Bacon, Egg and Cheese Sandwich
Bacon, Egg and Cheese Sandwich Say it: BAY-kon eg and cheez SAND-wich
The bacon, egg and cheese sandwich is the American breakfast sandwich: crisp bacon, a fried egg and a slice of cheese tucked into a soft roll, English muffin or bagel. Sold in delis, bodegas and diners from New York to California, it is most often eaten on the way to work, wrapped in foil. The yolk runs into the melting cheese, the bacon stays smoky and salty, and the toasted bread holds it all together. Simple, fast and deeply satisfying.
Bacon, Egg and Cheese Sandwich
Bacon, Egg and Cheese Sandwich
Pronounced BAY-kon eg and cheez SAND-wich
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Level
- Easy
Also nut-free.
Allergens: contains gluten, milk, egg. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
Sandwich
Optional
Method
Lay the bacon in a large skillet (preferably nonstick) and set it over medium heat. Cook, turning occasionally, until deep golden brown, curled and crisp, 8–10 minutes, then lift onto paper towels. Pour off all but about 1 tbsp of the bacon fat and keep the pan on the heat.
Spread the cut sides of the rolls with the butter. Toast them cut-side down in the skillet until golden and crisp at the edges, 2–3 minutes, then set aside on a plate.
Add a small knob of the remaining butter to the pan if it looks dry and crack in 2 of the eggs, keeping them apart. Season with a pinch of the salt and pepper and cook until the whites are fully set but the yolks still wobble, about 2 minutes.
For a neat deli-style sandwich, break the yolks with the edge of a spatula and cook 1 minute more so the eggs firm up enough to fold. Slide them onto a roll and repeat with the remaining eggs, salt and pepper.
Lay a slice of cheese over each pair of eggs, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 20–30 seconds, just until the cheese slumps and melts over the eggs.
Set one cheesy egg portion on each toasted roll bottom, top with 2 slices of bacon, breaking them to fit, and add ketchup or hot sauce if you like. Close the sandwiches, press gently so the layers settle, and eat while hot.
For the softest bite, wrap each finished sandwich tightly in foil for a minute before unwrapping — the trapped steam melts the cheese into the bread.
Regional variant: Chopped Bacon, Egg and Cheese (New York deli style)
Instead of frying the eggs whole, crack all 4 eggs onto a wide, hot griddle, break the yolks with a spatula and scatter the cooked, crumbled bacon over them. Chop the eggs and bacon together with two spatulas until just set but still soft, then lay the cheese over the pile to melt. Slide the whole mass into a split hero roll or kaiser roll, cut it in half and serve. Keep the heat medium-low and chop quickly so the eggs stay creamy rather than dry.
Cook's notes
- Medium-low heat is the secret to tender eggs; a hard searing pan makes the whites rubbery before the yolk is warm.
- Cook the bacon first and toast the rolls in the rendered fat — it seasons the bread and saves a pan.
- Two eggs per roll makes a generous, deli-sized sandwich; use one egg each if you are serving smaller appetites.
Serve with
Strong coffee, hash browns or home fries, and ketchup or hot sauce on the side.
Make ahead and storage
Cook the bacon up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate; reheat in a skillet. Assemble sandwiches fresh — wrapped in foil they freeze well for up to 1 month and reheat in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 15 minutes.
