Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
This easy weekend brunch or breakfast bowl is a quick and tasty way to enjoy your green vegetables. Two fried eggs atop a hearty combination of kale, zucchini, and grains make it protein-rich and flavorful.
Prepare farro or another grain in advance, and your bowl can be ready to eat in less than 20 minutes. It will keep you satisfied for hours!
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😍What to love about this recipe
- A simple, nutritious meal packed with ingredients that supports bone and overall health.
- Individual components are easy to prepare in advance.
- Protein and fiber provide sustained energy and support weight management.
Ingredients
- Farro or another whole grain like brown rice, quinoa, or whole-wheat orzo
- Vegetable broth or water
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Lacinato (also called Tuscan or dino) kale
- Zucchini
- Garlic
- Kosher salt
- Red pepper flakes
- White balsamic vinegar
- Eggs
How to make it
1️⃣Wash hands thoroughly before starting: lather with soap and rinse under running water.
2️⃣Cook the farro or another grain, such as brown rice or quinoa, in an Instant Pot or a saucepan on the stovetop.
To reduce prep time, use a packet of microwaveable, pre-cooked grains.
3️⃣While the farro cooks, wash, dry, and prep the vegetables.
Remove the center rib from the kale leaves and slice the leaves into thin ribbons. For preparation tips, watch this 30-second video on YouTube.
Quarter the zucchini and slice thinly. Mince the garlic.
4️⃣Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet and add the zucchini. Cook until slightly softened and then add the kale ribbons.
Stir well to coat the vegetables with oil, and cook until the zucchini begins to turn golden and the kale wilts slightly. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Season with salt and red pepper flakes. then pour the balsamic vinegar over the vegetables. Stir well and remove from heat.
5️⃣Reach for two large shallow bowls. Place the farro or another whole grain on one side of each shallow bowl and the zucchini-kale mixture on the other side.
Cover with foil to keep warm.
6️⃣Wipe out the skillet and then heat more olive oil. Crack the eggs on the edge of the pan and gently drop them into the oil.
Cook until the whites are set, and then carefully flip the eggs, continuing to cook to desired doneness (over easy, medium, or over hard).
7️⃣Top each bowl with two eggs and serve with a bright herb sauce. Mint Gremolata is wonderful sprinkled over the eggs, but chimichurri and pesto are also excellent choices.
Tips for your best grain bowl
I love to making farro in the Instant Pot. This recipe requires only about ½ cup of uncooked farro, so prepare a full cup in the Instant Pot and refrigerate or freeze the remainder for another use.
Farro's chewy texture and nutty flavor make it a delicious addition to green or grain salads.
For easier preparation, there is no shame in using a bag of pre-cooked grains that can be microwaved in less than 5 minutes.
🧄Use fresh garlic rather than garlic powder or even frozen garlic in the vegetable sauté. It truly livens up the green vegetables!
Make-ahead tips
Wash, dry, cut and slice the vegetables ahead of time. Cook the farro in advance and reheat it before assembling the bowls.
Fried eggs are best made just before serving, but you can substitute hard-boiled eggs.
Variations
This grain bowl concept is highly adaptable. Substitue Swiss chard or spinach for the kale, use all zucchini or all kale, or replace the zucchini with yellow squash for extra color.
Sweet and nutty farro tastes best in this bowl, but brown rice and quinoa are also good.
Eggs add a tender, protein-rich element while keeping the bowl vegetarian. A soft or runny yolk creates a sauce that brings the grains and greens together. For a vegan meal, substitute tofu for the eggs.
🥑Avocado slices or quarters added to the bowl are an excellent upgrade!
How to serve
This is definitely a weekend project breakfast or brunch bowl. It also works well as an easy weeknight "brinner" if the grains are prepared ahead or you use store bought, pre-cooked grains.
Gremolata, a lively herbal sauce, is perfect for this dish. Try my Pistachio Gremolata or Mint Gremolata. The latter is an excellent use for garden mint that can grow wild in the summer.
Other good saucings are chimichurri, pesto, or tahini.
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A sprinkle of pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, or sunflower seeds also provide a textural contrast and earthy flavor notes.
❄️Storage
Store leftover grains in the refrigerator for four to five days or in the freezer for up to three months.
Cooked greens are best eaten promptly; refrigerate leftovers and use them within one day.
Nutrition Notes
Fiber from the vegetables and farro may support blood sugar management, while protein helps promote fullness—useful for weight management and sustained energy.
🥬Dark green kale
With its high nutrient density including antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber, kale has earned the nickname, "queen of greens."
Supports bone health with:
- Vitamins C and K (excellent source)
- Minerals, including calcium, potassium, and magnesium.
For overall health:
- Vitamin A, B vitamins and iron
- Supports digestion, heart health, and more
- Glucosinolates, sulfur-containing compounds, may help lower the risk of cancer, reduce inflammation, and contribute to metabolic health
Zucchini benefits
Supports bone health with:
- Vitamin C
- Minerals, including calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus
For overall health:
- B vitamins
- Vitamin A and related antioxidants, such as lutein and zeaxanthin, which may support eye and skin health and immune function.
🌾Farro
Chewy, nutty-tasting farro is a whole grain rich in fiber, minerals, and vitamin B3 (niacin). It's especially good for heart health and digestion.
Supports bone health with:
- Magnesium, good source
- Protein, 6 grams per ½ cup cooked
- Calcium, small amount
For overall health:
- Beta-glucans, soluble fiber that helps lower cholesterol (heart healthy) and manage blood sugar
- Protein and fiber, which work together to support satiety and weight management
🥚Eggs
Eggs were once thought to significantly raise blood cholesterol. Current evidence suggests that saturated and trans fats have a greater effect on blood cholesterol than dietary cholesterol does.
Support bone health with:
- Protein, 6 grams per egg
- Vitamins, including vitamin D
- Minerals, including calcium, potassium, and phosphorus
For overall health:
- Choline for brain health
- Vitamins A and E plus B vitamins like biotin, folate, pantothenic acid, B2, B3, and B12 (excellent source)
- Minerals including iodine, iron, zinc, and selenium
👩🏼🍳Related recipes
If you love the ancient grain farro with its lovely chewiness and whole grain goodness, try this hearty Farro and White Bean Soup. It's a cozy bowl of Italian-style comfort!
Want to add a side of healthy greens to your main dish? Try my Simple Balsamic Sauteed Kale, which includes a video showing how to trim and prep the kale.
Or, make these caramelized and toasty Pesto Roasted Vegetables, which cook in the oven while you the other elements of dinner come together.
Kale Zucchini Breakfast Bowl
Equipment
- Instant pot or saucepan with a lid
- Non-stick skillet large
- Spatula or wooden spoon
- Egg flipper or wide, flat turner
Ingredients
Farro, Instant Pot or Stovetop
- 1 cup farro semi-pearled, or use another grain like brown rice or quinoa
- 1¾ cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoons olive oil divided use
Kale Zucchini Saute
- 3 ounces Lacinato (dino) kale cut into ribbons
- 1 medium zucchini quartered, sliced ¼" thick
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- ¼ teaspoon salt Kosher, more or less as needed for taste
- 1½ teaspoons white balsamic vinegar
Fried Eggs
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ teaspoon salt Kosher, more or less as needed for taste
- pinch black pepper freshly ground
Instructions Start Cooking
- Wash hands thoroughly, lathering with soap and rinsing with water before starting.
- Rinse farro and place it in the Instant Pot liner with vegetable broth and a teaspoon of olive oil. Cook at pressure for 8 minutes. Alternatively, cook farro, brown rice or quinoa in a saucepan on the stovetop, simmering for 25 minutes, until tender. (For quickest preparation, microwave a package of pre-cooked grains according to the package directions.)1 cup farro 1¾ cups vegetable broth 1 teaspoons olive oil
Kale-Zucchini Saute
- While the grains (farro, rice, or quinoa) are cooking, prep the kale and zucchini.Remove the center rib of the kale leaves and stack them to cut into small square or rectangular pieces (ribbons).If the zucchini is medium or large, cut it into quarters. Cut off the ends and slice through the middle. Cut each piece in half lengthwise and then cut each half through the middle to make four pieces (quarters). Slice quarters into pieces about ¼-inch thick.If the zucchini is small to medium, simply cut it in half and slice each half into ¼-inch thick pieces. 3 ounces Lacinato (dino) kale 1 medium zucchini
- Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring until softened, about 3 minutes.Add kale and stir to coat it with oil and zucchini juices. Add garlic, then sprinkle with a ¼ teaspoon of salt and red pepper flakes. Continue to sauté until the garlic is fragrant.
- Splash with vinegar and stir until the vegetables are coated with the seasonings and the kale is slightly wilted.1½ teaspoons white balsamic vinegar
- Divide the vegetables between two bowls.
Fried Eggs
- Wipe out the skillet, and then heat another Tablespoon of oil on medium-low heat, swirling to coat the pan. Crack the eggs into the pan and cook until the whites are set. Sprinkle the eggs with about ¼ teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.4 large eggs
- Flip each egg, and continue to cook to your desired doneness, 2 to 3 minutes for over easy, and 4 to 5 minutes to set the yolks. To help the yolks set, cover the pan with a lid for the final couple of minutes.
- Keep the eggs warm in the pan while you place a scoop of farro, rice, or quinoa beside the kale-zucchini mixture in each bowl. Top the mixture with two eggs, and serve with mint gremolata or another sauce, such as pesto or chimichurri.
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