This tomato omelette is fluffy, delicious and perfect for weekend brunches. Plus it's a wonderful way of using fresh red tomatoes, whatever the kind. The recipe comes with a technique that will give you a perfectly cooked, fully-intact omelette. No flipping required!
This is a show-offy breakfast (both taste-wise and visually), but the recipe is easy to follow. Like with my arugula, salmon and jalapeno omelettes, I use a cooking method that has never failed me. You need a non-stick pan/skillet with a lid.
The steps are simple. Prepare the filling, set it aside, half-cook your whisked eggs, top with filling and cheese, fold over, and tadaaa!
I cook down the tomatoes into a chunky, seasoned sauce because fresh tomatoes give a watered-down taste. And not all kinds of tomatoes can pull off the flavor alone.
The method is new-cook-friendly because I keep the heat gentle. Prevents any overcooking and allows time to work through the filling and folding steps confidently.
If, like me, you're a savory breakfast person, you're in for a treat.
Pre-cooking notes
- Use fresh garlic, not the jarred, pre-minced product. The filling will taste flat. Speaking from experience.
- Ok, so about chilies, I know fresh ones can be intimidating, but I wouldn't skip them. If your spice tolerance is low, either reduce the quantity or use serrano, jalapeno or milder peppers instead. Decide the quantity to taste. You can use crushed red chili flakes, but I prefer fresh peppers.
- Use fresh tomatoes, ripe ones. Roma, beefsteak, vine-ripened, cherry, grape, whatever fresh, red kind you have or can find.
- Feel free to replace lemon juice with lime. But reduce the total quantity by a quarter.
- Unsalted and salted butter both work fine. The quantity is too small to upset the salt balance if using the latter.
- Shredded cheddar is my favorite for this recipe, but you can use mozzarella or a mix of both.
A visual guide for making a tomato omelette
Here are photos of the key steps to guide you through the recipe. For a printable version with quantities and notes, see the recipe card below.
Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and fresh red chili pepper. Sauté until the garlic starts to change color. Add tomatoes along with ¼ teaspoon each of dried oregano, salt, pepper, and sugar. Cook until the tomatoes have thickened into a chunky, non-watery filling. Mix in lemon juice and transfer onto a plate. Set aside.
Whisk your eggs with ⅛ teaspoon salt, until slightly frothy. Wipe/wash the same pan clean, return it to the burner, turn the heat down to low, and melt butter. Pour in the whisked eggs. Cover and cook undisturbed until the edges look cooked but the top still appears wet (not runny).
Spread the prepared tomato filling evenly over one half of the omelette, then top it with the shredded cheese. Sprinkle/crack some ground black pepper evenly over the entire omelette.
Carefully fold the empty half of the omelette over the half with the filling and cheese (using a spatula or turner). Cover again, cook 1 more minute. Carefully slide your tomato omelette onto a plate and enjoy!
Top tips
- Using a non-stick pan or skillet is essential to getting an omelette that's intact. Non-negotiable. It's also important that you use the right-sized one. An 8 to 10-inch pan is ideal for a 3-egg omelette. Any bigger size and your egg will be too thin to hold the filling without breaking apart.
- I have shared the approximate time ranges for each step, but to be honest, the exact time will vary with the kind of cooktop you have. Gas, electric, and induction all affect the time. Rely more on the visual cues I've shared in the recipe instructions.
- Oh, and mince your fresh chili pepper really well. You want the heat evenly distributed.
Serving ideas
Serve this omelette with potatoes you like. Hash browns, home fries, wedges, roasted. Some toast or a warm baguette with butter would be great too. If looking for something light on the side, do a small bowl of green salad, fresh seasonal fruits, or avocado slices.
Go try this omelet, you'll be so happy you did, and when you're done devouring, come around again and leave your rating and review. I'll be waiting!
Happy cooking – Nelo
Tomato Omelette
Ingredients
For Tomato Filling
- 1.5 teaspoon cooking oil
- 2 cloves garlic - chopped (but not minced)
- ¼ teaspoon finely chopped fresh red chili pepper - I use bird's eye/ Thai chili peppers. See (Note A) for substitutes
- ¾ cup (115 g) finely diced fresh tomatoes - any ripe, red kind
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon regular white sugar
- 1 teapsoon lemon juice - fresh, not bottled
For Omelette
- 3 large eggs - plus some salt & pepper to season
- 1.5 teaspoons (8 g) butter - or use cooking oil instead
- 3 tablespoons (20 g) shredded cheddar cheese - (Note B)
Instructions
- Have all ingredients prepped and ready before you start cooking. Tip: Use the checkboxes next to each ingredient to track your prep. If scaling up, cook one serving per pan, don’t dump all the eggs in at once. Feel free to batch cook the filling in larger cookware and portion it out as needed.
- Heat oil in a non-stick (8 to 10-inch) pan over medium-low heat. Add chopped garlic and finely chopped red chili pepper. Saute for a few seconds until the garlic starts to change color. But don't let it burn and turn golden/brown.
- Add chopped tomatoes along with ¼ teaspoon each of dried oregano, salt, ground black pepper and sugar.
- Stir and cook for 4 to 6 minutes or until the tomatoes have thickened into a chunky, non-watery filling. Add lemon juice, give a quick mix, transfer this filling onto a plate. Set aside.
- Whisk your eggs with ⅛ teaspoon salt, until slightly frothy.
- Wipe/wash the same pan clean, return it to the burner, turn the heat down to low, and melt butter. Just after the butter has melted, pour in the whisked eggs, gently swirl the pan around so they spread out evenly.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook undisturbed for 2 to 4 minutes or until the edges look cooked but the top still appears wet (not runny).
- Spread the prepared tomato filling evenly over one half of the omelette, then top it with the shredded cheese. Sprinkle/crack some ground black pepper evenly over the entire omelette.
- Carefully fold the empty half of the omelette over the half with the filling and cheese (using a spatula or turner). Cover again, cook 1 more minute.
- Carefully slide your tomato omelette onto a plate and enjoy! If you try this recipe, I'd love to hear how it turned out in your kitchen. Leave your rating and comment below.
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