Russian Sour Cream Omelette Recipe with Broccoli and Bacon

My recipe for a Russian sour cream omelette with broccoli and bacon (or ham) makes a rich omelette that can be shared between four for a filling weekend breakfast or breakfast for dinner – or between eight, frittata-style, with a salad for lunch. Broccoli and bacon is a brilliant combo but treat it as a clean-out-the-fridge breakfast and use any vegetables.

There was always sour cream or smetana in the fridge of my Russian-Ukrainian grandparents’ kitchen when I was growing up in Sydney in the Seventies. Sour cream was the first thing to go on the table, no matter what the meal, and was essential to many of our family dishes. Dollops of sour cream were spooned onto and into everything, savoury and sweet.

Scoops of sour cream were dolloped onto pelmeni and vareniki (the beloved Russian and Ukrainian dumplings), stirred through borscht (the hearty beetroot-driven vegetable soup), smeared onto golubtsy (baked cabbage rolls), served with blini (pancakes), and whisked into yaytsa – eggs.

My grandmother added sour cream to scrambled eggs, which were sumptuous, creamy, buttery, and velvety. She served the eggs plain on a plate and they were absolutely perfect; already seasoned they needed nothing except your attention. My baboushka also whisked sour cream with eggs to make this frittata-like sour cream omelette that I’m sharing here.

I’ll tell you more below about this recipe for a Russian sour cream omelette with bacon and broccoli, one of our best broccoli recipes. Looking for more cooking inspiration? We have many hundreds of recipes in our archives, and you can save recipes you like by clicking on the heart on the right of each post to save your favourites in your own private account.

Sour Cream Omelette Recipe with Broccoli and Bacon (or Ham)

Sour cream runs through my veins – and anyone with Russian-Ukrainian heritage, so my baboushka and papa would tell me when I was a child. My grandparents, and their friends and neighbours, born in Russia and Ukraine when they were part of the Russian Empire, joked that by contrast those born under the USSR or Soviet Union, had mayonnaise clogging their arteries.

This Russian sour cream omelette with broccoli and bacon or ham is one for the sour cream lovers. It was a breakfast for dinner clean-out-the-fridge kind of dish that baboushka might whip up for me for a quick dinner if I arrived on a weeknight evening for a stay after uni classes – providing there was sour cream.

Because for Russian-Ukrainians lunch was always the main meal of the day, a few courses during the week, and on weekends a leisurely feast that could go on for hours when the whole family got together. If eggs were served for breakfast they were super simple, while dinner was a light meal – unless it started out as lunch!

There was always sour cream in the fridge when I was a child. Papa worked at the Dairy Farmers factory – which accounted for the constant supply of dairy products in the fridge. But if we somehow ran out, baba would swap her floral cotton ‘house dress’ and apron for her shopping clothes, put on lipstick, spray on perfume, and take my hand.

We’d walk the fifteen minutes or so into Blacktown to my grandmother’s two favourite delis, one on Main Street, and another deli at Westfield Place, and later Westpoint, which was ran by the Czech-Hungarian immigrant Frank Lowy, who was behind the counter, before he started his Westfield shopping mall empire.

Along with sour cream, Baba would usually take the opportunity to buy a big block of tvorog (farmer’s cheese), some Hungarian salami, Polish kabanosy, perhaps a slab of salo (cured pork fat), some fatty smoked bacon or country-style ham, and a loaf of black rye bread, all wrapped individually in butcher’s paper.

After we’d head for the fruit shop where baba would buy whatever was in season – punnets of berries and watermelon were favourites. She rarely bought vegetables as papa grew virtually everything they needed in the backyard. I miss those days of shopping locally, before the big supermarket chains took over.

Just a few tips to making this Russian sour cream omelette with broccoli and bacon or ham, as it’s a cinch to make and comes together in minutes.

Tips to Making this Russian Sour Cream Omelette Recipe

I have a handful of tips to making this Russian sour cream omelette with broccoli and bacon or ham, as it’s really not hard to make and comes together in minutes. But you do have to work quickly at one point, and you’ll need to do a flip.

Whisk the Eggs and Sour Cream

First, whisk the eggs, sour cream and milk together and set that aside. I use an old fashioned hand whisk. You don’t have to use milk, but my grandmother did; skip the milk and you’ll have an even richer omelette. If you’re using milk, it has to be whole milk, i.e. full cream milk.

The sour cream also has to be full cream, not lite. Don’t worry about the sour cream not fully incorporating, as you actually want those small lumps of sour cream. Yum! They’re the white patches on the omelette in the image below.

Fry the Broccoli Florets (or Other Veg)

Next, you’ll fry the broccoli florets in a large pan in butter and olive oil. Fry the broccoli florets to your liking. I prefer to cook the broccoli so it’s tender and brown in parts but stays largely firm and green. You’ll push the broccoli to the side and cook the diced bacon (or ham if you prefer), fry it to your liking, then combine the broccoli and bacon, and transfer it to a small bowl.

I should mention here that you don’t have to use broccoli and bacon, although I think it’s a perfect match: the green fresh flavour of the broccoli, and the sweetness of the broccoli after being fried in the butter and olive oil, complements the umami and richness of the bacon so well. But you can treat this as a clean-out-the-fridge dish and use other vegetables.

Here’s Where You Need to Work Quickly

Now you need to work quickly to add the remaining butter and olive oil to the pan, add the beaten egg and sour cream mixture, and let the bottom start to set for a few seconds. You then need to return the broccoli and bacon mix to the pan, distributing it evenly, sprinkle on the salt, pepper and dill, and pop the lid on for a couple of minutes.

By letting the base of the omelette set a little before returning the broccoli and bacon to the pan, the omelette will hold its shape together better. But at the same time, you need to get the lid on, as this causes the omelette to rise a little. If you put the lid on immediately the omelette would puff up more and you’d have a lighter fluffier texture. I prefer the in-between texture.

Next, you’ll reduce the heat, take the lid off, and you’ll need to use a spatula to pull the omelette edges away from the pan, then gently lift the omelette a little to check its bottom is colouring. If it still seems too hot, reduce the heat more, and if the top hasn’t set, press down gently on the top to squeeze out any uncooked egg.

Be Brave: Flip the Omelette

Now you need to be brave if you haven’t done this before. You need to put a large dinner plate over the top of the pan (or the omelette if your pan is larger than your plates), flip the omelette over, then slide the omelette off the plate and back into the pan to brown the top (which is now the bottom). If needed, slide a little more butter into the pan and under the omelette.

This is not as scary as it sounds, and you’ll realise that after you’ve done it. But I get that first-timers worry the omelette will break up or worst splatter all over the place. As long as it’s cooked and firm, it won’t; the omelette will hold its shape.

The omelette will be ready when it moves around the pan easily. Depending on how confident you are and how firm your omelette is, either slide the omelette onto a serving plate or repeat that flip. Sprinkle on some more fresh dill, cut the omelette into four or eight slices, and serve it immediately. It’s lovely with a little squeeze of lemon. Enjoy!

Russian Sour Cream Omelette Recipe with Broccoli and Bacon

Russian Sour Cream Omelette Recipe with Broccoli and Bacon or Ham

AuthorLara Dunston

This recipe for a Russian sour cream omelette with broccoli and bacon or ham makes a rich omelette that can be shared between four for a filling weekend breakfast or breakfast for dinner – or between eight, frittata-style, with a salad for lunch. Broccoli and bacon is a brilliant combo but treat it as a clean-out-the-fridge breakfast and use any vegetables.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course main course, breakfast, lunch, dinner

Cuisine Russian

Servings made with recipeServings 8 Pieces

Calories 208 kcal

Equipment

10 Inch Hybrid Nonstick Frying Pan

Stainless Steel Whisk

Silicone Spatula Set

Mixing Bowl

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

• 6 large eggs - preferably organic
• 100 g sour cream
• 50 ml whole milk
• 100 g butter - divided
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 200 g broccoli - florets only, cut into small florets
• 2 rashers of bacon - finely diced, or use ham if you prefer
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp fresh dill sprigs

Instructions

 

• To a bowl or measuring jug, whisk the eggs together, then add the sour cream and whole milk and whisk to combine, then set aside. Don’t be concerned if the sour cream doesn’t fully incorporate and you have small lumps of sour cream. That’s what you want!
• To a large lidded frying pan over medium-high, add half the butter, half the olive oil, and broccoli florets and cook to your preference. I like to cook the broccoli so it’s tender and brown in parts but stays largely firm and green.
• Push the broccoli florets to the side of the pan, add the diced bacon (or ham) and fry until done to your liking. Combine the broccoli and bacon then transfer to a small bowl.
• Add the rest of the butter and olive oil to the pan and work quickly to add the beaten egg and sour cream mixture, let the bottom start to set, return the broccoli and bacon, distributing evenly, sprinkle on salt, pepper and dill sprigs, and return the lid for a couple of minutes.
• Reduce the heat, remove the lid, and use the spatula to pull the rim of the omelette away from the pan, and gently lift the omelette a little to check the bottom is colouring; if it still seems too hot and the top hasn’t set, press down gently on the top to squeeze out any uncooked egg.
• Put a large dinner plate over the top of the pan, flip the omelette over, and slide the omelette back into the pan to brown the top, which is now the bottom. If needed, slide a little more butter into the pan and under the omelette.
• If you gently shake the pan, the omelette should move around easily, which means it’s ready. Depending on how firm your omelette is and how confident you are, either slide the omelette onto a serving plate or repeat the flip. Sprinkle with more fresh dill, cut into four or eight slices and serve immediately. It’s nice with a squeeze of lemon.

Notes

To garnish: more fresh dill

Nutrition

Calories: 208kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 5gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 158mgSodium: 290mgPotassium: 155mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 739IUVitamin C: 22mgCalcium: 55mgIron: 1mg

Please do let us know in the Comments section below if you make this Russian sour cream omelette with broccoli and bacon or ham, as we love to hear how our recipes turn out for you.