This post is sponsored by PackIt. I developed the recipe for a Western Baked Omelet in partnership with them; all opinions, recipes, and photos are my own.
While many families are gearing up for the back-to-school rush, I’ve been enjoying one of the perks of homeschooling: not packing daily school lunches—at least most of the year. That said, I did find myself packing lunches for five weeks while my youngest attended a ballet intensive an hour and a half from home. He was in classes long days—9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for two weeks, then 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for three—so I got a glimpse of the daily logistics most parents manage throughout the school year. I came away impressed.
The ballet conservatory expects dancers to make thoughtful nutrition choices as part of their training, so I packed lunches emphasizing protein, balanced carbs, and minimal sugar. That limitation pushed me to develop simple, portable, and nutritious options quickly. One recipe that proved perfect for the job was my Western Baked Omelet.
These baked omelets are soft and fluffy, studded with melted cheese, sautéed onions, bell peppers, and a touch of jalapeño. They’re wonderful on their own, and even better topped with plain Greek yogurt, sliced avocado, a dash of hot sauce, and fresh cilantro.
Greek yogurt in the batter adds protein and helps produce that tender, fluffy texture that makes the omelet so appealing. If traditional omelets intimidate you, don’t worry—these baked omelets remove the fuss. You sweat onions, peppers, and jalapeño, combine them with beaten eggs, yogurt, and seasonings, pour the mixture into a well-greased pan, and bake. Done.
At home we serve generous squares with toppings. For packed lunches I cut the omelet into smaller squares, chill them thoroughly, and store them in reusable containers or zipper bags.
Initially I struggled with keeping lunches cold long enough. By the time the packed meals reached the studio and sat in the un-air-conditioned boys’ dressing room, standard ice packs had lost effectiveness and lunches warmed to near room temperature. That raised food safety concerns when kids are eating after several hours away from refrigeration.
Enter PackIt. I hadn’t used freezeable lunch bags before partnering with them, but they impressed me quickly. PackIt bags are designed to be frozen overnight so their built-in gel stays cold and keeps contents chilled all day. In my experience they provided a solid six hours of chill plus about an additional hour where items stayed safely cool.
The PackIt bag held everything we needed: a container of Western Baked Omelet squares, a couple containers of Greek yogurt, a full-size bottle of water or kombucha, containers of salad and fruit, small hot sauce bottles, cheese sticks, and an electrolyte drink box. Everything fit neatly and stayed cool for the duration of the day—practically perfect for long studio days.
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Western Baked Omelet
I typically use nonfat Greek yogurt in this omelet because that’s what I usually find at the store, but whole-milk Greek yogurt works well too. Red bell pepper adds a lovely color contrast, though any bell pepper will do.
The yogurt makes the omelet a bit more forgiving with baking time, but as with all egg dishes avoid overbaking—remove it when the center is set. Carry-over heat will finish the cooking after you take it out of the oven. Allow the omelet to cool completely before slicing.
What can I serve with a Western Baked Omelet?
I like serving this omelet with salads, salsas, soups, or dips. It’s great alongside fresh salads, corn and black bean salsa, a warm soup, or dips like guacamole and smoky roasted salsa. It also pairs nicely with sides such as a simple green salad or fruit for a balanced meal.
Western Baked Omelet
Rebecca Lindamood
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
- nonstick cooking spray
- 3 green onions green parts only, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper any colour
- 1 jalapeno pepper stem and seeds removed and diced
- 5 large or extra large eggs
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 4 ounces crumbled feta or diced Cheddar, or a combination
Optional, but tasty toppings:
- Plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- Sliced or diced fresh avocado
- Fresh cilantro leaves
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8-inch by 8-inch cake pan generously with nonstick cooking spray. Scatter the sliced green onions over the bottom of the pan and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the chopped yellow onion and kosher salt; stir to coat. Sweat the onions until fragrant and beginning to soften, then add the chopped bell pepper and cook for about 2 minutes. Stir in the diced jalapeño and cook 30 seconds more. Transfer the sweated vegetables onto the sliced green onions in the pan.
- In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, Greek yogurt, milk, oregano, and chili powder until evenly combined and no yogurt pockets remain. Stir in the crumbled feta or diced Cheddar. Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables in the pan and stir very slightly to distribute. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, or until the edges are puffy, the top is lightly golden, and the center is set. Remove from the oven and let rest at least 5 minutes before slicing into 4 large squares or 9 smaller ones. Serve hot or at room temperature with optional toppings, or wrap tightly for lunches.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Calculate nutrition using the actual ingredients you use with your preferred calculator.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @foodiewithfam on Instagram and use #foodiewithfamily so I can see your creations!
This post was originally published in August 2016 and updated in August 2018.