Make Ahead Ham and Veggie Breakfast Sandwiches
- PREP 15min
- COOK 35min
- TOTAL 50min
This is more of a method than an exact recipe. You can add or swap some of the ingredients listed below. We add onion and spinach to the eggs for texture, but other vegetables will work alongside or in their place. Bell peppers, mushrooms, cooked winter squash and other leafy greens like kale are excellent additions. The only thing to consider is the moisture content of the vegetables you plan to add. We have added zucchini before and while it was delicious, it does make the egg patty hold a bit more moisture, which might cause the bread to become soggy.
We wrote the recipe as a make ahead breakfast sandwich. However, if you serve them right away, this is a perfect breakfast for a crowd.
You Will Need
1/2 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for oiling the pan
1/2 large onion, thinly sliced
2 cups packed baby spinach
10 large eggs
2 tablespoons cream or half and half
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, like chives, parsley or basil
6 slices ham, turkey, bacon or sausage patties, optional
6 slices cheese, like cheddar, provolone, or Swiss
6 English muffins or bread rolls, try homemade English muffins
Directions
Make Eggs
Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish or sheet pan (quarter sheet pan).
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted and bright green, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside until warm, not hot.
Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, cream, salt, pepper and fresh herbs together until blended. Stir in the cooked onions and spinach then pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake until the eggs look puffed and set, 25 to 35 minutes. (You can tell they are set when a knife can be inserted into the middle and comes out clean). Cool completely.
While the eggs cool, cook the bacon or sausage (if using), toast the English muffins and slice or grate the cheese.
Assemble
To assemble, chose the shape you want the eggs to be for the sandwiches. For perfect edges, use a round cookie cutter that’s similar in size to the muffins to cut 6 egg patties. Save the leftover egg scrapes in a container in the fridge and enjoy as snacks or a breakfast later in the week. For no scrapes, make 6 rectangular egg patties. These will be larger than the muffins, but still work well in the sandwiches.
Top the bottom half of each English muffin with an egg patty, meat (if using) and a slice of cheese. Finish with the muffin top.
Storing Sandwiches
Wrap each breakfast sandwich tight in aluminum foil or freezer paper. Use a permanent marker to write the contents and date on the sandwich. Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 1 month. (We prefer refrigerating since freezing seems to pull out some additional moisture, but freezing is an excellent long-term solution).
Reheating Sandwiches
Unwrap the sandwich and place on a microwave-safe plate. Cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the egg is warmed through.
If you find you do not like the texture of microwaved bread, you can remove the bread from the sandwich and toast it. While it toasts, place the egg, meat and cheese on a microwave-safe plate. Cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the egg is warmed through. Reassemble the sandwich.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- If you do not have a microwave, these should reheat well using a toaster oven. Reheat wrapped in the foil then unwrap and let them sandwich crisp up a little.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA Supertracker recipe calculator to calculate approximate values. We included ham in the calculations. The type of meat and cheese used will affect these calculations.