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This breakfast salad features breakfast sausage meatballs, hard-boiled eggs, sliced tomatoes, and avocado for a deliciously different breakfast that you can eat all week!
In this salad, you’ll find breakfast sausage meatballs, cherry tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, red onion, and avocado all tied together by two of our favorite ingredients – cilantro and lemon juice! The yolks from the hard-boiled eggs combine with the lemon juice and avocado to make a delicious, creamy dressing that really takes the flavor to the next level. This is a great dish to make ahead for the week to have for breakfast every day, and, if you’re finding yourself in a bit of a breakfast rut, it’s a great way to switch things up.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- It’s easy – the prep required here is super easy, so this can be whipped up in no time at all.
- It’s yummy – full of really delicious ingredients, this is a breakfast that I actually really look forward to.
- It’s nutritious – take a quick look at the ingredient list! This salad is loaded with good-for-you foods for a nutritious, energizing start to your day.
Ingredients Needed
Here’s what you’ll need on hand to make this breakfast salad:
- Breakfast sausage – when choosing your breakfast sausage, we recommend looking for one with minimal ingredients that is nitrate and nitrite-free.
- Eggs – hard-boiled eggs are the next main component of this salad, they provide protein and so much flavor to the dish.
- Avocados – can you ever go wrong with avocados? Here they help add a creamy consistency to the dish as well as a good boost of healthy fats.
- Tomatoes – slightly sweet cherry tomatoes help brighten up this breakfast salad with their acidity.
- Red onion – the red onion in this salad provides just a little bit of bite to the dish.
- Cilantro or parsley – a generous amount of cilantro or parsley (whichever you prefer!) provides fresh flavor to this salad.
- Lemon juice – finally, lemon juice brings everything together and mixes with the avocado and egg yolks to form a sort of creamy dressing that makes this dish irresistible.
Customize Your Salad
The sky’s the limit when it comes to breakfast salad ingredients! If there’s something on this list that you don’t like, simply omit it. In the same vein, if there’s an ingredient that you think would be especially delicious here, add it. Here are a few of our favorite breakfast salad additions:
- Bell peppers (chopped)
- Bacon (crumbled)
- Feta cheese (crumbled)
- Sweet potato (cubed and roasted)
- Butternut squash (cubed and roasted)
- Arugula or spinach
How to Make Breakfast Salad
- Brown the breakfast sausage meatballs – roll your breakfast sausage into 1/2-inch balls, then cook them. You’ve got two choices here – you can either cook these in a pan on the stove, or you can place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake them at 400 F for 15 minutes. We’ve also had many people skip the meatball step altogether and just brown the ground sausage – it is really up to you!
- Boil the eggs – while the meatballs are cooking, get the eggs boiling. We’ve tested many, many methods and this one results in easy-to-peel eggs every time. Once the eggs are peeled, you’ll chop them into bite-sized pieces.
- Chop the remaining ingredients – with the big components out of the way, the next step is to dice your avocados, halve the cherry tomatoes, slice the red onion, and chop the cilantro.
- Add everything to a bowl, then stir it up – next, you’ll add all of your ingredients to a large bowl, squeeze the lemons over top, and stir everything together.
How to Serve
This breakfast salad is SUPER make-ahead friendly, so whip up a big batch, then (if you’re planning on enjoying this on the go) store it in individual mason jars. When you’re ready to enjoy, grab a mason jar and get your day going!
If you plan on enjoying this at home, feel free to store the whole salad in an airtight container in the fridge, and then spoon an individual portion into a bowl morning of.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does this keep for?
This breakfast salad will stay good for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. If you want to extend its life a little longer, you can leave out the avocado and add it in with each serving.
Will the avocados brown?
The lemon juice in the recipe keeps the avocados from browning! Note that even if you do happen to notice a bit of browning, the avocados are still fine to eat.
Do you serve this hot or cold?
It’s totally up to your preference! I personally eat it cold, but many others have enjoyed it hot as well.
I can’t eat X, can I still make this?
This breakfast salad is super customizable! If you can’t eat eggs, don’t like tomatoes, etc, feel free to leave them out. You don’t need to make any additional adjustments to this dish.
Is eating salad for breakfast good?
We think so! Not only is this breakfast salad tasty, but it’s also chock-full of *so* many amazing, nutritious foods, making it the best energizing, filling breakfast ever.
What greens are good for breakfast?
ANY of them! Leafy greens are SO good for you, so starting your day off with any you love most (think: kale, spinach, arugula, cilantro, etc.) is a great way to get ahead on valuable nutrition for the day.
More Favorite Meal-Prep Friendly Breakfasts
- Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats
- Blueberry Sweet Potato Breakfast Meatballs
- Make-Ahead Balanced Breakfast Jars
- Green Protein Smoothie Freezer Packs
- Eggless Breakfast Skillet with Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 pound pork breakfast sausage
- 9 eggs hard-boiled
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/4 cup purple onion thinly sliced
- 2 avocados diced
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro or parsley chopped
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon kosher salt to teaste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup lemon juice or about 2 lemons
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll the sausage into 1/2 inch meatballs and place on the parchment paper, then bake for 15 minutes, until browned and fully cooked through.
- While the meatballs are cooking, peel the eggs and cut each into 8 pieces.
- Combine the eggs, tomatoes, onion, avocado, meatballs, cilantro, salt, pepper, and lemon juice into a large mixing bowl and stir until the egg yolks and avocado become a little creamy.
- Spoon into a bowl and enjoy! Will keep covered for 3 days in the refrigerator.
Video
Nutrition Information
Recipe Notes
- Bell peppers (chopped)
- Bacon (crumbled)
- Feta cheese (crumbled)
- Sweet potato (cubed and roasted)
- Butternut squash (cubed and roasted)
- Arugula or spinach
Amy Powell says
oh my gosh I’m so sick of trying to come up with paleo breakfast ideas. definitely doing this next week.
Cassandra says
I hear you, girl! Hope you love this dish. It’s one of my biggest sanity and time-savers.
Jessica Wenzel says
I’ve been craving avocados lately and saw this on Pinterest. I made it last night and I think I could eat it all of the time. I know it’s “Breakfast Salad” but Holy Yum, Batman! There are so many flavors and textures that compliment each other so nicely, it’s fantastic.
Moral of the story- I love it. Thanks!
Cassandra says
Haha I’m so glad you like it, Jessica!! I eat it for dinner too 🙂
Steph D says
Totally AMAZING concoction right here… After I mixed up my first batch, I had a hard time closing the lid and putting it away. just wanted to keep “tasting it”! thanks for sharing 🙂
Cassandra says
Yay! I’m so glad you liked it, Steph! It’s my pleasure 🙂
Sunshine says
Yum!! This is my all time favorite recipe from your site. Well, maybe the meatloaf or the blueberry scones would round out my tie for first…..Anyway – wow! This is sooooo good. I made it last night and even with my less than speedy kitchen skills the salad was ready to add the sausage just in time. Thank you for this great recipe!
Cassandra says
Awesome!! I’m glad you liked it, Sunshine 🙂
Lenny says
I made this for dinner for a date! She loved it, thanks for helping me get lucky 😉
Cassandra says
Haha anytime, Lenny. Anytime.
Jennifer says
This looks amazing! How does it hold up for leftovers? Or do you make it fresh each time? Can’t wait to try it!
Loralee says
This sounds YUMMY! I have a question, though. Although I LOVE avocados, I appear to have developed an allergy to them recently. =( Do you have any suggestions of a comparable alternative to the avocado?
Cassy says
Good question, Loralee! You could add more tomatoes (for volume) and maybe a couple tablespoons of Paleo-friendly mayo for creaminess (if you have it on hand). I hope that helps some.
Thomas says
How does this hold up for leftovers? Should I omit the avocados, add a little mayo and then throw in the avocados the morning off if I wanna prep it? Or does the lemon juice help the avocados from going brown? Thanks!
Cassy says
Great question, Thomas! The avocados (when mixed with that lemon juice you mentioned) do hold up pretty well. You may notice some browning, but not much. If the thought of a little browning throws you off, I recommend adding the avocados the morning of. Hope that helps!
Ali says
Hey, two things
I noticed you had problems with your eggs. My method takes longer but results in a perfectly peel-able shell. STEAM THEM!!! I steam them for 30 minutes and its a perfectly cooked egg and no problems peeling the shell.
How did you get your stainless sea legs? I have so much trouble cooking on mine – need to use tons of oil and its still pretty sticky. Any tips would be great!
Cassy says
Hi Ali! Brilliant idea about steaming the eggs. I’ll give that a try! As for getting my stainless sea legs, it took a little time and practice. I’ve found that the pan has to be HOT before you add oil/meat. For cooking the meat, it will “give” when it’s ready to turn …if that makes any sense. They won’t budge before they’re cooked on that side. Hope that helps!
Maria says
Yesss!! Vindication! Meatballs are one of my favorite things in the world and if you make them with grass-fed meat and slam them with some kind of vegetable (like you so dutifully suggested here), they are also arguably one of the healthiest ways to start your day!
Thank you for the all the lovely recipes and inspiration : )
-MK
Cassy says
Here here!! So glad you like this dish, Maria 🙂
Sally says
AMAZING AMAZING!! My husband could not stop saying “Yum”! And honestly neither could I . This is such a wonderful change for breakfast. We get so tired and bored of pancakes or eggs and “The Usual stuff”! My husband said this is worthy of being served every weekend, he has never said that about a dish.
Kelly says
Wow, thank you so much for the lovely compliment Sally!! Glad both of you enjoyed it!
Samantha Lehmann says
Ok. My hubby hunts and kills meat. This makes Paleo meals less expensive for this large homeschooling family. SO – I ran down, grabbed a lb of boar sausage, thawed, added sage and red pepper flakes – little garlic powder, I swapped the cilantro for lettuce (more kid-friendly), and bought a bunch of avocados at Aldi for 89 cents each. It was 50 CENTS A PERSON! i am just saying… that is cheap! And ummm it was good. We ate the entire things!
Ok -what is your opinion of the first Go To Paleo book to get healthy? Not an ebook…
Kelly says
That sounds delicious Samantha! How lucky are you that your husband hunts!! The first paleo book that I ever read was ‘The Paleo Solution’ by Robb Wolf. It gives you the facts and science behind paleo, but isn’t really a cookbook. There are so many great paleo cookbooks out there though!
AnnMarie says
I had a couple eggs and some leftovers and decided to toss it all together based on your yummy sounding recipe. With a half a sweet potato, 2 eggs, a piece of dried up chicken sausage, a tomato starting to die, parsley just laying there turning yellow and a few of the ingredients in your recipe, I made a wonderful breakfast. I CAN’T WAIT to try the real deal this weekend. Thank you.
Kelly says
Love the addition of sweet potato! Thanks for trying it!!
[email protected] About Healthy Food says
These are my hubby’s favorite foods. It’s definitely bookmarked. Thank you for inspiration.
Kelly says
Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed it!!
Erica Belben says
Hey! I own a meal prep business and everyone RAVES about this salad 🙂 just thought I would tell you how amazing and popular it is — kudos! I send all of them to your site for meal ideas. I use fresh dill in mine as well as some lemon zest 🙂 I love the tangy flavor! This salad just pops with so many different tastebud ticklers!! Awesome job! Keep being wonderful!
Kelly says
Hi Erica! Thank you for the kind words, so glad you are loving it. Your additions sound wonderful as well!
Marly says
Hi! This sounds sooooooo good! I can’t wait to make it, but I would only be making it for me. I am trying to lose weight/get healthy and breakfast has always been an issue for me. Im a super lazy food preparer and I don’t like to cook. And, Frankly I’m getting tired of isopure :/ So…couple questions: Can/should I eat this *every* morning b4 my workout? And how long will it keep?
thanks so much!
Kelly says
Hi Marly! Starting off with a well balanced breakfast would be a great way to get your healthy journey going. You could definitely make this and it will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days in a covered container. I’m not sure what time you are working out, but if you are hungry before your workout this would be a great snack to have as it has some protein and fat to get your body going and give you some fuel for your workout. Hope that helps!
Skelly Shelly says
Delicious! The lemon is the perfect pop of flavor to blend everything together. I will definitely make this recipe again!
Kelly says
So glad you enjoyed it!! Thank you!
Erin says
I’m not a massive fan of breakfast sausage, but I looooove the hot Italian-style poultry sausage that our local grocery store carries. Perfect substitute! Loved this recipe. It made for a wonderful lunch for us — very filling!
Bookmarking this for the future.
Kelly says
That sounds like a delicious substitute! Thanks for the kind words Erin 🙂
Amanda says
Yum, my tastebuds are tingling just anticipating this dish, but my muscles and joints would not appreciate the tomatoes one bit much to my tomato loving dismay 🙁 I can hardly figure out good tomato substitutes, although they are so frequently featured in paleo dishes 🙁 . It seems like the tomato would add nice flavor contrast, as well as some moisture to a dish that might be a bit dry otherwise. Any suggestions for a tomato sub? I’d hate to just leave it out without something to replace it.
Kelly says
Hi Amanda! Sorry to hear you can’t have tomatoes. You could maybe try red pepper or roasted beets. Hope that helps!
Stephanie says
This looks great. I have been wanting salad for breakfast for a while so am definitely trying it. Planning on using the veggie Italian sausage instead. 2 questions: 1. Onions for breakfast though? Maybe on a Saturday when I don’t have to go into the office. 2. Since I am not a fan of raw tomatoes in general, how about either chopped red pepper OR seedless grapes instead?
Kelly says
Hi Stephanie! You can skip the onions if you need to go somewhere after haha! I would go with chopped red pepper as it will add a nice crunch and sweetness to the dish. Hope you like it!
Orion Hunter says
Not a big fan of avocado, what can I substitute it with?
Kelly says
Hi Orion! You can simply omit the avocado if you don’t like it too much. It does add a creamy texture, so maybe something like homemade mayo if you want the same texture. If not then anything you like really! I think artichokes or roasted red peppers would be great.
Julia S. says
How do you measure the serving size? Are the serving sizes 1 cup each?
Kelly says
Our serving is just based on the overall recipe, so it would just be 1/4 of the recipe. Feel free to eat more or less!
Julie N. says
I made this breakfast salad this morning and it was delicious!! I put it over a bed of spinach to make it more salad-y. I’m glad I can make the sausage and eggs ahead of time and have it for the rest of the week for breakfast.
Jim says
My wife and I just started a Whole30 challenge, and had this for our first meal. Besides the obvious requirement of being Whole30 compliant, it also checked off the two most important boxes – Tasty aaaaaaaaaand Delicious. This is going to stay in my life for a long time, thanks for the great recipe!
Liza says
This looks SO good. Possibly a dumb question- do you eat the leftovers cold? I’m trying to imagine heating it all up for 2nd day breakfast and it seems like that wouldn’t work too well.
Plus, I’d love to find a tasty dish I can use for a workday lunch that requires no reheating.
Thanks!
AVA says
This is so so good. I made it with parsley this time. Next time I’ll do cilantro!! I had to use lime because I was out of lemon. It was totally awesome
Cassy says
I’m so glad you liked it, Ava!
Laurie says
Do you have the nutritional info on this recipe? Thanks
Cassidy says
Do you serve this hot or cold?
Jennifer Squires says
Thank you soooo much for sharing this recipe! I’ve been making it since last spring and it’s definitely one of my favourites. And a great breakfast for cooler days, when smoothies are doing nothing but making me cold.
I’ve made a couple of changes and it still tastes fantastic:
– I’m recently discovered I’m sensitive to eggs so I skip them
– I got lazy and stopped making meatballs, instead I just use the meat ground
– I often skip fresh herbs because I live in Canada and they’re had to come by in the winter
Thanks for such a great recipe! Keep up the delicious work!
Jill Phillips says
I have made this salad many times and it is always a hit. I add just a tad of sugar free mayo and prefer using bacon over the sausage. This is a great alternative to eggs and bacon for breakfast and it holds you over all day long. Thanks for sharing!
Patricia Morrison says
Will the avocado really stay nice and green for three days???
CJohnson says
this is delicious and so filling!
Thalia says
I don’t eat pork or beef. Can turkey be a substitute? Or is there a non meat option?
Carrie says
I am probably repeating a question so I apologize for that! I have alot of GI issues and some herbs just don’t settle well. Is there other suggestions for seasoning or is it good on its own? I just found this recipe and I am really excited to try it.
Amber Goulden says
You can use parsley if you can’t have cilantro, or chop up some arugula, or leave it out altogether!
Ann Markarian says
OMG!! This is absolutely delicious!!’ Thank you!!!
Brandi Schilhab says
Yay! So glad you love it, Ann!! Thank you for sharing this with us.
Kasey says
I just made this for breakfast and oh my goodness! So yummy!
Brandi Schilhab says
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Kasey! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!