Vital Farms: 3 Recipes Every Parent Needs for Back-to-School Season

The back-to-school season can be summed up with one word: busy. After a slow summer, everyone in the house suddenly has a full calendar with practices, games, meetings, social engagements, and more. We wanted to help. So we joined forces with our friends at Vital Farms to create three quick and easy recipes that the whole family is sure to love. Why’d we get Vital Farms in on the action? We figured it just made sense!

Vital Farms started as a husband-and-wife duo and now partners with more than 275 small family farms. Everyone involved is dedicated to ethical production and the eggs, butter, and ghee are all made with a focus on humane and sustainable practices. Every hen is humanely treated, every egg is pasture-raised, and the company’s standards are constantly being raised higher and higher. Simply put: Vital Farms believes it’s important to know what’s in your pan. And so do we. That’s why we’ve spent the last 15 years producing nonstick ceramic cookware that’s made without PFAS, PFOA, lead, and cadmium. Our pans cook up healthier food and make cleanup a breeze. (No stuck-on bits! Dishwasher safe!) Because, well, you’re busy. You’re so busy this time of year, you probably don’t even have time to keep reading. With that … onto the recipes!

Skillet Green Shakshuka

Shakshuka is incredibly versatile, as proven by this green version loaded with Brussels sprouts, bell peppers, and zucchini. The recipe features Vital Farms eggs and pasture-raised butter, and comes together in just one pan. We suggest reaching for our Reserve Ceramic Nonstick 4.5-Quart Sauté Pan, which has a duoforged hard anodized aluminum construction that makes it extra tough and scratch-resistant while also promoting even heat distribution. We know what you’re thinking: You don’t have time for more than a granola bar on school day mornings. Our response: Breakfast for dinner is always a good idea.

Skillet Cheesy Hash Browns & Eggs

And that brings us to this crispy and cheesy skillet dish—another breakfast that makes for a winning dinner. To make it, you’ll melt some Vital Farms butter in an oven-safe skillet and add frozen hash browns across the surface. Then, you’ll create pockets for the eggs and bake. Pro tip: Definitely don’t skimp on the cheese.

Brown Butter Pasta

This recipe calls for just five ingredients: pasta (rigatoni or cavatappi works great!), Vital Farms pasture-raised salted butter, a lemon, Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper. The magic, of course, comes from the brown butter. Brown it, carefully, in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. You’ll have to stir it frequently (so that it cooks evenly without burning), so have your kid tell you the peach and the pit of their day while you do that.