
- Sprinkle with lunchmeat if using
- Sprinkle with cheese, if using
- Bake 15 minutes or until eggs are firm and bounce back when tapped
- Remove from oven
- Slice and serve with guacamole and hot sauce