Omelettes come in lots of different variations, but today we're sharing our favorite Italian Style Breakfast Omelette, boasting of fresh basil, tomatoes, capers and sauteed onions!

There are tasks that defy ‘perfection’ or ‘true’ uniformity by way of their simplicity. For example, Bobby Flay is famous for touting how he often hinges the hiring of new line cooks on ‘super-simple tasks’ such as preparing an omelet, and how he looks for style, technique and ‘comfort on the line’ in how they go about that simple task. Similarly, Daniel Gritzer of SeriousEats, who’s cooked in several top New York restaurants, opened an article on the subject of French omelets in 2016 by stating that he’s been “Learning about omelets for as long as I can remember.”

While I cannot claim the expertise of either of those chefs, to my mind the perfect omelet, on a purely practical level, is something that you can prepare as a breakfast on a busy weekday morning, or as a brunch on a relaxed weekend early afternoon, and have it come out equally delicious and satisfying in both instances. Yet, it’s not something you ever really ‘master,’ there’s always a new variation, always a ‘slightly better’ technique just around the corner, and always someone doing it ‘just a bit better’ to learn from.

For myself, the basic fold-over omelet has always been my preferred omelet method. First and foremost, it’s a very intuitive preparation process that lends itself just as well to kitchen first-timers as it does to experienced chefs, allowing the latter to show off with fancy technique and obscure fillings, while giving the former a relatively ‘fool-proof yet fancy’ prep method.

Aside from being simple to prepare, this is also likely one of the best methods for adding in variety without adding in any needless complexity. Salsa and cheddar? Fold it over. Italian style with parsley whipped into the eggs folded over diced bell peppers and mozzarella? You can do that too. A garden variety bacon and cheddar omelet? Once again, just fold your choice ingredients into the eggs and you’re done.

Or you could try something like sautéed onions with basil, honey, and capers. Naturally, that brings us to today’s recipe – Italian Style Breakfast Omelette.

Since I’m preparing three of these, we begin by beating together six eggs in a bowl with just a splash of water. Then heat a medium sized cast iron frying pan with a bit of olive oil.

Now, to that heated oil, add in sliced sweet onion, chopped capers, and then season with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a dash of sweet paprika. Sauté this mixture until the onions are soft, and slightly golden. You want a golden complexion to the onions, not a charred or ‘browned’ coloring.

Next, heat a small cast iron frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil and add in the whole basil leaves along with the halved tomatoes. Season this with a bit of sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and sauté for about a minute or two and then set aside.

And…you’re going to need yet another cast iron pan.

In an even smaller cast iron pan, roughly six inches in diameter, heat the pan with olive oil, and then pour in about a quarter of an inch of the egg mixture. Gently move the pan around chef-style to evenly coat and distribute the eggs. When the eggs start to set, gently loose them with a spatula and flip. You might be tempted to use butter for this step if you typically prefer your eggs with butter, but trust me when I say that the flavor profile of this omelet is complimented infinitely better by oil as opposed to butter.

After flipping, arrange a few slices of mozzarella on top of the egg, and then let the eggs sit for a few seconds before removing from the pan. Then fill the omelet with a portion of the onions, and fold it over. Top with the sautéed basil and tomatoes, a bit of ground sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and drizzle of honey.

Using the entire egg mixture, you’ll have enough for three omelets.

Italian Style Breakfast Omelette

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Author: Living the Gourmet
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 3 omelettes 1x

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Ingredients

Units Scale

6 eggs - beaten with a splash of water
2 hearty tbs. of capers - chopped
6 - 8 fresh basil leaves - chopped
6 - 8 fresh basil leaves - whole
6 - 10 tri-colored grape tomatoes - halved
1 large sweet onion - sliced thin
4 oz. mozzarella - sliced thin
Coarse sea salt for seasoning
Fresh ground black pepper for seasoning
1/4 tsp. sweet paprika
Honey for drizzling
Olive oil for drizzling

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Instructions

In a medium bowl beat the eggs with a splash of water.
Heat a medium sized cast iron frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil.
Add the sliced onion, chopped basil, chopped capers and season with sea salt, fresh ground black pepper and the sweet paprika. Sauté until the onions are soft and slightly golden.
Heat a small cast iron frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil and add the whole basil leaves the halved tomatoes. Season with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. Sauté for a minute or two and set aside.
In a small 6-inch cast iron frying pan heat a drizzle of olive oil, when the oil is heated, add about ¼ inch of the beaten eggs.
Gently, move the pan around and gently lift the edges with a spatula to cook all of the loose egg.
When the egg is set, gently loosen with the spatula to flip the egg.
When you have flipped the egg add the mozzarella slices and let sit for a few seconds then plate and fill with the onion mixture and close in half.
Top the omelet with the sautéed basil and tomatoes, ground sea salt, fresh ground black pepper and a drizzle of honey.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes