Breakfast Salad

Sick and tired of the same breakfast dishes? This Breakfast Salad with Sausage is a hearty low carb and Whole30 friendly dish that will keep you full all morning.

When you are eating  low carb, Paleo, or Whole30 style diet, you know that after about one week you never want to see another scrambled egg. That's not to say you are completely off eggs - just that it is time to mix things up and this Breakfast Salad is the perfect recipe to do just that.

To be honest, I doubted just how delicious this salad could be - but it is seriously amazing. Sausage, hard-boiled eggs, butternut squash, mushrooms, and avocado with just the right amount of lemon juice and cilantro to cut the richness.

For those making it ahead of time, I recommend adding the cherry tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, and lemon juice right before serving. This keeps everything bright and fresh. You can also substitute ground chicken, sliced grilled chicken, ground beef, or sliced steak for the sausage.

How to Make Breakfast Salad

This salad is easier to make than it may appear and can be completed in less than 30 minutes.

1. Cook the sausage: Start by sauteing the sausage or whatever meat you decide to use in the breakfast bowls. The reason we start with the sausage is that it will flavor the butternut squash and mushrooms as they cook.  Cook it until it is nicely browned and if you are using sausage that isn't pre-cooked, make sure it is cooked through.
2. Add squash and mushrooms: Next, add the butternut squash and mushrooms. To ensure the butternut squash cooks quickly, make sure to cut it into small pieces. You could swap in different vegetables here. Some favorites include cabbage, sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, and kale. If the vegetables aren't getting tender or are browning too quickly, add some water to the pan. This will help the vegetables to cook more quickly.
3. Prep fresh vegetables: While the sausage and vegetables are cooking, prep all the remaining ingredients. Chop the tomatoes, cilantro, red onions, and avocado. If you haven't already cooked the eggs, do this as well.
4. Assembnle the salad: Assemble the salad with the cooked sausage, veggies, and plenty of fresh lemon juice and fresh herbs like cilantro, parsley, or basil. 

Recipe Ideas

This is one of those recipes that can be customized in so many ways to meet your preferences or to simply use up ingredients you have at home. 

• Swap in different flavors of sausage to switch up the flavor profile. Favorites include classic breakfast sausage, chicken apple sausage, and spicy Italian sausage. You can use different proteins as well including ground beef, ground turkey, cooked chicken, bacon, or tofu. 
• Try out different vegetables in place of the mushrooms and butternut squash. Broccoli, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, cabbage, zucchini, or summer squash all work well. You could also use leftover roasted veggies you have on hand.
• Try this salad out with a homemade dressing instead of lemon juice. Try this jalapeno ranch, honey mustard, or balsamic vinaigrette.