Omelet with Ham
Ten minutes and one frying pan. The ham crisps in olive oil first, the tomato softens alongside it, and then the beaten eggs pour over everything and set into a single omelet. Whole wheat toast on the side brings the plate to 33 grams of protein and 542 calories.
No flipping, no folding. The eggs cook on top of the ham and tomato, so every bite carries all three.
Ingredients
- eggs 2
- paprika (ground spice) 1 pinch
- olive oil 1 tablespoon
- diced ham 3 ounces
- tomato 1
- bread, whole wheat 2 slices
Method
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Beat the eggs in a bowl and season with paprika powder.
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Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the ham for 1 minute.
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Meanwhile, cut the tomato into pieces and add to the ham. Sauté briefly.
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Finally, pour the egg mixture over everything and cook until it forms a nice omelet.
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Serve with the (toasted) bread.
Pour the egg mixture directly over the sautéed tomato in step 4 rather than cooking them apart. In a randomized crossover trial, egg yolks increased carotenoid absorption from co-consumed vegetables by 3 to 8 fold. The phospholipids in the yolk enhanced intestinal uptake of the tomato’s lycopene when both were eaten together (Kim et al., 2015).
The absorption boost works through a different pathway than olive oil. Olive oil enhances lycopene uptake via triglycerides. Egg yolks enhance it via phospholipids, a different lipid vehicle that forms separate micelles during digestion. This omelet has both fat sources present, which means two independent absorption pathways for the tomato’s carotenoids.
Why This Works
Behind this recipe
Can I use turkey ham or another deli meat?
Any cured or cooked deli meat works. Turkey ham cuts the fat by a few grams. Regular deli ham or smoked chicken keeps the texture close. The macros will shift slightly depending on the swap, so check the label for protein and fat per serving to stay in the same ballpark.
Does cooking the eggs with the tomato change anything nutritionally?
A randomized crossover trial found that egg yolks increased carotenoid absorption from co-consumed vegetables by 3 to 8 fold. The phospholipids in egg yolk form micelles that enhance intestinal uptake of the tomato’s lycopene and beta-carotene. In this recipe, the egg mixture pours directly over the sautéed tomato, which maximizes that contact (Kim et al., 2015, DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.115.111062).
Read the full evidence reviewIs 33 grams of protein enough for breakfast?
Research on per-meal protein utilization suggests the body can use well beyond 20 grams in a single sitting for muscle-related processes. At 33 grams from eggs and ham, this breakfast sits comfortably within the range most studies consider effective for stimulating muscle protein synthesis.
Read the full evidence review
