For the entire summer of 2015, I had the opportunity to live in a small village in the countryside of Crete, Greece with my Great Aunt and Uncle. Their village is perched on a hillside with a windy little road surrounded by olive trees, gardens, fruit trees, grape vineyards, and endless flowers. The imposing peaks of the Lefka Ori mountain range are off to the right and the Mediterranean sea to the left. To me, it’s the most beautiful place in the world. Â This Greek Omelette recipe comes from their village.
Everything grows so easily in Crete and my Aunt and Uncle live completely off the land. This Greek omelette with zucchini and tomato is something I would whip up in the morning very often. Each ingredient in this recipe was available fresh to me. It was the summer so my Uncle was growing zucchini and tomatoes. They have their own onions year round. There was always fresh eggs from their chickens and the darkest green pungent extra virgin olive oil from their olive trees less than a mile away. The sea salt they use is collected by their friend, as well as the dried oregano. I remember them coming home with a bag of dried oregano bigger than my head…
I’ve since added dried mint to the recipe because at my house in Massachusetts the mint grows like crazy. My mom picks it and dries it for us to use in everything. As you can see in the picture above, the other breakfast foods I would eat with this omelet were olives, Greek cookies, yogurt with honey, and watermelon. To drink I always had a small but strong cup of Greek coffee and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice from the oranges off of my Uncle’s trees.
Here are some more easy Mediterranean breakfast recipes to try:
7 Mediterranean Diet Breakfast Recipes
Shakshuka (Eggs Poached in Spicy Tomato Sauce – Morocco)
Mediterranean Skillet Potatoes with Poached Eggs
Greek Omelette with Zucchini and Tomato
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1/2 medium zucchini, diced
- 1 tomato, diced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried mint
- 4 eggs, whisked
Instructions
- In a saute pan on medium heat add half of the extra virgin olive oil. Heat for 1 minute.
- Add the onion and zucchini. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the tomato, salt, pepper, dried oregano, and mint.
- Cook down until most of the moisture is gone, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low, remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon into a bowl.
- Add the other 2 Tbsps of olive oil back to the same saute pan. Add the eggs. Wait 30 seconds for the egg to begin cooking and using a spatula, lift up the edges of the egg and tilt the pan in that direction so that the runny egg fills the open space.
- Once the egg isn't runny anymore add the vegetables back to one side of the omelet. Carefully flip the egg onto the top of the vegetables. Lower the heat to very low heat and cook for 2 minutes so the egg in the middle finishes cooking.
- Remove from the pan with a spatula and enjoy!
This was absolutely delicious! I used Italian seasoning instead of oregano, and added freshly chopped garlic with the tomatoes. Added a little Greek yogurt on top, and it was perfection. Thank you for the wonderful recipe! Will make again
Thanks George,
I am going to try this recipe this morning. I purchased the Foods of Crete book and working to incorporate into our meals. I am in North Carolina and able to grow herbs year round. I have actually incorporated those would be used in Crete and the Mediterranean. I am looking forward to trying this recipe. I have five small olive trees growing also and looking forward to learning how to make my own olive oil :)
Hey Rachael! So glad you purchased the Foods of Crete. Which herbs are you growing? I am so jealous that you have your own olive trees! They can’t grow in this New England climate or I would have some also. It’s going to be extremely rewarding once you have your own olive oil. Thanks for reaching out and I hope you enjoy the recipe :)