California Omelette (Vegetarian Recipe)

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Our delicious, hearty, healthy, organic and earthy California omelette has just what you need to start the day right. It's filled with good things like fontina cheese, mushrooms, tomato and micro broccoli greens. It bursts with sauteed mushrooms and all the flavors in one bite. It's also a great healthy and hearty vegetarian breakfast perfect for any day of the week!

Close up overhead view of California omelette on a white plate with sliced avocado

This delicious California omelette makes use of fresh ingredients, resulting in an organic and earthy flavor that California cuisine is known for. Like our Green Chile Breakfast Casserole, Swiss Baked Eggs, Phyllo Breakfast Cups, Mushroom Breakfast Casserole, Baked Eggs in Tomato Sauce, Italian Gnocchi Quiche, and Quiche Provencale this recipe is vegetarian. However, we omelette recipes that include meat, like our fresh tuna omelette and keto omelette, if you would prefer that.

Some people are intimated by omelettes. If that is you, read on to learn the techniques to make the perfect omelette. It's not as difficult as you think!

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Reasons to Love This Recipe
🧾 Ingredients
📝 How to Make an Omelette
🍳 Equipment
💡 Tips for Success
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
🥚 Related Recipes
📖 Recipe

Reasons to Love This Recipe

It's easy. You literally add everything to a non-reactive saucepan and cook on the stovetop for a few minutes.
It's simple in that it uses only 3 ingredients.
It's quick. Fifteen minutes max is all you need to make this delicious, fruity compote.
It's versatile. As mentioned above, this compote will take you from breakfast to dessert.
It can be made ahead. You can easily make this ahead and store it as instructed below.
It makes enough to share with a hungry crowd. This recipe makes two cups, easily enough to please a crowd. It's great for Mother's Day, holidays, and and other special occasions like Valentine's Day.

🧾 Ingredients

Omelettes are so versatile. This recipe uses mushrooms, thyme, Fontina cheese, tomato, avocado and broccoli greens. You can easily substitute your favorite fillings. You can even throw in some leftovers from last night's dinner!

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided.
1 cup sliced white mushrooms. You can substitute any variety of mushroom here.
½ teaspoon dried thyme.
Salt & pepper.
½ cup shredded Fontina cheese. Fontina cheese really works here because it melts so well. However, Swiss, provolone, or gouda cheeses are good substitutes.
6 large eggs, beaten. This is a three-egg omelette recipe. I have found that using three eggs make the omelette a little sturdier and easier to handle.
1 medium avocado sliced. This is optional, but is a California cuisine staple, so we included it. However, you can certainly omit it.
1 medium tomato. Seeded and chopped.
1 cup micro broccoli greens (sprouts). Adds a fun presentation and extra nutrients.

📝 How to Make an Omelette

These photos show the steps for making this California omelette specifically, but the steps apply to making any American-style omelette. If you are using raw vegetables, it's a good idea to saute them first. It brings out their flavor! You can see how we have done that with the mushrooms in this omelette.

When cooking an American-style omelette, it's important to wait for the edges to set, then take a spatula and push those edges toward the center of the skillet, tilt the pan, and allow the uncooked egg to flow underneath. This technique is used to cook the top portion of the egg while maintaining the shape. If you don't do this, the inside of the omelette will stay raw and uncooked. Please refer to the photos below to see this technique in action.

After you have cooked the eggs as indicated in the paragraph above. Your fillings will go on one side of the omelette, then you fold the other side of the omelette on top of the fillings. Allow the omelette to cook for another 30 seconds to allow everything to meld together. Then flip and cook for another 30 seconds.

That's really all there is to it!

Pat of butter melting in a skillet — **Step 1.** In a nonstick skillet, melt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter over medium heat.

Overhead view of sliced mushrooms cooking in a skillet — Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally.

Cooked sliced mushrooms in a skillet — Continue cooking until the mushrooms begin to brown, about 6 minutes.

Sliced mushrooms and herbs in a skillet with a red spatula — **Step 2.** Stir in the thyme and salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Step 3. Add eggs and salt and pepper to a blender and blend for about 1 minute. Alternatively, you can add the eggs and salt and pepper to a medium bowl and whisk vigorously for 1-2 minutes.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet over medium heat.

Raw beaten eggs in a skillet — **Step 4.** Add half of the egg mixture and cook until warmed and the edges are beginning to set, about 30 seconds.

Red spatula pushing edge of semi-cooked eggs toward the center of a skillet — Using a heatproof spatula, lift the cooked edges and gently push them toward the center. At the same time, lift and tilt the pan to allow the liquid egg on top to flow underneath, then cook for 30 seconds longer.

Semi-cooked omelette in a skillet — Repeat as necessary along the perimeter until no liquid egg remains.

Semi-cooked omelette in a skillet with shredded fontina cheese added to one half of omelette — **Step 5.** When the eggs are almost set but still moist on top, sprinkle half of the Fontina cheese on one side of the omelette.

Semi-cooked omelette in a skillet with cooked mushrooms added to one half of omelette — **Step 6.** Top the cheese with half of the mushroom mixture.

Semi-cooked omelette in a skillet with chopped tomato and micro broccoli added to one half of omelette — **Step 7.** Top the cheese and mushrooms with half of the chopped tomato and half of the greens.

Spatula folding half of omelette over other filled half — **Step 8.** Using a wide spatula, fold the untopped half of the omelette over the filled half. Allow to cook about 30 seconds longer to allow the cheese to melt and the omelette to meld together.

Cooked omelette in a skillet — Slide in a few avocado slices, if desired, and slide the omelette onto a serving plate.

Repeat steps 4-8 for the second omelette. Serve warm with sliced avocados.

🍳 Equipment

It doesn't take any fancy equipment to make an omelette. A mixing bowl, simple non-stick skillet, and heatproof spatula are all that you need. We like to blend our eggs in a blender before adding them to the skillet. However, the blender method is optional. You can just as easily use a bowl and a whisk. It's not necessary to add milk or cream to the eggs. It's just an extra ingredient that we have found doesn't really do anything for the recipe.

Loaded California omelette on a white plate with avocado slices and a gold fork. A second omelette is in a skillet int the background.

💡 Tips for Success

A few tips to get you off and running to make the perfect omelette:

Use a non-stick skillet. A non-stick skillet will make it easier to lift the edges of the eggs as necessary cook and achieve a beautiful omelette.
Blend the eggs in a blender, along with salt and pepper, before adding them to the skillet. This will make for a fluffier omelette.
When the egg edges begin to set, gently lift the edge and push it toward the center of the pan. Then gently tilt the pan so that the uncooked liquid can flow underneath. Continue working your way around the perimeter as necessary until no liquid egg remains.
When adding the filling, only add it to one half of the omelette. Then use a heatproof spatula to cover that half with the unfilled half.

Overhead view of California omelette on a white plate with a gold fork and sliced avocado next to a second omelette in a skillet

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Is it necessary to cook the mushrooms before adding them to the omelette?

It's definitely best to cook the mushrooms before adding them to the omelette. This brings out their flavor. In addition, cooking the mushrooms first helps to render their moisture so that you don't end up with an omelette that is too wet and under cooked.
If you are substituting other raw vegetables, the same advice applies. If you are planning on using pre-cooked vegetables (i.e., veggies from last night's dinner) then you can add them directly and do not need to saute them first. You might want to heat them up a bit in the microwave first.

How do I get a fluffy omelette?

The secret to a fluffy omelette is to make sure that the eggs are thoroughly beaten before they're added to the pan. This recipe does this with the use of a blender. Add the eggs to a blender with salt and pepper and blend for 1-2 minutes until eggs are bubbly. Then cook as instructed.

Should you add milk or cream to the eggs before blending them?

Nope. Not at all. It's not necessary. In fact, this recipe doesn't include milk at all. You will have delicious and fluffy omelettes without the addition of milk or cream. It's one less ingredient to worry about. 😉

Can you make these omelettes ahead?

These omelettes are best made and consumed immediately. However, they will keep in your fridge for a day or two, if necessary. A better idea if you're pressed for time, is to prepare your ingredients ahead - slice the mushrooms and shred the cheese. You can store them in your fridge so they are ready when you're ready to make and eat these delicious omelettes.

Close up view of loaded California omelette on a white plate with sliced avocado

More delicious breakfast or brunch recipes featuring eggs.

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