The BEGG

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You guys. I’ve discovered my new favorite everyday meal. It’s a revelation.

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I have Courtney to thank for it. While we were visiting California, she told me about a meal she and her boyfriend prepare at least once a week. They call it “begg”, but I prefer to think of it as “The BEGG”. Once I heard what it was, I knew I had to make it.

What is The BEGG, exactly?

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It’s so simple. The BEGG is Beans, Egg, Greens, and Grains. Put them all together and you have one of the easiest and healthiest meals you could ever make. Seriously.

Even better: You can switch up the four components into seemingly infinite combinations. Tired of brown rice?  Try red quinoa, black Forbidden rice, farro, or a combination of all three. Stir in caramelized onions. Try chickpeas instead of navy beans. Turnip greens instead of spinach. Add roasted carrots to your greens. Sliced hard-boiled eggs instead of over easy.  Top with red pepper flakes. I could go on.

Okay, one more. Over easy egg over a bed of red and white quinoa, lancinato kale, heirloom beans from Rancho Gordo, and topped with a dab of pesto.

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(As you might guess, this combination is exactly what I made.)

I’ve eaten BEGG almost every day for lunch whether I’m at home or on the run (when I’m out, I might leave off the egg). It’s easy to cook a large quantity of grains, beans, and greens for the week and dole them out a day at a time. No need to run out for fast food when you’ve got this delicious and healthy meal waiting for you.

I suppose I should thank my sister for introducing me to the wonders of The BEGG. Fine. Courtney, in gratitude for passing on this awesome meal, I promise I won’t “borrow” your clothes over Christmas.

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The BEGG (Beans, Egg, Greens, Grains)

  Prep Time: 10 minutes

  Cook Time: 45 min + bean time

  Keywords: saute vegetarian beans

Ingredients (2 servings)

  • 1 cup cooked beans
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 small head cooking greens (e.g. kale, spinach, mustard greens, turnip greens)
  • 1 cup cooked grains (e.g. brown rice, quinoa, farro, amaranth)
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

Prepare beans and grains according to package directions. Use dried or canned beans as desired. While beans and grains cook, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add washed and dried greens and saute until tender, about 5 to 10 minutes.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, add 1/2 tablespoon oil. Cook eggs as desired (e.g. hard, over easy, scrambled). Alternatively, eggs may be hard-boiled.

When all components are completed, layer beans, greens, and grains. Add egg on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper as desired and serve immediately.

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P.S. When I asked Peter what he thought “BEGG” stood for, he replied, without irony, “Bacon, Eggs, Grain, and … Gummies?”

Yes, Peter. It’s gummies. At least he got two out of four.

P.P.S. Anyone get the reference in the title of this post? The connection between the title and its reference is so tenuous, I’ll be surprised if anyone comes up with it (but super impressed!).

15 Comments

  1. lol, grain and gummies, sounds good to me! Why not?!
    I actually think I might make some BEGG for dinner tonight, sounds great! Nick “BEGGS” for eggs every night. No joke.

  2. wohooo! Glad you are enjoying this. I saw someone do something similar on top of a stack of sliced sweet potatoes, I think we are going to try it tomorrow night!

  3. Jessie, this is a great post! I have just been thinking that I need more packable lunch ideas and this is perfect 🙂 Thank you for posting this! As for the reference, all I can think of are ‘The BFG’ (Big Friendly Giant) and the big green egg cooker-thingy of Peter’s that I think you’ve featured on here before. There is a cooking appliance store near my apartment, and they had the egg displayed on the sidewalk one day. I was so happy and proud that I actually knew what that was 🙂

    1. Min! I’m so impressed! You got the reference I thought no one would get! Even Peter, who knows his Roald Dahl, didn’t make the connection; in fact, his guess was the Big Green Egg, so you got the real reference and the Peter-imaginary-wishful-thinking reference. You are a wonder woman, for sure 😉

      1. LOL if you could see my face right now, it would look something like this –> :-0 surprised that my random guess was on the money! Wahoo 😀
        -From one wonder woman to another 🙂

  4. I have to try this! Especially with gummies haha 🙂 Savory and sweet all in one 😉

  5. I love eggs, and it was a revelation to me recently just how well eggs go with spinach and feta. I am not a big fan of beans though…

    But that’s a wonderful idea for lunch! I’ll probably skip the beans and I need to figure out which grain I like best, but I will definitely try this!

    However, can you really have egg every day? I remember a doctor telling my mum it’s not good to have more than 3 eggs a week, what do you think?

    1. Eggs and spinach and feta sounds amazing 🙂

      The recommendation of no more than three eggs a week is a bit outdated – for most people, the amount of cholesterol they eat has little effect on their cholesterol levels. However, some people are more affected than others, so it’s good to check with a doctor. And for those with a metabolic disease like diabetes, limiting eggs is a good idea. But in general an egg a day is fine. I eat anywhere from 2 to 7+ eggs a week and I love ’em! 🙂

  6. I could definitely see this being an every day kind of meal for me! So full of health and so full of things I always seem to have on hand!

  7. This sounds delicious! And I love that you can make most of the components ahead of time. Totally fits into my weekly meal prep/precooking! 🙂

    I don’t do that well with eggs but had one the other day and did okay. I’ll experiment a bit more after the cleanse. I really would love to have one once in awhile…

  8. I love this idea! I particularly like that you present it like a formula, so I can fill in whatever beans or grains or greens I want. Gives it a lot of versatility and customizability. Also your pictures look delicious!

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