Potatoes, red and green bell peppers, and yellow onions are combined in a colorful and flavorful skillet that is perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Breakfast Potatoes Skillet
I love having potatoes with breakfast in the morning. Well, technically, I would enjoy having potatoes with most of my meals. Potatoes, peppers, and onions add up to a terrific meal that comes together quickly any time of day.
By taking the time to prep them in advance, I simply heat as many as we need when we are ready to eat them. These potatoes are great as a dinner side dish, as a simple lunch, or tossed into scrambled eggs for a hearty breakfast.
Breakfast Potatoes with Peppers and Onions
I get why some people don’t like to pre-chop their potatoes because they discolor and turn brown. For breakfast potatoes, I typically dice them the night before and store them in the refrigerator submerged in water.
Wondering how to make crispy breakfast potatoes? In the morning, drain the water and pat the diced potatoes to dry. Drying the potatoes well is the key to getting the best crispy potato edges.
The peppers and onions can be chopped and just stored in containers or in simple zip-close bags until you’re ready to cook them.
Potatoes with Peppers and Onions
You’ll need just a few ingredients to make this recipe.
- olive oil
- yellow onion
- potatoes
- bell pepper
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
How to Make Breakfast Potatoes
To make these breakfast potatoes, you’ll start by heating olive oil in a large skillet. Confession time, I have been known to use a tablespoon or two of bacon drippings instead of olive oil. It is as amazing as you think.
When the oil is hot, add the onions and potatoes and season. Toss or stir them in the pan to coat the pieces with oil and seasoning. Spread into a single layer, add a few tablespoons of water and cover to cook. Stir every few minutes.
The cooking time will depend on the size of your potatoes. If they are about ½ inch in size it will take about ten minutes. Then add your peppers and sautee for another 5-10 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
I like to top the skillet potatoes with peppers and onions with an egg or alongside sausage links. Or add some chopped ham or corned beef and make it a meal entirely on its own. So many ideas, it is easy to see why we make them often.
Potatoes and skillet meals are a toasty warm and filling way to start the morning.
Rosemary Onion Potatoes earn double thumbs up from my whole family. Potatoes and rosemary are always a perfect match, but adding in lightly caramelized onions takes this skillet to a whole new level.
Roasted potatoes that are crisp on the outside and tender inside, tossed into a skillet with piping hot crisp vegetables and sausage or whichever meat or bean sounds good at the moment.
Fried cabbage makes an easy breakfast skillet that the whole family enjoys – whether it’s served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Skillet Potatoes with Peppers and Onions
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion diced into ½-inch pieces, about ¾ cup total
- 3 potatoes diced into ½-inch pieces, about 3 cups total
- 1 large bell pepper or equal amounts of multi-colored peppers, diced into ½-inch pieces, about 1 cup total
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt adjust to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper adjust to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and potatoes. Stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper and stir again. Spread potatoes across the skillet and add 2 tablespoons of water to the pan.
- Cover with a lid and let cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes and then spreading the potatoes out again. You want the potatoes to get brown and crispy on the sides.
- Add the peppers and stir to combine. Continue cooking, stirring every few minutes for another 5-10 minutes. Taste and season as needed.
- Serve immediately or cool and refrigerate until ready to serve. To reheat, simply warm them in a skillet over medium heat until hot again.
{originally published 8/10/12 – recipe notes and photos updated 1/5/23}
Big Dude says
Looks delicious and if had a second egg, I would have thought it was my plate. Fried taters with onions and peppers is hard to beat and when you add all those colors it's pretty as well.
Jenn says
It is a thing of colorful beauty for sure!!! It's almost too lovely to eat…. almost 🙂
Tricia @ saving room for dessert says
A beautiful classic! I could have lived in the old days with a big hearty breakfast everyday (add meat and another egg) then go and work in the fields or tend the animals. I was born in the wrong century! Have a great weekend Mary 🙂
Athena @ Lifes Abundant Adventures says
How do you keep your potatoes from sticking to your pan? Every time I try to make potatoes like this, I end up with a lot of burnt potato stuck to the bottom of my pan, despite being generous with my cooking oil. Any suggestions? 🙂
Mary says
Have you tried using a non-stick skillet, Athena? I keep one in the house just for eggs and potatoes. Make sure the oil is good and hot prior to adding the potatoes. Then toss or stir the potatoes around in the oil quickly to coat them. I don't wait more than 2-3 minutes between stirring them either. I know that some people swear by just flipping them over and not doing that more than a couple times, but mine stick when I wait that long. A cast iron works as well, but it needs to be very well seasoned before even trying it. I hope that helps. I hate when that happens!
Athena @ Lifes Abundant Adventures says
I use stainless steel pans. I've been wanting to invest in some cast iron pans, this might be a good reason! 🙂 I'll focus more on tossing the potatoes with the oil to coat them better and see how that turns out. Thanks Mary! 🙂
Mary says
That explains it. I have awesome stainless steel pans that I LOVE, but for frying like this, they just don't work for me either. I'm thinking that if you toss the potatoes in the oil that might help, but a well-seasoned cast iron will work much better. Like I said above, I hang onto my non-stick skillet just for this purpose and for eggs. I know there are downsides, but for now, it works for me.
Sue/the view from great island says
When my husband is out I've taken to eating this for dinner!
Words Of Deliciousness says
I love these potatoes, they look really tasty.
nancy at good food matters says
those Peruvian purple potatoes taste so good–and I love their look.
Sippity Sup says
They're like colorful Homefries! GREG
Chris says
What a colorful hash! And I skipped breakfast this morning, grrrrrrr.
Jed Gray (sportsglutton) says
The addition of purple potatoes just about makes this the perfect breakfast
Liz says
Thank you for this recipe. I am on the Daniel Fast and this goes very well with it. I added mushrooms. It was amazing!!!
Christina says
I made this dish this morning and it was ah-mazing! I also sprinkled shredded pepper jack cheese on top.
Dilini Gunasinghe says
Just made it this morning. It was delicious
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad you like the recipe, Dilini!
Gini Buckley says
I made this today for dinner. My husband loves breakfast. I only had russet potatoes and I added some fresh sliced jalapenos too. Just delicious! Thank you!
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Gini!