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    HOME » Recipes » Savory Breakfast

    Published: Jan 7, 2019 · Modified: Jan 15, 2023· This website generates income via ads ·

    Diner Style Breakfast Mess

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Pin Recipe

    Most diners have on their breakfast menu something called "The Mess." I love The Mess, if it's done right. A good Mess will have easily identifiable components like ham, potatoes, peppers, onion, etc. A bad Mess will have a blob of egg with stuff in it that looks like it lives in a large tub inside the walk-in until someone orders a Mess. That Mess is just a mess! My Diner Style Breakfast Mess is the perfect mess!"

    It has cubes of ham, colorful bell peppers, jalapeño peppers, hash browns, red onion, cheese, eggs, butter (never oil), all brought together at the perfect time. Let me show you how I make my Diner Style Breakfast Mess.

    Serving for two Diner Style Breakfast Scramble plus toast and coffee
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients and Variations:
    • Instructions for Diner Style Breakfast Mess:
    • Instructional Video:
    • Recipe
    Ingredients for Diner Style Breakfast Scramble

    Ingredients and Variations:

    • Ham 
      • You can add meat to your Diner Style Breakfast Mess or go with just vegetables and cheese. It's your mess!
      • Use bacon, sausage, ham or whatever you like. My choice is ham, but not just any ham.
      • I prefer to buy a thick slice of "Ham Off The Bone" at the service deli counter. It generally has less water, better texture and better flavor. Leftover ham from a holiday meal is perfect!
    • Bell pepper, any color you have on hand.
    • Jalapeño pepper
    • Hash brown potatoes
      • I use packaged hash browns for my Diner Style Breakfast Mess.
      • You can thaw out frozen hash browns, home-style potatoes, or use the ones in the green bag usually found above the eggs in the grocery store.
      • I avoid fresh grated potatoes because they usually become gummy. If you have a secret to avoid that, please share!
    • Red onion. White or yellow is fine, but red onion is prettier. We eat with our eyes first!
    • Cheddar cheese. For best results, grate fresh cheddar cheese from a block instead of using the pre-grated stuff. It has a coating to keep it from sticking together in the package, and it does not melt as well and it can have a grainy texture. If you like pre-grated packaged cheese, by all means, use it. I do too from time to time.
    • Eggs. As a former hobby farmer, I am picky about my eggs. I like fresh eggs with very dark yellow-orange yolks. I hate watery whites, which indicates the egg is on the older side. If I buy grocery store eggs, I look for organic, pasture raised chicken eggs. The farmer's market or local farm stand often have farm fresh eggs.
    • Butter

    Instructions for Diner Style Breakfast Mess:

    • Start making the Diner Style Breakfast Mess by chopping your fresh vegetables into chunky pieces. I used red onion, orange bell pepper, green bell pepper, jalapeño pepper and a fresh Roma tomato.
    Chopped onions and peppers for Diner Style Breakfast Scramble
    Whole ham slice
    • Trim the edge of the ham and chop into ½" squares. No need to use it all at once. There's always tomorrow morning!
    Cubed ham for Diner Style Breakfast Scramble
    • Add the ham cubes in a non-stick skillet. Cook just long enough to get a little color on them.
    • Remove and set aside.
    Cubed ham browning in skillet for Diner Style Breakfast Scramble
    • After the ham, add a dab of butter to the hot skillet and cook the fresh vegetables until just tender. 
    • Remove them and set aside.
    • Add the ingredients to a plate as you cook them.
    Vegetables cooking in butter

    Add another dab of butter to the skillet and cook the hash browns until golden.  

    Add them to the plate with the ham, peppers, and onions.

    Hash browns cooking in butter
    • While the potatoes cook, beat the eggs in a small bowl.
    • You can make as many portions of this dish as you like. I used three eggs for 2 servings.
    Eggs being beaten with a fork
    • Grate some cheddar cheese and set aside.
    Grated cheddar cheese
    • Keep the cheese separate from the vegetables and ham.
    • My Diner Style Breakfast Mess is like a picky kid who doesn't like his/her food touching.
    • The cheese will go on last.
    Ingredients for Diner Style Breakfast Scramble cooked and waiting on paper plates
    • Add the vegetables and ham to the skillet and heat until warmed through.
    • Pour the beaten eggs over the top and season to taste with salt and pepper.
    • Don't start stirring immediately. Let the eggs start to cook first, but do not leave them long enough to begin browning. Browned eggs = yuck.
    • Gently fold and stir until the scrambled eggs are as you like them.
    Adding eggs to skillet with ham and vegetables and scrambling
    • Add the cheese at the last-minute, stir, and place your Diner Style Breakfast Mess onto the serving plates.
    • You can eat it as is, or drizzle on hot sauce or salsa.
    • I suppose you could add ketchup if you are inclined to so do. I cannot make that seem right.
    • Pour the black coffee and eat the mess while it's hot.

    Instructional Video:

    Recipe

    Diner Style Breakfast Mess

    Hearty Diner-Style Breakfast with ham, eggs, peppers, and onions.
    5 from 28 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Course
    Breakfast
    Servings 2
    Budget
    Frugal
    serving $3.82

    Ingredients
      

    • ½ cup ham cubed
    • 1 small orange bell pepper
    • 1 jalapeño pepper cored, seeded, and minced
    • 1 cup hash brown potatoes thawed
    • ½ cup red onion chopped
    • ½ cup cheddar cheese grated
    • 3 eggs
    • 2 TBS butter
    • 1 Roma tomato seeded and diced

    Instructions
     

    • Chop the fresh vegetables into chunky pieces about ½" in size. Cube the ham.
    • Heat a non-stick skillet on medium. Add the ham cubes. Cook just long enough to get a little color on them. Remove to a large plate and set aside.
    • Add a pat of butter to the hot skillet and cook the fresh vegetables until just tender. Remove them to the plate with the ham and set aside.
    • Add another dab of butter to the skillet and cook the hash browns until golden.  Add them to the plate with the ham, peppers, and onions.
    • Beat the eggs in a small bowl.
    • Grate the cheddar cheese and set aside.
    • Add the vegetables, hash browns and ham to the skillet on medium heat and cook until warmed through.
    • Pour the beaten eggs over the top and season to taste with salt and pepper. Don't start stirring immediately. Let the eggs start to cook first, but do not leave them long enough to begin browning.
    • Gently fold and stir until the scrambled eggs are as you like them.
    • Add the cheese at the last-minute, stir, and remove onto the serving plates. Serve hot!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 424kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 24gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 327mgSodium: 788mgPotassium: 377mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 2224IUVitamin C: 59mgCalcium: 259mgIron: 2mg

    Approximate nutrition information is provided as a convenience and courtesy only. You are encouraged to do your own calculations if precise data is required.

    We take every effort to ensure that the estimated meal cost per serving is accurate. We use a meal cost analysis application that estimates the cost of a recipe based on groceries purchased at a Walmart store in my geographical area, northern California.

    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    More Savory Breakfast

    • Best Eggs Benedict Recipe ~ For Two
    • Spinach Mushroom Quiche with Heavy Cream
    • Jalapeño Grits
    • Fried Green Tomato and Cheddar Grits

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    I am Mary, the blogger behind "Oh That's Good!" I am a former nurse, former hobby farm blogger, former vintage shop owner, and current food blogger. I live with my husband and our little mutt Tucker in a lovely retirement community. I am cooking for two and taking inspiration from old cookbooks, magazines, and memories of watching my mother and grandmother cook. I like reducing my food waste and exorbitant grocery bills! I am busy rewriting my recipes for two servings with the option of adjusting the recipe up to four or six servings with just one click.

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