French Scrambled Eggs

A new way to scramble eggs, this time in a saucepan not a skillet; this time, slowly not in a big weekday rush; this time with an extra white not a stingy single egg; this time, with sumptuous results.

French Scrambled Eggs ♥ KitchenParade.com, eggs cooked low and slow, with a few vegetables. Sumptuous! Naturally Gluten Free. High Protein. Weight Watchers Friendly.

Real Food, Fresh & Seasonal. Not just easy, Summer Easy. Budget Friendly. Easy Weeknight Supper. Easy DIY. Low Carb. Low Fat. High Protein. Weight Watchers Friendly. Vegetarian. Naturally Gluten Free. Whole30 Friendly.

Easy Summer Recipes ♥ KitchenParade.com, a seasonal collection of easy-to-remember and memorable recipes especially for summer. Less cookin'. More livin'. It's the summer's motto!
This recipe is so quick and easy
that I'm adding it to a special collection of easy summer recipes
published every summer since 2009.
Watch for new "summer easy" recipes all summer long!
With a free e-mail subscription, you'll never miss a one!

Summer of the Egg

This year may well go down as the Summer of the Egg, the soothing, nutritious, economical, endlessly variable – and yes, "incredible and edible" – egg. French Scrambled Eggs are one of two ways I've been cooking eggs all summer, a relaxed weekend breakfast treat here, a no-trip-to-the-grocery quick supper there.

I love how the eggs stay soft, how the vegetables themselves take on the soft creaminess, how there's time to make a salad, set the table, all while the eggs cook. For anyone who collects new ways to cook eggs, this deserves a look and with any luck, a place in the repertoire.

One Egg or Two?

For my appetite (yours too?), one egg is “just enough” for a lady-size breakfast – but only so long as it’s a whole egg. Cook it sunnyside up, over easy, poached or shirred, I’m completely satisfied, just make sure the egg is whole.

But once a single egg is whisked for scrambled eggs or an omelet, the serving size seems no longer just lady-sized but – well, let’s say it like it is – skimpy and stingy!

Why is this? Is it possible for the fixed portion size of one whole egg to seem more substantial than one mixed-up egg? What else could cause this difference in perception?

Okay so yes, I’m nerdy like this: one day I actually measured scrambled eggs.


  • One scrambled egg yields a scant quarter cup. Puny!
  • One egg plus an extra egg white yields a generous quarter cup. Plenty!

So now for scrambled eggs, cooked in this French style or otherwise, I now allow myself one whole egg plus, for volume, an extra egg white.

French Scrambled Eggs ♥ KitchenParade.com, eggs cooked low and slow, with a few vegetables. Sumptuous! Naturally Gluten Free. High Protein. Weight Watchers Friendly.



FRENCH SCRAMBLED EGGS

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time to table: 20 minutes
Serves 1, easily multiplied
    VEGETABLES
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 green onion, chopped (save some of the green parts for serving)
  • A few grape tomatoes, halved
  • A chunk of zucchini, chopped small
    SCRAMBLED EGGS
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg white
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • 1/2 teaspoon good mustard
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Pepper to taste
    TO SERVE
  • Toast or Fried Bread or a warm tortilla
  • Good salt
  • A little chopped green onion

VEGETABLES In a saucepan (not a skillet, you want a cooking vessel with sides), heat the oil until shimmery on medium, add the onion, tomatoes and zucchini and sauté until just soft and the tomatoes begin to express their liquid. Lift out half the vegetables onto a plate and keep warm. Reduce heat to medium low, you might need to remove from the heat to help cool down.

SCRAMBLED EGGS In a bowl, stir together all the ingredients with a wooden spoon just until loosely combined. Pour into the saucepan (it should be cool enough that the eggs don’t begin to cook immediately). Scramble the eggs by stirring nearly continuously with a wooden spoon or whisk, letting them cook slowly-slowly-slowly, for as long as 4 or 5 minutes for a single serving, up to 10 minutes for more servings.

TO SERVE Top a slice of Fried Bread, toasted bread or a tortilla with the cooked eggs, then the reserved vegetables, then a little salt, then the reserved chopped green onion.

ALANNA’s TIPS Use a saucepan, not a skillet, to make French Scrambled Eggs. Less surface area helps the eggs cook slowly. For the softest, most tender eggs, keep the heat on low and just enjoy observing the slow-slow changes in the eggs as they cook. If the eggs begin to cook too quickly, lift the saucepan off the heat for a moment. The cookbook where I learned this technique says that it’s a waste to cook fewer than six eggs – but I disagree, I make this all the time for one or two or three and the technique works great. It also suggests stirring in a teaspoon of cream and/or butter at the end. This is a luxury I don’t want to get too cozy with so haven’t tried! The vegetables are completely optional – but they do help compensate for that small portion size. Any vegetables may be used, just be sure to keep their sizes small so they can cook quite quickly.
NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Serving: 157 Calories; 9g Tot Fat; 2g Sat Fat; 211mg Cholesterol; 451mg Sodium; 8g Carb; 2g Fiber; 5g Sugar; 12g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 3 & PointsPlus 4 & SmartPoints 5 & Freestyle 1 & myWW green 4 & blue 1 & purple 1 This recipe has been "Alanna-sized".
Adapted from Parisian Home Cooking (affiliate link) by Michael Roberts, published in 1999 and the recommendation of our friend Gayle over a glass of champagne one night. The next day? I found a used copy for sale for just a few dollars on Amazon. I find the ingredients accessible and the recipes appealing. More than that, it’s not one of these new cookbooks, no matter the focus, that seem to throw in a few supper recipes (real food) just to focus on the real love, dessert. This cookbook has 328 pages, desserts start on page 304. That balance just makes sense. My Disclosure Promise

Got an Egg or Two?
A Meal Is Just Minutes Away

more
~ egg recipes ~

Easy Egg Recipes ♥ KitchenParade.com, an inspiring collection with how-to's and recipes
Fried Egg Quesadillas, another easy summer breakfast ♥ KitchenParade.com. Just Three Ingredients. Budget Friendly. High Protein.

Mexican Scrambled Eggs (Huevos Revueltos a la Mexicana), another healthy summer breakfast ♥ A Veggie Venture and the most popular eggs in Mexico according to Diana Kennedy. Simple & Seasonal. Low Carb. High Protein. Very Weight Watchers Friendly. Gluten Free. Whole30 Friendly.

Homemade Egg McMuffin ♥ KitchenParade.com, the egg is cooked in the microwave, creating a tender, tasty round just the right size to tuck into an English Muffin with cheese and Canadian bacon.

Don't Let the Summer Pass By Without ...

(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)

Summer's Tomato Soup Panzanella (Classic Italian Tomato Salad) Ratatouille
Peach Un-cobbler Dimply Plum Cake Peach & Cantaloupe Soup
~ more easy summer recipes

Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ egg recipes ~
~ egg white recipes ~
~ egg yolk recipes ~

~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

© Copyright Kitchen Parade
2011, 2019 & 20201 (repub)

Alanna Kellogg
Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

Comments

  1. I love the sound of "Summer of Eggs" :) Trust me, if you'd get and Eglu and keep a few chickens in your gorgeous St Louis backyard, it'd be so much more and special summer of eggs ;)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi, I LOVE your blog. I love your stories behind the recipes. Natasha x

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous9/18/2011

    In France, scrambled eggs are only made with one egg. One egg is un oeuf.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. But I also love hearing your reactions, your curiosity, even your concerns! When you've made a recipe, I especially love to know how it turned out, what variations you made, what you'll do differently the next time. ~ Alanna