Give Scrambled Eggs A Bold Flavor Boost With One Savory-Sweet Ingredient

Eggs are a vessel for so many different flavor profiles. They're nutritious but also mild, meaning you can add just about anything to them to build some flavor. But you might be overlooking one seriously flavorful ingredient that, as long as you have a little bit of prep time, could change the way you eat eggs: caramelized onions. These add a sweet and umami note to plain scrambled eggs, and have a jammy consistency that melds well with them.

The type of onions you use ultimately depends on your own preference; sweet onions will yield a sweeter profile than yellow onions, which are in turn sweeter than red onions once cooked. For the most balanced flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture, go with yellow onions. Caramelizing onions is easy, but it does take time. The onions need to cook on low heat in the pan with some kind of fat, such as oil or butter, for up to an hour; the exact time depends on how thickly cut the onions are. If you're in a time crunch, you can use the easy steaming technique, too. You should also deglaze the pan while the onions cook to remove those bits of stuck-on pieces; white wine or beef broth are great for adding flavor, but water works here, too. Once you've caramelized the onions, gently fold in the eggs with a little more butter, and they'll scramble as you move them around.

Keeping the heat low is important here to prevent the eggs and onions from burning. By the time you add eggs to the caramelized onions to scramble, the pan will have had plenty of time to warm up, so keep it on the lowest heat to prevent the eggs from cooking too quickly and turning brown.

You can season the eggs and onions to build even more flavor. A little kosher salt is great here, as is black pepper for an earthy heat. The onions have a good sweet-savory flavor to them that you want to preserve, so no need to add too many spices. A pinch of garlic powder would pair well with the onions, but avoid adding anything too spicy, like crushed red pepper flakes or hot sauce, which would take away from that caramelized flavor. For ease, you can prep these scrambled eggs in batches and eat them over the course of a few days, as both ingredients will keep well in the fridge for a couple of days. Eggs are one of those foods you shouldn't reheat in the microwave, though; they're better heated on the lowest stovetop setting in a pan with some butter.