Nothing sets your day a little better than a hearty breakfast, and Midwesterners know this all too well. While you might simply picture a Midwestern breakfast as standard food, the truth is that this region of the United States boasts a wealth of unique breakfast dishes. To compile our list of Midwestern breakfast recipes, we drew upon our own Midwestern background and searched for the best regional breakfast foods from across the country. From breakfast casseroles to pastries brought from European ancestors, here are 10 breakfasts eaten by Midwesterners.

Breakfast "Clay Pot"

Anyone familiar with Midwestern cooking knows that Midwestern moms and dads have the best "casserole" recipes. And it's not just for dinnertime! It's for mornings, no holidays or weekdays.

Breakfast frying pan

A breakfast skillet is a close relative of the casserole dish, offering all the deliciousness and convenience of a casserole, plus an added bonus: it only requires one pot. Simply combine your vegetables, eggs, and spinach and cook. Breakfast has never been easier. For the egg and green breakfast skillet recipe, click here.

Stir-fried mushrooms

Fried Mush is exactly what its name suggests—it's fried cornmeal porridge. This dish, made only with cornmeal, water, and salt, can be found in the Midwest, particularly in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois. It might sound strange, but it's incredibly satisfying. For the Fried Mush recipe, click here.

Goetta

What is goetta? It's called the Cincinnati version of nonsense. This breakfast meat, made from minced pork, oats, and seasonings, was introduced by immigrants from northern Germany as a way to get as many people as possible to eat a pound of meat. It's usually sliced ​​and served with standard breakfast items like eggs and toast. This is another regional dish you've probably never heard of!

Hoppel Poppel

Known as "hash" in most parts of the country, hoppel poppel (sometimes spelled hopple popple) is a Midwesten breakfast, basically everything you need for your first meal of the day, cooked in a skillet and served in a bowl. Potatoes, eggs, meat, and cheese are boiled and tossed together until they become a delicious hoppy mess. Bonus treatment is given if the meat and potatoes are leftovers from last night's dinner. For a recipe for hoppel with caramelized onions, sausage, and eggs, click here.

Kolache

Kolache, originating from Central Europe, entered the Midwest via Czech immigration. This semi-sweet pastry with fruit filling is very popular in the Midwest, and cities in Nebraska, Iowa, and Wisconsin celebrate this breakfast food with festivals.

Kringle

Another regional pastry, kringle, originated in Scandinavia and later became a Wisconsin favorite. This oval-shaped specialty is easy to replicate at home.

Cake

Literally just a cake in German, this rich custard dessert isn't exactly an uncommon breakfast in North Dakota and the Midwestern states. For the Kuchen recipe, click here.

Donuts

What can we say? Midwesterners love their national pastry. Paczki are Polish fried doughnuts. While they're popular on breakfast tables for most of the year, paczki are the most common because people use up their last bit of lard, sugar, and eggs before ending their season. For a paczki recipe, click here.

Eggs, bacon, sausage or ham

Since you were born, the American breakfast hasn't changed much, and few places in America are more heartwarming than the heartland. While you'll find plenty of paczki, kringles, and fritters in the Midwest, you're more likely to find the standard: bacon, eggs, and carbs. Like a proper Midwestern meal, the best recipes combine all of these together, like a bacon quiche. But if that doesn't satisfy your craving for authentic Midwestern cooking, don't worry; these recipes will let you cook like a true Westerner! For a bacon quiche recipe, click here.