If you’re an egg lover and want a quick and easy eggy pie – the pie iron omelet is for you. Easily customizable with whatever extras you or your family enjoy, these pies come together in a snap at the campsite. Plus, they cook really quickly so you can make a bunch of them in a short time frame. Kids will love getting to add just what they like to their own pie iron omelet.
The basic ingredients to these omelets are the eggs and tater tots – the rest is completely up to you. The egg and tater tot combo create a semi-solid pie which allows them to be cooked in the pie iron without the need for a bread crust (like a typical pudgy pie) to keep the ingredients in place.
Use your imagination and add whatever wonderful things you would put in an omelet at home.
- Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
- Cook Time: 2-5 minutes
- Serves: 2
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 6 -8 defrosted tater tots
- 1/2 Cup shredded cheese
- diced ham or bacon or sausage
- diced veggies (red, yellow, or green peppers, onion, green chiles, spinach, mushrooms etc)
- butter
- salt and pepper
Toppings:
- sour cream
- salsa
- ketchup
Extra Equipment Needed at the Campsite:
- Round pie irons
- Charcoal (approximately 10-15 pieces)
- Cutting board (bring a wooden one to put your hot pie irons on)
- Hot pads or BBQ gloves (pie irons are HOT when they come off the fire)
- Butter knife
Before You Leave Home
The great thing about these pie iron omelets is that you can do all of your prep work at home. The only thing you will need to do at the campsite is to assemble and cook.
Dice your veggies into small pieces and place them into a ziptop plastic bag (smaller bits cook more quickly than large chunks). Grate your cheese and save in a ziptop plastic bag.
Precook your meat and then dice it into small bits. Bag and save in a ziptop plastic bag.
Whisk your eggs into a bowl and then reuse a plastic water bottle by storing the beaten eggs in it. Plastic water bottles are an easy and space-saving way to bring eggs in your cooler.
Making Your Pie Iron Omelettes
The first thing you’ll need to do is get your cooking area ready. Get those charcoal briquettes lit and heating while you assemble your omelets. Once lit, the briquettes are usually ready to cook when they’ve sat for about 15-20 minutes (they work best when they’re white or mostly white).
Once the briquettes are lit – you can place the pie irons on the fire to get them heating. Cast iron cooking works best when the cast iron is pre-heated. And with this recipe – you’ll want those pie irons nice and hot before you get your omelets in them.
After your pie irons are hot – pull them off the fire (carefully because they’ll be VERY hot) and place on a heat-proof surface (like that wooden cutting board). Add butter and allow it to melt. Swirl the butter around the inside of the pie irons to thoroughly coat the surface. Don’t be skimpy! You’ll want the surface well greased so your eggs don’t stick (and it allows for a faster cleanup).
Once the butter is melted, add approximately one egg per pie iron.
Next, take those tater tots (which should be completely defrosted) and break them up with your hand. Add to the same side the egg is on.
Now add your meat to the egg mixture.
Add your veggies.
Next, add cheese and salt and pepper.
Carefully close those pie irons up and clip them. Keep them with the egg mixture on the bottom.
Place them on top of the charcoal briquettes – keeping the pie irons as level as possible. You want the egg mixture to mostly set up before you flip them to the other side. Keep them egg side down for about 2 minutes.
Before you flip them over, carefully unclip them, and take a peek. Is the egg mostly set up? If so, flip them to the other side and cook for 1-2 minutes more. If not, continue cooking for another minute and check again.
TIP: These cook very quickly so you’ll want to watch them carefully to make sure they don’t burn. They’re done when the eggs are completely set (i.e. not jiggly).
When the omelets are done – remove from the cooking area and put them back on the heatproof surface. Unclip and open the pie irons and the omelets should slide right out onto a plate.
Add whatever toppings you like!
TIP: These omelets are great with or without toppings. Try them with sour cream, ketchup, salsa, or green onions. Or, serve them alongside foil packet potatoes or campfire griddle cakes.
- Explore more of our easy pie iron recipes.
Pie Iron Omelet
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 6-8 defrosted tater tots
- 1/2 Cup shredded cheese
- diced ham, bacon, or sausage
- diced veggies (red, yellow, or green peppers, onion, green chiles, spinach, mushrooms, etc)
- butter
- salt & pepper
Additional Toppings:
- sour cream
- salsa
- ketchup
Extra Equipment Needed
- round pie irons
- charcoal
- wooden cutting board
- hot pads or BBQ gloves
- butter knife
Instructions
Before You Leave Home
- Dice veggies into small pieces.
- Grate cheese.
- Precook meat. Then chop into small pieces.
- Whisk your eggs and place in empty plastic water bottle.
Cooking at the Campsite
- Prepare your cooking area by heating up charcoal briquettes.
- Preheat pie irons.
- Once preheated, butter pie irons thoroughly.
- Add egg to one side. Add all other ingredients to same side as egg (crush up the tater tots with your hands before placing in pie iron.)
- Close and clip pie irons. Place egg side down on fire (keeping pie iron as level as possible) for 2 minutes.
- Check omelettes. As soon as egg is set up, flip to other side and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Watch carefully as these cook very quickly.
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