Even if your refrigerator looks like a desert, you almost certainly have a carton of eggs tucked away.
Despite recent food-price increases, a dozen store-brand eggs still costs just over $2 in many places. Eggs from free-range hens or those fed organic diets will cost more, of course.
But even at slightly higher prices, eggs remain an economical ingredient considering the variety of meals they can produce.
It’s unfortunate that most folks associate eggs only with breakfast, because there are so many tasty dinner-worthy recipes across cuisines and skill levels.
Plus, eggs pack a protein punch and one large egg is about 75 calories. Including eggs in your meals can help you save money while keeping your diet satisfying and balanced.
Two Dozen Delicious Egg Dishes
From fried to frittata, savory bread pudding to grain bowls, here are two dozen tasty ways to enjoy eggs for supper, collected from a range of food sites and recipe authors.
1. Eggs Florentine Grain Bowls with Yogurt Hollandaise
Bowls remain trendy because they’re both convenient and easy to serve. Eggs Florentine Grain Bowls with Yogurt Hollandaise from Turnip the Oven features barley beds topped with sautéed spinach, fried eggs and a lighter yogurt hollandaise.
Barley is inexpensive, nourishing and filling, so this dinner will stick with you well into the next morning.
2. Chili Pasta with a Fried Egg
Only pantry staples are required for Chili Pasta with a Fried Egg from Sprinkles & Sprouts. Garlic and red pepper flakes flavor pappardelle that’s finished with a fried egg.
When the yolk breaks and blends with the garlic oil, it’s like a brief trip to a small Italian town.
3. Shakshuka Soup with Swiss Chard
Shakshuka, a classic Israeli dish of eggs poached in a spiced tomato-pepper sauce often finished with crumbled feta and served with warm pita, is appearing on menus everywhere.
Turnip the Oven’s take, Shakshuka Soup with Swiss Chard, transforms it into a soup you can prepare ahead and freeze for up to three months. Reheat, add a poached egg and dinner is ready.
4. Zucchini and Chive Quiche
Even staunch meat-eaters won’t miss the protein in Zucchini and Chive Quiche. The crust uses 100% whole wheat flour and the filling is loaded with fresh produce and sharp cheddar.
Leftovers are delightful cold for lunch the next day. Thanks to Simple Seasonal for the idea.
5. Baked Eggs in Tomatoes with Lentils and Whipped Goat Cheese
Economical, fiber-rich lentils get an upscale French twist in Baked Eggs in Tomatoes with Lentils and Whipped Goat Cheese. This shakshuka-style bake is topped with airy whipped goat cheese.
Watch the accompanying video to see how quickly it comes together—ideal for weeknight dinners.
6. Sheet Pan Eggs
No time to make a quiche? No worries. Sheet Pan Eggs from Sweet Peas and Saffron are fast, flexible and a smart way to use leftover vegetables. Make a pan early in the week and reheat for sandwiches, burritos or solo meals.
7. Slow-Cooker Ratatouille with Fried Eggs
Got a half bottle of red wine on the counter? Don’t discard it.
Toss it into a slow cooker with a mix of vegetables and herbs to create an aromatic ratatouille finished with fried eggs. Turnip the Oven’s Slow-Cooker Ratatouille with Fried Eggs delivers satisfying, meaty flavor without any meat.
8. Spaghetti Frittata with Turkey Meatballs
Who hasn’t misjudged how much spaghetti to cook?
If you end up with leftovers, convert them into Spaghetti Frittata with Turkey Meatballs from Turnip in the Oven. This kid-friendly frittata is topped with juicy turkey meatballs and mozzarella. Start on the stovetop and finish in the oven to brown and melt the cheese.
9. Literally the Best Egg Salad
Those leftover dyed eggs are useful for more than decoration. Turn them into Literally the Best Egg Salad from The Recipe Critic. The best part?
Almost anything can be added: avocado, Greek yogurt instead of mayo, bacon bits—the recipe is a flexible starting point.
10. Bird in a Grilled Cheese Nest
Bird in a Grilled Cheese Nest may be the ultimate late-night indulgence: a grilled cheese that holds an egg-in-the-hole.
Sometimes health takes a backseat and this sandwich—loaded with mayo, two cheeses and butter—from Rhubarbarians is well worth the splurge.
11. Easy Avocado Toast with Egg (Four Ways)
There’s no single “right” way to enjoy avocado toast, but adding an egg certainly elevates it.
Whether boiled, scrambled, poached or fried, Feel Good Foodie’s Easy Avocado Toast with Egg (Four Ways) is a simple upgrade for your avo-toast routine.
12. Bacon Kale and Sweet Potato Hash
Bacon Kale and Sweet Potato Hash is a one-skillet meal with just five straightforward ingredients, making it friendly for both your waistline and wallet. This A Saucy Kitchen recipe is also compatible with Whole30-style eating—eggs fit right in.
13. Savory Ham and Cheese Bread Pudding
Turn stale bread into a luxurious Savory Ham and Cheese Bread Pudding loaded with ham, cheddar, nutmeg and fresh thyme.
Assemble it ahead of time and bake about an hour before dinner. It’s one of several breakfast-themed dishes from The Worktop, and it’s perfect for dinner-for-breakfast enthusiasts.
14. Ina Garten’s Fine Herbs Omelet
If you’ve watched Food Network’s Barefoot Contessa you know Ina Garten adores a simple French omelet. Make her Fine Herbs Omelet and picture yourself in a Parisian bistro.
Eggs can enhance any meal, but this delicate herb omelet deserves center stage. Has Ina ever steered us wrong? (Nope.)
15. Easy Huevos Rancheros
Get dinner on the table in under 30 minutes with stovetop Huevos Rancheros from She Wears Many Hats. Many components are pantry staples—canned beans, jarred salsa—and you can swap cheeses or tortillas to taste.
Have a ripe avocado? Slice and add it on top. Use up those final spoonfuls of sour cream too.
16. Traditional Egg Drop Soup
Why head for takeout when you can make Egg Drop Soup at home? The Wok of Life’s Egg Drop Soup will compete with anything from a restaurant.
It takes just three eggs and a sprinkle of sliced scallion for a beautiful finish.
17. Asparagus Frittata with Peas, Mint and Feta
Think of Asparagus Frittata with Peas, Mint and Feta as a springtime staple—bright, fresh and seasonal.
Little Big H’s recipe is a flexible template: swap in whatever vegetables need using from your fridge.
18. Spring Celebration Salad
After a long winter of distancing and virtual gatherings, spring calls for celebration. Enter this vivid salad from BBC Good Food.
Spring Celebration Salad is finished with a soft-boiled egg—an extra pop of color and protein worth cheering about.
19. Sheet Pan Patty Melts with Egg
Overbought eggs at Easter? No problem. Turn the extras into handheld breakfast sandwiches for the week.
Tasty’s Sheet Pan Patty Melts With Egg is kid-friendly and easy to assemble, and cleanup is minimal.
20. Easy Hollandaise Sauce
Some of the best things feel fancy but are actually simple and affordable.
All it takes to make this Easy Hollandaise Sauce from Food Network is about 10 minutes of cooking—perfect for a classic eggs Benedict.
21. Healthy Fried Rice
Simple, adaptable and satisfying—Healthy Fried Rice from food writer Elizabeth Rider is the perfect end-of-week meal.
Toss leftover vegetables into a hot skillet, season, add rice and finish with an egg (or several) for a well-rounded dish everyone will enjoy.
22. Mexican Egg Nachos
This recipe from My Foodbook had us at Mexican—and then at nachos. Mexican Egg Nachos borrows beloved flavors from the cuisine. It requires a bit of prep, but the result—and the nachos—are worth it.
23. Breakfast Scramble Stuffed Avocado
Craving avocado toast but out of bread? No problem. Breakfast Scramble Stuffed Avocado from Spoon Fork Bacon eliminates the toast and fills a ripe avocado with warm, fluffy scrambled eggs.
It’s comforting morning food that works just as well for dinner after a long day.
24. One-Skillet Creamy Chickpeas with Eggs and Prosciutto
One-Skillet Creamy Chickpeas with Eggs and Prosciutto from Bon Appétit is low-mess and uses pantry staples and fridge odds and ends. Serve it as an appetizer or double the recipe for a main course.
Lucy Baker and Anna Brugmann contributed to this piece for Savinly.
