Healthy Full English Breakfast with Low Calorie Turkey Rashers
There is something deeply comforting about a full English breakfast. The sizzle, the colours on the plate, the smell that drifts through the whole house on a slow weekend morning. But the traditional version, loaded with fatty pork rashers and fried everything, can clock in at over 800 calories before you even reach for the toast. This healthy full English breakfast with low calorie turkey rashers gives you every bit of that satisfaction for roughly half the calories, and a much more impressive protein count to keep you going well into the afternoon.
Turkey rashers are the real star here. They crisp up beautifully in a hot non-stick pan with just a light spray of olive oil, and they deliver that smoky, savoury hit you expect from a proper fry-up. Turkey is naturally leaner than pork, with significantly less saturated fat, so swapping it in is one of the easiest and most impactful changes you can make to a traditional breakfast. Alongside the rashers, we have grilled cherry tomatoes that burst with natural sweetness, golden sautéed chestnut mushrooms with a little garlic, and a softly poached egg sitting right on top. Baked beans bring fibre and plant-based protein to the plate, and a single slice of toasted seeded wholegrain bread rounds things off with complex carbohydrates and extra fibre. Every component has been chosen with both nutrition and flavour in mind.
The method here is all about working smart rather than working hard. You can have everything on the table in under 30 minutes by using one large non-stick pan and a small saucepan for poaching the egg. The mushrooms go in first with a crushed garlic clove and a tiny knob of olive oil spread, then the turkey rashers go into the same pan once the mushrooms are done, saving on washing up and picking up all those gorgeous savoury flavours left behind. The tomatoes go under the grill while you poach the egg gently in barely simmering water with a splash of apple cider vinegar to help the whites hold together. It is a rhythm that feels relaxed once you have done it once, and it produces a plate that looks genuinely impressive.
Nutritionally, this breakfast is something to feel good about. Each serving delivers around 38 grams of protein, which is exceptional for a morning meal and will help regulate appetite hormones for hours. The fibre from the beans, the seeded bread and the mushrooms supports gut health and keeps blood sugar steady after eating. Keeping the cooking oil to a minimum and choosing turkey over pork brings the saturated fat down considerably, while the tomatoes provide a meaningful dose of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. This is the kind of breakfast that proves eating well and eating joyfully are absolutely not mutually exclusive.
Ingredients
- 4 rashers turkey rashers (smoked or unsmoked, your preference)
- 2 large free-range eggs (for poaching)
- 150 g chestnut mushrooms (sliced)
- 1 clove garlic (crushed)
- 200 g cherry tomatoes (on the vine if possible)
- 1 400g tin reduced sugar and salt baked beans
- 2 slices seeded wholegrain bread (toasted)
- 1 tsp olive oil (or use a light olive oil spray)
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (for poaching water)
- 1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley (roughly chopped, optional garnish)
- 1 pinch cracked black pepper (to serve)
- 1 pinch sea salt flakes (to serve, use sparingly)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat your grill to medium-high. Place the cherry tomatoes on a small baking tray, drizzle with just a tiny bit of olive oil and a pinch of salt, then slide them under the grill. They will need around 10 to 12 minutes until the skins blister and the tomatoes soften and start to collapse.
Keep them on the vine for a nicer presentation and to stop them rolling around the tray.
- 2
Warm the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms in a single layer and leave them alone for 2 minutes so they can brown properly rather than steam. Add the crushed garlic, stir, and cook for another 2 minutes until golden and fragrant. Season with a little black pepper, then transfer to a warm plate and cover loosely.
Resist the urge to stir too early. Mushrooms release water when disturbed before they brown, and you want that golden colour.
- 3
Return the same pan to a medium-high heat. Lay the turkey rashers flat in the pan without overlapping. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side until the edges crisp up and turn a deep golden colour. The residual flavour from the mushrooms in the pan will add lovely depth to the rashers.
Turkey rashers cook faster than pork, so keep an eye on them. They go from golden to overcooked quite quickly.
- 4
While the turkey rashers cook, heat the baked beans in a small saucepan over a low heat, stirring occasionally. Keep the heat gentle so they warm through without sticking.
- 5
Bring a medium saucepan of water to a very gentle simmer, barely bubbling. Add the apple cider vinegar. Crack each egg into a small cup or ramekin first. Create a gentle swirl in the water with a spoon, then slide each egg in carefully. Poach for 3 minutes for a soft, runny yolk or 4 minutes for a firmer set. Lift out with a slotted spoon and rest briefly on a piece of kitchen paper.
Using a ramekin to hold the egg before dropping it in gives you much more control and reduces the chance of the yolk breaking.
- 6
Toast the seeded wholegrain bread to your liking. Now build each plate: a slice of toast on one side, a neat pile of beans, the grilled tomatoes, the mushrooms, two turkey rashers and one poached egg on top. Scatter with parsley if using, add a twist of black pepper and serve immediately.
Warm your plates briefly in the oven while everything cooks. A warm plate keeps breakfast hot for longer and makes the whole meal feel more considered.
Nutrition per serving
390kcal
Calories
38g
Protein
34g
Carbs
12g
Fat
9g
Fibre
8g
Sugar
720mg
Sodium
Pro Tips
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Prep everything before you start cooking because this breakfast comes together quickly and you do not want anything to overcook while you are searching for a spatula.
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A non-stick pan means you can keep the oil to an absolute minimum without anything sticking, which keeps the calorie count low.
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If you want to add extra vegetables, baby spinach wilted in the mushroom pan for 30 seconds is a fantastic addition with almost no extra calories.
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Smoked turkey rashers give a deeper, more traditional fry-up flavour. Unsmoked are milder and work well if you are sensitive to smoky foods.
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For a lower carb version, skip the toast and add an extra handful of spinach or some sliced avocado instead.
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If you are cooking for more people, keep finished components warm in an oven set to 100 degrees Celsius while you finish the remaining elements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Variations
- •
Traybake Full English
Arrange the turkey rashers, cherry tomatoes and mushrooms on a large baking tray lined with parchment. Roast at 200 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes, then create two small gaps in the tray and crack an egg into each space. Return to the oven for 5 to 6 more minutes until the eggs are just set. Serve with warmed beans and toast on the side. One tray, minimal washing up.
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High Protein Double Egg Version
Use two poached eggs per person instead of one, and add a portion of reduced fat cottage cheese on the side. This bumps the protein per serving to over 50 grams, making it ideal for athletes or anyone with particularly high protein requirements.
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Low Carb Full English
Skip the toast and baked beans entirely. Instead, add half an avocado, a generous handful of baby spinach wilted in the mushroom pan, and an extra rasher of turkey per person. The meal stays filling and satisfying while dropping the carbohydrate content to under 10 grams per serving.
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Spiced Full English
Add half a teaspoon of smoked paprika and a pinch of cumin to the mushrooms as they cook. Serve with a small spoonful of harissa on the side for a gentle warmth that elevates the whole plate without adding any meaningful calories.
Substitutions
- •Seeded wholegrain bread → Gluten-free seeded bread (Works well for anyone with gluten intolerance. Choose a brand with a good fibre content to maintain the nutritional profile.)
- •Baked beans → Butter beans in a simple tomato sauce (Butter beans are larger, creamier and slightly lower in sugar. Warm them in a pan with a spoonful of tomato passata, a pinch of smoked paprika and a little garlic for a homemade version.)
- •Chestnut mushrooms → Portobello mushrooms (One large portobello per person works beautifully and gives the plate a more restaurant-style look. Cook for slightly longer than chestnut mushrooms, around 4 to 5 minutes per side.)
- •Fresh eggs (poached) → Scrambled egg whites (Using 3 egg whites per person instead of one whole poached egg reduces fat and cholesterol significantly while keeping protein high. Scramble them gently in a non-stick pan with a tiny splash of semi-skimmed milk.)
- •Olive oil → Coconut oil spray (A light coconut oil spray gives a very subtle flavour and keeps the fat content to an absolute minimum. It works particularly well with the turkey rashers.)
🧊 Storage
This breakfast is best eaten immediately after cooking for the best texture and flavour. If you have leftover components, store them separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat mushrooms and beans gently in a saucepan or microwave. Turkey rashers can be reheated in a dry non-stick pan for 1 to 2 minutes per side. Poached eggs do not store or reheat especially well, so it is best to poach those fresh each time.
📅 Make Ahead
The mushrooms, baked beans and turkey rashers can all be cooked ahead and refrigerated separately for up to 2 days. This makes the morning assembly much faster, ideal for busy weekdays when you still want a proper nutritious breakfast. Simply reheat each component while you poach a fresh egg and toast your bread.
