This post may contain affiliate links, view our disclosure.
This recipe takes a standard English muffin with egg and cheese and elevates it with a quick and easy smoky balsamic red pepper compote. These open-faced sandwiches are special enough for brunch, and if you top them with the other half of the English muffins you can freeze them; they make a great grab-and-go meal prep breakfast for busy mornings!
Have I ever mentioned that I went through a random egg-averse phase in college? Yup, it’s true. I went four years without eating so much as a single egg on its own.
I think it was the sight/smell of eggs at the cafeteria on campus that turned me off to them because I went back to my previous egg-loving ways just about right after graduation. And I think almost every day since then I’ve been making up for my lack of eggs during that time. These days I’m game for eggs any meal of the day, any day of the week.
Let’s talk brunch for a quick minute. One of the best things about a breakfast/lunch mélange is that it can easily go sweet or savory. Or better yet, you can subtly do both sweet and savory with a combo of naturally sweet veggies and savory spices like in this smoky balsamic red pepper compote. Serve it on a nooks-and-crannies-filled English muffin, top it with a sprinkle of Manchego cheese and runny egg yolk, and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate brunch.
This amped-up version of an English muffin with egg and cheese is special enough to serve for an occasion that deserves something special. And the fact that it’s ridiculously easy to make will be our little secret. (TIP: To trim about half the cooking time off on the morning you want to make it, you can prepare the compote up to five days in advance. Store it covered in the fridge until using, and FYI, you might want to make a double batch because it is also fabulous spread on sandwiches or added to a salad!)
What’s your favorite (impressive, but easy!) brunch dish?
Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
Smoky Balsamic Red Pepper Compote Ingredients
- Olive oil – For the bell pepper compote, we cook the veggies in olive oil for rich flavor.
- Red bell pepper – The star of this compote! Red bell pepper is the base flavor, and its natural sweetness is enhanced by cooking it in olive oil until it starts to caramelize.
- Onion and garlic – Savory aromatic onion and garlic add a ton of depth.
- Crushed red pepper flakes – For a touch of spicy heat to add balance.
- Smoked sweet paprika – Adds smoky, earthy sweet flavor.
- Salt – To pull out the flavors of everything else.
- Balsamic vinegar – Adds tangy flavor to balance the compote. You could also use red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar here.
Other Ingredients
- English muffins – I like to serve these egg and cheese sandwiches open-faced on halved English muffins. If you prefer, you can add the other half on top and serve them as regular sandwiches.
- Manchego cheese – Manchego is a Spanish sheep’s milk cheese with a rich, nutty, slightly buttery flavor. Fontina is also good here if you can’t find Manchego.
- Eggs – You can cook the eggs any way you like. If you don’t want runny yolks, you can bake the eggs in the oven (like I did with these breakfast sandwiches) or scramble them. If you prefer runny yolks, you can fry the eggs (the eggs are fried sunny-side-up in the pictures in this post), poach the eggs, or make soft-boiled eggs.
- Fresh thyme leaves – This is an optional garnish. The bright, slightly citrusy, woodsy flavor of fresh thyme beautifully enhances the flavor of the Manchego cheese and smoky balsamic red bell pepper compote.
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Make the compote. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bell pepper and onion, and cook until softened and starting to caramelize in spots, about 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally and turning the heat down as necessary so pan doesn’t get too dry and start to burn. Stir in the garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, paprika, and salt and cook 30 seconds, then add the vinegar and cook 30 seconds more, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the skillet. Remove from the heat.
- Assemble and bake to melt the cheese. Spread 1 1/2 tablespoons of the compote on each English muffin half and sprinkle the cheese on top. Place the English muffin halves on a baking sheet and bake until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
- Make the eggs. Meanwhile, fry, poach, or soft-boil the eggs. (TIP: Or scramble them if you don’t want runny yolks.)
- Serve. Put 1 egg on top of each English muffin half. Sprinkle a few fresh thyme leaves on top and serve immediately.
Storage
For the compote, let it cool to room temperature and then store it covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. For the sandwiches, add the other (toasted) English muffin halves to the top of each open-faced sandwich; once cooled, wrap each sandwich individually and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Pro Tips
- To bump up the protein, you can add bacon or sausage to these sandwiches.
- If you’re using these breakfast sandwiches for meal prep, they reheat well from the fridge or directly from the freezer in the microwave, oven, or toaster oven. I give detailed instructions on reheating in my freezer friendly meal prep breakfast sandwiches recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nope! You can cook the eggs any way you like for this recipe. If you don’t want runny yolks, you can bake the eggs in the oven (like I did with these breakfast sandwiches) or scramble them. If you prefer runny yolks, you can fry the eggs (the eggs are fried sunny-side-up in the pictures in this post), poach the eggs, or make soft-boiled eggs.
Yes! However, you’ll want to freeze them as regular (not open-faced) sandwiches. To do so, add the other (toasted) English muffin halves to the top of each open-faced sandwich. Cool the sandwiches to room temperature, wrap each individually, pop them into a plastic zip-top freezer bag, and freeze for up to 2 months.
More Savory Brunch Recipes
Let’s Connect
Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment below. You can also tag @anediblemosaic on social media.
To stay up-to-date, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter!
English Muffin Egg Sandwiches Recipe With Manchego Cheese and Balsamic Red Pepper Compote
Email This Recipe
Get this recipe link emailed straight to your inbox!
Ingredients
Smoky Balsamic Red Pepper Compote:
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium red bell pepper diced
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 large clove garlic crushed or grated
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon good-quality balsamic vinegar
Other:
- 4 English muffins split in half (I used whole wheat, but any kind will work)
- 5.3 ounces Manchego cheese shredded (or Fontina cheese)
- 8 eggs fried, poached, or soft-boiled
- Fresh thyme leaves for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Make the compote. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bell pepper and onion, and cook until softened and starting to caramelize in spots, about 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally and turning the heat down as necessary so pan doesn’t get too dry and start to burn. Stir in the garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, paprika, and salt and cook 30 seconds, then add the vinegar and cook 30 seconds more, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the skillet. Remove from the heat.
- Assemble and bake to melt the cheese. Spread 1 1/2 tablespoons of the compote on each English muffin half and sprinkle the cheese on top. Place the English muffin halves on a baking sheet and bake until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
- Make the eggs. Meanwhile, fry, poach, or soft-boil the eggs. (TIP: Or scramble them if you don’t want runny yolks.)
- Serve. Put 1 egg on top of each English muffin half. Sprinkle a few fresh thyme leaves on top and serve immediately.
Notes
- Storage: For the compote, let it cool to room temperature and then store it covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. For the sandwiches, add the other (toasted) English muffin halves to the top of each open-faced sandwich; once cooled, wrap each sandwich individually and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Reheating: If you’re using these breakfast sandwiches for meal prep, they reheat well from the fridge or directly from the freezer in the microwave, oven, or toaster oven. I give detailed instructions on reheating in my freezer friendly meal prep breakfast sandwiches recipe.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
Share it with me on Instagram and leave a comment to let me know your thoughts!
I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
Free Bonus
you have mastered capturing the runny yolk! I can’t wait to try this recipe soon!
I can’t imagine not loving eggs…we eat them for a meal at least a few times a week and I am OBSESSED. Love the sound of these egg-topped english muffins with the pepper compote. So many of my favorite things in every bite!
Egg averse? Wow! Well, I’m glad you came around to liking them because I would have missed out on these beauties otherwise. :) So delicious, Faith!
This looks fantastic and your photos are stunning. What a nice play on breakfast that’s out of the box!
What a wonderful breakfast or even dinner. I could eat eggs at any meal and that compote compliments them perfectly.
These look delicious! I’m such a sucker for any style of over easy egg, and I love the flavor combination here. Also, your photography is amazing!
Fabulous flavours and wonderful recipe!
Cheers,
Rosa
What a great compote! I bet that really adds some great flavor. Beautiful photos too! :)
These look fantastic! I love the mix of flavours plus these would be awesome for a brunch since you can single serve each and have them already prepared!! Love it!
Can I hire you to cook my meals? This looks out of this world delicious! Everything in this recipe I LOVE!! I am trying this one out this weekend!
Your link on making breakfast more exciting? This post does that and more! I love, love, love this breakfast Faith! Those English Muffins look so inviting. The perfect texture, so much I can almost taste them. I do think breakfast can get ho hum and these beauties take care of that in spades.