Sunchokes, also called Jerusalem artichokes or topinambur are root vegetables that can be a gut-friendly alternative to white potatoes. Sunchokes naturally contain inulin, a dietary fiber that makes them a great addition to a healthy diet.
This sunchoke breakfast skillet is packed with prebiotic fiber and high in protein and healthy fats, the perfect way to start the day.
Prebiotic fiber in a skillet
Although a newer addition to my diet, my dad tells me he used to eat them raw when he was a kid. Sunchokes are infamous for their gassy effect, and some people avoid them for this reason. In my experience, it’s the dose that makes the difference.
So, if you wonder how to cook sunchokes to avoid gas, I say start slowly and don’t eat them raw at first. If you eat them for the first time, do it on the weekend, and limit your intake to a small quantity (like one medium tuber) to see how they affect you. Also, give them another try, as your body will get used to this type of fiber.
More recently, I discovered a little trick that can help with gas and bloating when eating sunchokes. After you finish your meal, chew on a few fennel seeds. It works for me. When I do this, I have absolutely no problem.
How to clean sunchokes?
Scrub them really well with a vegetable brush in cold water. Cut all the black eyes and parts that are not smooth and pat dry them before slicing and cooking. If you feel some of the skin should be removed, you can use a vegetable peeler.
How to cook sunchokes?
I like to add sunchokes to soups and stews, but my favorite way to cook them is to slice them and shallow fry them in a skillet.
- Scrub and wash the sunchokes, and cut all the black eyes on the surface. Pat dry with a paper towel.
- Slice them with a mandolin (position 2 – not too thin and not too thick).
- Heat a combination of oil and ghee in a skillet (preferably a cast iron) on medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add the sunchokes and the thyme leaves and let cook while occasionally stirring to make sure they are all coated with oil and cooked (there’ll be sitting on top of each other, but if you stir well every 2 minutes or so they all get cooked evenly). Don’t worry if some get caramelized; they’ll add more depth of flavor to the dish.
- To make this sunchoke breakfast skillet, add the egg to the skillet and cook, salt and pepper, sprinkle dry parsley, add the avocado and lime and serve straight from the skillet if you wish.
The best for this dish is to use a cast iron pan or an enameled cast iron, and I used Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron.
How do sunchokes taste?
Sunchokes taste similar to potatoes but are more flavorful and slightly sweet. They develop a great sweet, earthy flavor when cooked this way. They are the perfect lectin-free replacement for potatoes but deliver more nutritional benefits.
How to eat sunchokes
Besides serving them as breakfast, with eggs and avocado, sunchokes make a great side dish. You can have oven-roasted sunchokes, although I’ll have to be honest, it is not my favorite way to cook them. I love to add them to stews and soups and even throw a few in the pan, mixed with other vegetables when I roast chicken. They taste great as crispy chip toppings for sandwiches and burgers.
Where do you find sunchokes?
In the past seven years, I have lived in Dallas, Denmark, and Romania, and I could always easily find sunchokes. They were available in both grocery stores and farmer’s markets. Don’t forget they are also called Jerusalem artichokes, in case you can’t find them by the name sunchokes.
Ingredients for sunchoke breakfast recipe
This makes a skillet for one person. But you can adapt it for breakfast in two by adding one extra egg and avocado. If you are eating alone and want to keep the sunchoke intake low, you can reduce the quantity to only one.
- 2 medium sunchokes
- Avocado Oil + Ghee for frying (as much as to generously cover the pan) OR extra virgin olive oil
- one pasture-raised egg
- 1/2 avocado
- fresh thyme
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- dry parsley
- 1/2 lime juice
How to make sunchoke breakfast
- Scrub and wash the sunchokes, and cut all the black eyes on the surface. Pat dry with a paper towel.
- Slice them with a mandolin (I used position 2 – not too thin or too thick).
- Heat the oil and ghee in a skillet (I used an enameled cast iron – Le Creuset) on medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add the sunchokes and the thyme and let cook while occasionally stirring to make sure they are all coated with oil and cooked (there’ll be sitting on top of each other, but if you stir well every 2 minutes or so they all get too cooked in the end). The process will take about 10 minutes. When they are almost ready, make some space on the pan, add more ghee if the pan looks dry, and add an egg. It will be ready in about 3 minutes, depending on how you want your egg cooked.
- Add salt and pepper, sprinkle dry parsley, add the avocado and lime and serve straight from the skillet if you wish.
Another sunchoke recipe
Try the Falafel Three Way with Cauliflower, Sunchokes and Parsnip for another recipe with sunchokes.
This sunchoke recipe is part of The Ultimate Lectin-Free Breakfast Guide, Recipe Round-Up. Check it out for more tasty and satisfying lectin-free breakfast ideas.
*This post contains affiliated links, which means I get a small commission if you choose to purchase something via one of my links, at no extra cost to you.
PrintSunchoke Breakfast Skillet. Prebiotic Fiber Your Gut Loves
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes (up to 20 minutes)
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 1
Description
A delicious, complete lectin-free breakfast packed with prebiotic fiber, healthy fats and protein. Great way to start the day.
Ingredients
- 2 medium sunchokes
- Avocado Oil + Ghee for frying (as much as to generously cover the pan) OR extra virgin olive oil
- one pasture-raised egg
- 1/2 avocado
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon dry parsley
- 1/2 lime, juice
Instructions
- Scrub and wash the sunchokes, and cut all the black eyes on the surface. Pat dry with a paper towel.
- Slice them with a mandolin (I used position 2 – not too thin or too thick).
- Heat the oil and ghee in a skillet (I used a 9-inch enameled cast iron – Le Creuset) on medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot add the sunchokes and the thyme and let cook while occasionally stirring to make sure they are all coated with oil. The process will take about 10 minutes.
- When they are almost ready, make some space on the pan, add more ghee if the pan looks dry, and add an egg. It will be ready in about 3 minutes, depending on how you want your egg cooked.
- Add salt and pepper, sprinkle dry parsley, add the avocado and lime and serve straight from the skillet.
6 Comments
Tammy Ruggiero
November 10, 2019 at 1:04 pmAre sunchokes keto-friendly? I’m not able to find any reliable information about them. Also, how do I unleave a review? 😉 I clicked on the reviews to jump down to the review section and my click was recorded as a 3-star review – NOT AL ALL what I meant to do. :/
Claudia
November 11, 2019 at 1:56 amHi Tammy, my experience with carbs is so different. I eat them with no issues and I still get in ketosis. Keto is not a no and yes list, is just a metabolic state and we all get there in different ways. The best way to asses what carbs do for you is to measure your ketones levels before and after eating them, for a few days, and see how they affect you personally. I use a KetoMojo for that. I hope this helps. xx
Robina
February 25, 2019 at 12:03 pmWe happened to have everything on hand already, so my husband and I whipped this up for breakfast a few days ago. We loved it!
Mischelle
February 25, 2019 at 7:10 amI am making this morning. I got some sunchokes in my Imperfect Produce box. I do miss potatoes, and I like sunchokes but they are hard to find. I don’t like sweet potatoes, but I got small ones in the box, too, so I cut up one of those to go in there. I am replacing thyme with rosemary, because I have it and I like it better, and a scallion. I am scrambling my egg, because if I fry it, I want bread to soak up the yolk. I think that is just a “me” thing. As a home cook, I can already tell this would be a good dish, so I took liberties and adjusted it to what is on hand and what I like. Thanks for sharing.
Claudia
February 25, 2019 at 8:32 amThis sounds perfect to me. And that’s all this website is about, being creative and “take liberties” in the kitchen haha. I love sunchokes, and is the same here, I only find them occasionaly.
Anita
April 26, 2018 at 10:24 amI will definitely be making this. I have never bought sunchokes and until seeing your picture and researching them, I somehow thought it was an artichoke variety. 🙂