Kale and Red Onion Savory Breakfast
This Kale and Red Onion Savory Breakfast is a meatless low-carb breakfast bake that will start your day with a healthy dose of veggies! And this breakfast bake has some interesting ingredients that give it amazing Umami flavor!
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This Kale and Red Onion Savory Breakfast is such a delicious and nutritious breakfast option! And if you’re trying to eat more vegetables (and most of us should be) starting the day with a dish like this that includes vegetables is a great idea. This is exactly the kind of Weekend Food Prep breakfast I love to make on the weekend and reheat all week.
I first made this recipe when I had Red Russian Kale in my garden and was newly infatuated with it. And when we decided to update the photos I no longer had that variety of kale available, and of course I always try to improve the recipes a bit when I update them!
The biggest change I made to this savory breakfast recipe was leaving out the breadcrumbs that were in the original version so now this is a low-carb or Keto breakfast! I also used slightly more cheese and two more eggs in this updated version. But this savory breakfast idea is still loaded with amazing umami flavors from the interesting combination of ingredients! (Here’s the original version of the recipe if anyone wants it.)
What Foods have Umami Flavors?
The concept of Umami (which means “a pleasant savory taste” in Japanese) as being one of the five distinct types of flavors originated in Japan in the early 1900s, and since then the word has become somewhat synonymous with the word savory. Common foods considered to be high in Umami include things like fish, tomatoes, mushrooms, meat, all types of cheese, and soy sauce. Umami is also the flavor receptor that makes me love Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) so much. Read more about Umami if you’re curious about this “fifth taste.”
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- chopped kale
- red onion
- Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
- Olive Oil (affiliate link)
- salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
- Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link), Coconut Aminos (affiliate link), or other soy sauce
- grated Mozzarella cheese
- coarsely grated Parmesan cheese
- eggs
- Spike Seasoning (affiliate link), or other all-purpose seasoning blend
What ingredients give the Savory Breakfast Bake Umami flavors?
If you’re familiar with the food concept of Umami, what really bumps up the Umami flavor in this recipe is the addition of a tiny bit of soy sauce to the eggs! You can make this with Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link) if needed or use Coconut Aminos (affiliate link) if you’re avoiding soy. No matter which option you use, the combination of kale, onion, garlic, soy sauce or alternative, two kinds of cheese, and eggs makes this a breakfast that loaded with savory Umami goodness!
What is a Savory Breakfast Bake?
This recipe is a savory dish that I call a “breakfast bake” with lots of kale and cheese and just enough eggs to hold it together. If you prefer more of a traditional breakfast casserole you might want to add a couple more eggs.
How to make this Kale and Red Onion Savory Breakfast:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.
- When I updated the recipe I bought a one-pound bag of chopped kale (and used half of it). See instructions in the recipe below if you need to chop up kale leaves.
- I washed and crisped the 8 oz. chopped kale in my salad spinner, but you don’t always need to do this with kale from a bag. If you wash the kale, be sure to spin really dry (or dry with paper towels.)
- Chop up half of a small red onion.
- Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan and cook onion, then add Minced Garlic (affiliate link) and cook a minute or two longer.
- Then add kale to the frying pan and cook about 5 minutes, turning over and over as the kale wilts. Season kale with a little salt and fresh-ground black pepper as desired.
- While kale cooks, beat the eggs with the soy sauce or coconut aminos and a dash of Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) if using.
- Put the kale into a casserole dish that you’ve sprayed with non-stick spray or olive oil.
- Sprinkle part of the Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese over the kale (saving a little for the top).
- Pour beaten eggs over the kale and cheese; then take a fork and gently “stir” to coat all the pieces of kale with egg.
- Sprinkle the reserved cheese over the top of the mixture.,
- Bake at 375F/190C for about 30 minutes, or until eggs are set and starting to lightly brown on top.
- Serve hot, with a little Umami-filled sour cream if desired.
More Meatless Breakfasts with Veggies:
- Mushroom and Feta Breakfast Casserole
- Breakfast Casserole with Spinach and Goat Cheese
- Mushroom-Lover’s Egg Skillet with Spinach
- Broccoli and Three Cheese Keto Breakfast Casserole
- Artichoke Frittata with Bacon
Weekend Food Prep:
This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Kale and Red Onion Savory Breakfast Squares
Kale and Red Onion Savory Breakfast Squares are a delicious way to start your day with a healthy dose of veggies!
Ingredients
- 8 oz. chopped kale (see notes)
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 1 tsp. teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 T olive oil
- salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tsp. Tamari or other soy sauce (see notes)
- 3/4 C grated Mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese
- 8 eggs, beaten well
- 1 tsp. Spike Seasoning (see notes)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F190C. Spray a casserole dish (about 8" x 12") with non-stick spray or olive oil.
- If you need to cut up the kale, start by cuting off kale stems and discarding, then wash kale leaves and dry well. (I used a salad spinner.) Pile kale leaves up on top of each other and cut into strips about 3/4 inch wide, then turn cutting board the other way and cut again so you have squares just under an inch square.
- If you're using chopped kale that comes in a bag it doesn't absolutely need to be washed, but I sometimes give it a soak just to crisp up the leaves.
- Chop onion into pieces about 1/2 inch.
- Heat olive oil in large heavy frying pan over medium-high heat, then add onions and cook 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1-2 more minutes more.
- Then add kale to the pan, turning over and over as it wilts and cooking about 5 minutes, or until kale is significantly wilted and softened. (Kale will cook more in the oven, so it doesn't need to be completely soft at this point.)
- Season kale with a little salt and fresh-ground black pepper as desired.
- Put the wilted kale into the casserole dish. Top with 1/2 cup grated Mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese.
- Beat eggs with the soy sauce or Coconut Aminos and Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) or other seasoning of your choice.
- Pour eggs over the kale/cheese in the casserole dish. Then use a fork and "stir" gently until ingredients are well distributed.
- Bake about 30 minutes or until eggs are well set and the top is lightly browned.
- Serve hot. This is good with sour cream added at the table.
Notes
I originally made this with Red Russian Kale, but use any kale variety you prefer. Thicker types of kale may need to be sauteed a bit longer.
Be sure to use Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link) if needed. You can use Coconut Aminos (affiliate link) instead of soy sauce if you prefer. I love Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) in eggs, but use any all-purpose seasoning blend if you prefer.
Recipe adapted from Regina Schrambling’s Collard Squares.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 210Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 266mgSodium: 853mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 15g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Kale and Red Onion Savory Breakfast is a great dish for low-carb or Keto diet plans, and for any phase of the original South Beach Diet, although South Beach would recommend low-fat cheese.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Breakfast Recipes for more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Danica's Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This savory breakfast recipe was first posted in 2008, when I had Red Russian Kale in my garden! It was updated with new photos and a change to make it lower in carbs in 2020, and the recipe was last updated with more information in 2023.
53 Comments on “Kale and Red Onion Savory Breakfast”
I’m making this tomorrow morning! My wife got some mystery Kale and Lettuce seeds she planted last year. We had no clue what was growing and used it sparingly with Romaine lettuce. Three of these came back without replanting! One of them is the Red Russian Kale. In its second life it is growing out of control (3 plants)! I never knew lettuce or Kale was Perineal (probably isn’t), but we have Red Leaf lettuce, Red Russian Kale, and something that looks between Asian Dandelions and Arugula lettuce we had to transplant to a new bed. I know this is a meatless recipe, but I’m considering frying a few strips of bacon, chopping them up, and using the bacon grease in place of the “cooking spray”. The bacon will add a little more flavor to the kale and eggs. Growing up, my mom made this exact recipe regularly with spinach instead of Kale.
That’s a fun garden adventure. When I used to grow the red kale I don’t remember it coming back like that, but it might be too cold in Utah. I think bacon should be tasty in it; hope you enjoy!
Turned out really good. I over salted it slightly. While I was wilting the Russian Kale I added the salt and pepper and kept it very light. I didn’t have mozzarella so I substituted 3/4 cup of Kroger’s “Select Italian Blend” which is a mixture of parmesan, romano, and asiago cheese. Those 3 cheeses are pretty salty. Then I used 3 chopped (crispy) bacon strips to add some more flavor. The combination of the cheese and bacon made it slightly too salty. I greased the 8×12 casserole dish with a thin coat of lard (I don’t have any cooking spray). I used the bacon drippings to cook the onion/garlic mixture and wilt the kale. The eggs I used I traded with a friend for. So the only purchased ingredients I used was the minced garlic, salt, pepper, and bacon (yes, I make my own lard). I think I’ll leave out the salt and add a little more cheese next time. Oh, I forgot to mention I slightly over cooked it. I only cooked for 25 minutes. I inspected it at 20 minutes and it looked/tested ready (tooth pick test). I cooked another 5 minutes to be on the safe side. I should have stopped at 20-22 minutes.
So glad you liked it. And I am thinking that with all this attention to detail you must be a VERY good cook!
I’ve made this recipe now three times. My mom loves it. It’s her favorite way to eat kale.
So glad you are enjoying it. You can probably tell that I love kale!
I found this recipe after my husband Phil found red Russian kale in an Atlanta farmer's market. In spite of cooking forever, I'd never used this. It worked out very well to saute the kale, red onion and garlic, refrigerate it and then finish the prep on Sunday morning. I used egg substitute completely (and nearly two cups to cope with a large bunch of kale), but otherwise followed the directions. We both loved it, so much that it only made 4 servings for us, Sunday breakfast and then lunch today. With the extra egg volume, it took longer to cook, of course. We served it with a jarred salsa and I used a Mexican grated cheese blend. Thank you so much.
Laura, so glad you enjoyed it so much. I wish I could find the red kale more often because my new garden doesn't have enough room to grow greens!
Yum! This made for a terrific start to a Monday. I used 1 slice of whole wheat bread, chopped into small pieces, for the bread crumbs. Also used 1/2 c egg substitute for 2 of the eggs and 3 oz of shredded sharp white cheddar. So nice to have this healthy way to use up the last of my CSA share supply of red Russian kale.
Me and my mom made this and added 14 eggs carrots and tomatoes on top, we'll see how it turns out. looks good!
Debbie, glad you liked it. I am definitely growing that Red Russian Kale this year!
I got a bunch of Red Russian Kale in my CSA box today so I finally got around to making this. Of course I got Kale all over the place because I used too small of a skillet, but it is absolutely delicious. Thanks for another great recipe!
Island Girl, so glad you liked it.
Just took this out of the oven. Yum, and had to steal a taste. Made it in muffin form. They are delicious!! Made it with curly greem kale and spanish onion. Will keep them for afternoon snacks or as breakfast with a bowl of fresh berries. Thank you!
I do hope you will enjoy it, and very jealous to hear that you're getting CSA veggies at this time of year.
Thank you for always coming through for me, Kalyn! I signed up for a farmshare and got a big bunch of Red Russian kale, with no idea what to do with it. Hmmm, I thought, where would I find some good kale recipes? But of course! At Kalyn's!
I already love your breakfast egg muffins, so I am sure I will enjoy my kale and onion breakfast squares.
This will stay good for at least 4-5 days in the refrigerator. Be sure not to microwave too long when you reheat it, or the eggs will get rubbery.
How long with this last after cooking if stored in the refrigerator?
Stef, that sounds great. Glad to know you enjoyed the recipe.
Another great recipe! I made this with fresh grated mozzarella and parm cheese and Italian breadcrumbs, and I also included the stems of the kale (added to sautee pan a bit earlier than leaves). I also ate it with salsa. Wonderful!
I love kale and it is super nutricious but I never know what to do with it! This looks delicious to me but breakfast? I call this dinner!
Two comments in a row from women named Melanie who tried this after getting kale in their CSA box! What are the odds? So glad you liked it!
I loved this! I also got a csa box with kale, along with green onions, so i used that instead of red onions. fabulous!
Melaney, so glad you are enjoying it!
Kalyn – I’ve made this recipe twice in 3 days… it’s that good. Our CSA delivered red russian kale and I had no idea what to do with it. This recipe is going in my “keeper” file, and my guests were impressed. Thank you!
I recently made this with spinach instead of kale and it was fantastic. Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂
Ooooh, with some sour cream this would be just perfect! I’ve never tried red russian kale, so I’ll just use regular green.
I enjoy eating savory dishes like this for breakfast and lunch. I appreciate notation for Tamari (we use the wheat free version) and the option to withhold the breadcrumbs thereby making it gluten free.
I will often use up the veggies from the night before in a breakfast scramble. This dish is definitely one for my files and, my garden is overflowing with kale right now.
I laughed when I read red Russian kale, what other colour could it be?!!! I’ve never had kale, but understand that some is around from time to time. There are some dishes I’d like to try, so I’ll look a bit harder.
Looks like an amazing brunch..since I don’t care for breakfast.
I have been eating breakfast more lately though.
Not only delicious and nutritious- but a thing of beauty.
I have never heard of Red Russian Kale! It sounds amazing though!
That sounds sooo tasty and ideal for a kale fiend 🙂 I wish we got that Pizza Cheese here in the UK, what a great combo of flavours!
you just inspired me to plant my kale seeds!
Looks and sounds lovely. I will try it this weekend when I have more time.
and of course, if you dont eat it all for breeakfast, it goes perfectly well with a salad for lunch too!
oh gosh i always love savoury baked goods…thanks for the recipe. i’ll give it a try…maybe not with kale (i havent seen such kale in markets around here)…i’ll think of another veggie to throw in
Lydia, I do think some types of kale are a lot more bitter than this type. See Lia’s comment above.
I’ve always found kale to be a bit bitter — which is certainly a function of how I cook it — so I’d never have considered this for breakfast! But it looks delicious, and I’m committed to eating more dark leafy greens this year. So I’m going to give it a try.
Looks wonderful! I have really enjoyed using kale this year ~ it is kind of new for me.
Thanks,
Sharona May
This reminds me a lot of a kale and onion frittata I make that has just enough eggs to bind it all together. I alway go for the lacianato kale for its meatiness, but the last time I made it, my local farmer “made” me taste all the different kales they were growing (one was the red Russian). I was floored by how different each of them tasted, and how sweet many of them were. I love learning things like that from farmers.
I make a similar dish and have used kale from my garden with success. I have also used Swiss chard in it, yesterday to be precise. I agree with you, Kalyn: it’s delicious and nutritious.
I really love this, I am a big fan of Kathryn’s blog too and this is a great way to get extra veggies in. I once made your mini egg muffins too, they were delicious.
what a coincidence. i just came here from kathryn’s blog. this is a keeper of a recipe. thank you. i always prefer savoury breakfasts to sweet.
CC, I think that’s a great idea. (And I do have plenty more kale!) Thanks for the photo comment; I’m usually so critical of my photos, but I did like that one. 🙂
You know what, Kalyn? You could bake these in muffin tins, like you do with your egg muffins. I was thinking of doing exactly that with grated zukes and onions and eggs, kinda individual frittata-style.
Top photo is stupendous.
Mary, I adapted this from a recipe with swiss chard, so the swiss chard would work just fine.
SMB, good luck on South Beach. Glad the blog is helpful for you.
Great Info. I just made the decision to try to SB Diet again. I forgot to look over the book and wanted to start today. Your archives have been very helpful to get me started. Love the recipes too. Wish me luck!
Think I could do this with all swiss chard?
Mary
This looks great!!!!
Mary, mom to 10
Danyele, to me the Red Russian Kale tastes milder and less bitter than regular green kale, although the flavor is similar. I would’nt use regular kale for a recipe where the Red Russian Kale is used raw, but I think in a dish where the kale is cooked you can substitute them.
Thanks so much for this great kale recipe!!! We belong to an organic food coop and are getting a lot of kale and chard right now…and I have run out of ideas. These are all great! BTW, is there a taste difference in the red russian kale and the curly green kale? The leaves of the curly green kale (don’t know the specific name) are more coarse. Thanks again!