The Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich

This is the true ultimate breakfast sandwich fully loaded with soft scrambled eggs, juicy sausage, caramelized onions, melted cheddar, and creamy avocado. All good things are wrapped up in one to give the best bite!

Ingredients

• Sriracha: Adds a spicy kick and depth of flavor to the aioli. If you prefer a different type of heat or don't have sriracha on hand, you can substitute it with hot sauce, chili paste, or even cayenne pepper.
• Onion: The thinly sliced and caramelized onions provide a sweet and savory flavor profile, complementing the richness of the sausage and cheese. Use yellow onions for the best results. You can use white onions but they have a sharper taste compared to yellow onions.
• Breakfast sausage patties: The sausage patties serve as the protein base of the sandwich, offering a hearty and flavorful component.
• Cheddar: Adds a sharp and rich flavor to the sandwich while providing a gooey texture when melted. You can substitute cheddar with other varieties of cheese such as American, Swiss, pepper jack, or provolone, depending on your taste preferences.
• Chives: Chives contribute a fresh and mild onion flavor to the scrambled eggs, enhancing their taste and providing a pop of color. If you dislike chives, you can omit them.
• Brioche buns: The soft buttery buns are a great choice for this recipe. However, you can use other types of bread such as English muffins, bagels, ciabatta rolls, or whole wheat sandwich bread.

Substitutions and variations

• Non-spicy: For a non-spicy variation, replace the sriracha aioli with plain mayonnaise, garlic aioli, or any other sauce you prefer.
• Gluten-free: Use your favorite gluten-free sandwich buns.
• Protein: You can substitute breakfast sausage patties with bacon, ham, or vegetarian patties.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Caramelize onion

Start by making the caramelized onions. Thinly slice half of a yellow onion. I prefer using yellow onions because they have a high sugar content and a strong flavor. You can use sweet onions such as Vidalia but they might not caramelize as deeply.

Heat oil in a large saute pan and add the onions. Saute the onions until softened over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and continue to cook until deeply browned, stirring occasionally.

Properly caramelized onions can take up to 40 minutes. Since we're only cooking ½ an onion, the cooking time is shorter, about 20 minutes. If the pan gets too dry, add a splash of water.

Since the onions take the longest to prepare, you can cook them ahead of them and reheat them right before assembling the sandwiches.

Step 2: Prepare sausage

For the sausage, purchase the breakfast sausage in bulk rather than the pre-shaped patties. This allows you to make your own size patty according to the size of your bun; I found that the pre-sized ones are just too small. Keep in mind that the sausage does shrink quite a bit when cooking.

You can also buy ground pork, turkey, or chicken and season the patties to your liking.

Although I cooked the sausage patties on the stovetop, you can cook them in the oven as well. Once cooked, place a slice of cheese on top and warm until the cheese melts.

Step 3: Cook eggs

Now the eggs. Cooking scrambled eggs is easy but cooking soft scrambled eggs takes a bit more technique. Start by heating oil in a nonstick saute pan over medium heat. You can also use butter for richer eggs.

When the pan is hot, add the eggs. Let it stand for 30-60 seconds, just long enough to set around the edges. Use a spatula and fold the eggs, lifting and folding the eggs to cook. Do not stir vigorously or whisk - you want the creamy texture which is achieved through the folding.

Many people have difficulty making soft scrambled eggs because they wait too long before taking the eggs off the pan. An important note: eggs will continue to cook even after you turn off the heat.

Also, make sure to season after the eggs are cooked. Salting the eggs beforehand draws out the water, making them drier. Practice makes perfect so if it doesn't come out right the first time, just keep trying!

Step 4: Assemble sandwiches

Now that all the cooked components are ready, all that's left is to slice an avocado and make the sriracha aioli. The aioli can also be prepared up to 5 days in advance.

Toast the brioche buns and it's time to put it all together. Top the bottom bun with a good smear of the spicy aioli followed by the sausage patty, eggs, caramelized onions, and avocado. Place the remaining bun on top and dig in immediately. This sandwich waits for no one!

I can say without a doubt that this breakfast sandwich is better than many others I've bought. There are so many different components that work beautifully together from the creamy eggs to the salty sausage to the sweet onions. And the plus side? Not having to wait for an hour!

Make-ahead and storage

• Make-ahead: You can prepare the spicy aioli and caramelized onions ahead of time and store them in the refrigerator. Simply reheat the caramelized onions before assembling the sandwiches. The sausage can also be cooked ahead of time and kept warm in the oven at 225 degrees F.
• Store: Keep all of the components in separate containers in the fridge. The spicy aioli will hold for up to 5 days while the caramelized onions will keep for 3 days.

Frequently asked questions

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Recipe

Print Recipe

The Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: sandwich

Servings: 2

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Spicy aioli

• 1 tablespoon mayo
• 1 teaspoon sriracha

Sandwich

• 2 tablespoons oil, divided
• ½ onion thinly sliced
• 2 breakfast sausage patties
• 2 slices hard cheddar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon chives chopped
• ½ avocado sliced
• 2 brioche buns toasted

Instructions

• Make the sriracha aioli. Mix the mayo and sriracha in a small bowl and set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onion and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook until caramelized, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat another pan over medium heat. Cook sausage patties until almost done. Lay 1 slice cheddar per patty and cover for 45 seconds or until cheese has melted. Set aside and keep warm.
• Prepare the scrambled eggs. Whisk together the eggs with the chives in a bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the eggs. Let it stand for 30-60 seconds, just long enough to set around the edges. Use a spatula and fold the eggs, lifting and folding the eggs to cook. Do not stir vigorously or whisk - you want the creamy texture which is achieved through the folding. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
• Assemble the sandwiches. Spread spicy aioli on the bread and top with the sausage, eggs, caramelized onions, and avocado. Serve immediately.

Notes

The spicy aioli and caramelized onions can be prepared the day before. Reheat the caramelized onions until warm before assembling sandwiches.