Looking for more easy, delicious breakfast ideas? Be sure to also try our Favorite Breakfast Burritos, Easy Streusel-Topped Raspberry Muffins, and German Pancakes.
Make-Ahead Breakfast Sandwiches
When I was growing up, my mom ALWAYS made us a hot breakfast before school every day. I seriously cannot remember a time when we were allowed to eat cereal for breakfast unless it was on the weekend. I’m not quite that good, but for the most part I try to make sure my Kindergartner and 3rd Grader get something hot most days. The easiest way I have found to do that is to keep a freezer drawer stocked with make-ahead breakfast foods that just need to be reheated. That way, even if we are running late, I know they will still get something substantial to start off their day right. Sure, I prefer to make baking powder biscuits and macaroni & eggs fresh if I have the time, or even make breakfast sandwiches with over-easy fried eggs instead of baked eggs. But since one of my kids is a night owl who struggles with getting up and moving, I find that often I need to be helping her along to make sure we all get ready on time rather than spending time in the kitchen getting breakfast ready. And truthfully, these reheat so well that it just makes sense to buy a big package of English muffins from Costco and then make up a whole bunch of freezer breakfast sandwiches at once so we have them any time we need them. They are easy, delicious, and you can make a variety of meat and cheese combinations to mix things up, or just a whole bunch of your favorites. My personal choice is bacon and pepper jack, but the kids really like sausage and cheddar. Also, you can switch out the English muffins for croissants (cut the giant ones from Costco in half or look for mini croissants), bagels, buttermilk biscuits, or even pancakes! And if you’ve got the time to make these breakfast sandwiches fresh, try swapping out the baked “scrambled” eggs for a fried egg over easy. It’s wonderful and one of our favorite camping breakfasts. Just be sure to wrap the sandwiches in foil immediately after assembly so they have time for the residual heat of the eggs to melt the cheese, or stick them in a warm oven for a few minutes. We don’t usually get enough “farm fresh eggs” from our backyard chickens (we only have two hens that are laying right now), so we supplement with eggs from the store. But the brown ones our chickens lay are just so beautiful! Incidentally, if you have ever wondered if chickens make good pets, our elementary school aged girls absolutely adore them. They take care of checking their food and water and looking for eggs each morning. Our current brood is made up of two older chickens (Rey and Olivia), and five three-month old chickens who aren’t laying yet (Maude, Cordon Bleu, Starburst, Lena, and Mae West). We had one other, very much beloved, chicken named Dorcas who died earlier this year, which prompted us to get the next generation of chicks. Our girls carry them around and look forward to visiting the chickens after school every day in their chicken run in the backyard.
How to Make Freezer Breakfast Sandwiches
How to Reheat Make-Ahead Freezer Breakfast Sandwiches
You might wonder how good these sandwiches really are after being frozen and reheated. Okay, so maybe not quite as good as when you eat them right after they are first made, but it’s really close. The only difference for me is that when I’m making these to eat immediately, I toast and butter the English muffins. I’ve tried that step for freezing too, and I don’t think it makes a difference so I skip it. But honestly, make-ahead breakfast sandwiches are still pretty darn fantastic for something that lets you have a savory, hot, protein-packed breakfast in under 2 minutes. I’ll take it over oatmeal any day. I find that the best way to reheat these freezer breakfast sandwiches is by first unwrapping them and rewrapping in paper towel. Defrost in the microwave for 1 minute on the defrost setting or 50% power. Then flip over and heat on full power for 30-60 seconds until hot all the way through and the cheese has melted. This results in the most even reheating, in my experience, although you could just nuke them full-throttle for 1-2 minutes if you want. Just don’t skip wrapping them in paper towel. The eggs hold up pretty well (as long as you don’t overcook them in the first place), and melted cheese and salty bacon can make up for most shortcomings. Serve these with a glass of orange juice and your morning just got a whole lot better.
How long do make-ahead breakfast sandwiches last in the fridge?
If you don’t want to freeze your breakfast sandwiches (maybe because you are making these for a crowd) but still want to make the components in advance, you could bake the eggs and cook the breakfast meat up to 5 days in advance. If you assemble everything, they don’t last quite as long because the eggs will start to affect the texture of the English muffins.
More Make-Ahead Breakfast Ideas for School Days
My Favorite Breakfast BurritosBiscuits and Gravy CasseroleGreen Chili Egg CasseroleCrepes (they freeze really well!)Cinnamon French Toast Sticks (another good freezer option)Homemade Granola
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
