Southwestern Breakfast Sandwiches (Freezer Meal Prep)
Southwestern Breakfast Sandwiches make the perfect freezer-friendly meal prep breakfast. These southwestern-inspired sandwiches with peppers and onions, egg, turkey bacon, and pepperjack cheese are sure to make you excited to wake up. For much cheaper than the cardboardy ones you will find in the grocery store freezer aisle, you can stock your freezer with these veggie-filled Southwestern Breakfast Sandwiches instead.
Tips for Making the Best Southwestern Breakfast Sandwiches
I created this recipe the week before the back-to-school season started this past year. I needed something that I could prep in an hour and have ready to go in our freezer for the crazy weeks ahead. And, I wanted it to be a breakfast we were excited to get up at 5:30 AM for. It worked. You have to try out these ultimate freezer pleasers. Here are some tips to make this recipe even easier.
Season and cook the peppers and onions
It’s important to cook the peppers and onions until they are softened before adding them to the eggs. Otherwise, they will be crunchy in the baked eggs. I also prefer to add my fajita seasoning to the onions and peppers instead of directly into the eggs. By adding the seasoning to the veggies, it distributes more evenly throughout the egg bake. When you add the seasoning to the egg mixture instead of the veggies, it can cause the seasoning to rise to the top of the egg bake, which creates some uneven bites.
Bake the eggs in a 9×13 for easy clean-up
Easy clean-up is important to me. That’s why I suggest baking the eggs in a 9×13 casserole dish. After the eggs are baked, you can cut the eggs up into 12 perfectly English-muffin-sized squares. I have seen a lot of recipes out there where it suggests making each of the eggs individually, but baking all the eggs at once is SO much faster and makes meal prepping more accomplishable.
Add your cheese preference
We love the kick that pepperjack adds to our breakfast sandwiches, but add your favorite cheese to your sandwiches. American, cheddar, Colby, and provolone all complement these egg sandwiches. You can even choose to go cheeseless and add some creamy avocado slices to your sandwich instead (YUM!).
Saving Money on Grocery Store Convenience Items
You can save money by preparing your breakfast sandwiches, and enjoy a much healthier alternative to what you can pick up in the store. For around $1 a sandwich, you can stock your freezer with this delicious breakfast option. This is much cheaper than what you can purchase the same amount of sandwiches for in the freezer aisle. And these sandwiches pack much more flavor than those cardboard-y convenience ones.
I have no problem with grocery store conveniences like prebreaded chicken, premade frozen entrees, or prepared sides. Because if I am honest, like most people, I have an emergency frozen pizza and other convenience items stashed in my freezer. I believe there is a time for saving some time. You might be in a season where buying some time back can save you money, but there are other times when scratch-cooking is a great money saver. I like to create recipes that are considerate of both time and money. Because, no matter how easy those convenience items are, they also cost a premium and let’s face it–don’t taste as good.
How To Freeze Homemade Breakfast Sandwiches
I doubt that these will stick around in your freezer for 6 months, but you can freeze them for up to 6 months with wonderful results. Freezing these Southwestern Breakfast Sandwiches couldn’t be easier. Follow the steps below to prep your breakfast sandwiches for the freezer:
Let the sandwiches cool completely before wrapping them up
It is important to make sure that your sandwiches are completely cooled down before wrapping them up for the freezer. If the breakfast sandwiches are still warm, condensation may form when you wrap them up, which can cause bacteria to grow (worst scenario) and or soggy reheated sandwiches.
Double-wrap the southwestern breakfast sandwiches
For the best freezing results, wrap the sandwiches in a layer of plastic wrap followed by a second layer of foil. When you wrap the sandwiches in plastic wrap, the layer helps to prevent freezer burn. Make sure to then wrap the sandwiches in a protective foil layer. In a pinch, you can just use aluminum foil (especially if you plan on eating the sandwiches within the next 2 months). But if you can double-wrap, do it.
Label the sandwiches
Whenever you are placing something in the freezer, it is good practice to label it so that your family (and you!) can identify it faster. We often have a cycle of freezer breakfast sandwiches in our freezer, so I typically scribble “SW” on the foil to identify these Southwestern Breakfast Sandwiches. This way, we can easily find them before our morning coffee has turned on our complete thinking abilities. If you are planning to prep a lot at once, like say before having a baby, it’s not a bad idea to pop the date you wrapped them on top too so that they do not get lost in the abyss of your freezer.
How to Reheat Your Southwestern Breakfast Sandwiches
In about 1.5 to 2 minutes, you can start your day off with these veggie-packed Southwestern Breakfast Sandwiches from your freezer. Follow these steps for the perfect reheat.
- Unwrap the plastic wrap and aluminum foil from the sandwiches.
- Loosely wrap the breakfast sandwich in a paper towel and place it on a microwave-safe dish inside of your microwave. (You can skip the paper towel step, but this seems to keep the bottom of the sandwich from getting soggy).
- Microwave the sandwich for 30-second intervals, flipping the sandwich over after each interval. Repeat for around 1.5-2 minutes (depending on your microwave) until the sandwich has warmed up completely.
- Enjoy!
Try Out More Easy, Meal Prep Friendly Breakfast Recipes
I love easy meal-prep breakfast recipes! Check out some of the other easy breakfast recipes that we love.
- The Best Amish-style baked Oatmeal
- Easy Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Applesauce Waffles
- How to Make Foolproof Frittata
Southwestern Breakfast Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 bell pepper diced
- 1 onion red or yellow, diced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/8 tsp chili powder optional
- 12 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 12 slices turkey bacon or regular bacon cooked
- 12 English muffins
- 12 slices of pepper jack cheese
Instructions
Cooking Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Grease a 9×13 baking dish, and set it aside.
- Place olive oil into a pan over medium heat. Add the diced peppers and onions to the pan and cook until softened (about 8-10 minutes).
- Stir the seasonings into the softened vegetables. Spread the cooked, seasoned veggies evenly on the bottom of the baking dish.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and the milk together. Pour the mixture on top of the veggies.
- Bake the eggs for 30-35 minutes at 350℉ or until the center is set. If you are planning on eating the sandwiches right away, cut the egg bake into 12 pieces and add an egg, a slice of bacon, and a slice of cheese to each sandwich. Otherwise, follow the freezer instructions.
Freezer Sandwich Instructions
- Let the eggs cool completely. Once all the ingredients are completely cool, split the English muffins in half. Add a slice of the egg bake, a slice of bacon, and a slice of cheese to each sandwich.
- Wrap each sandwich in a layer of plastic wrap, and an outer layer of aluminum foil.
- Label each sandwich, so that it can be identified in the freezer.
Reheating Instructions
- Remove a sandwich from the freezer and unwrap the foil and plastic wrap layers.
- Wrap the sandwich loosely in a paper towel and place it on a microwave-safe plate inside of the microwave.
- Heat the sandwich in 30-second intervals (flip the sandwich in between) for 1.5 to 2 minutes or until the sandwich is completely heated. Remove the paper towel from the sandwich and enjoy!
