I hummed and hawed over the name of this post. I wanted a catchy, snazzy name for these sandwiches, similar to a B.L.T or a B.E.L.T, but the problem with calling these B.E.E.T Sandwiches is that they come with the association of, well, beets. In the end, I stuck with the name, but let me clarify, this sandwich does not contain beets!
B acon
E gg
E ggplant
T omato
Beets for people who don’t like beets! I’m not a huge fan of beets, but this way, if I casually mention I had B.E.E.T.S for breakfast, no one will know I really had a runny friend egg sandwich. I get to indulge and appear to be all healthy and put together in my adult life.
“Wow, you had beets for breakfast? I admire your will power, you must be so healthy!”
“Yup, B.E.E.T.S for breakfast. I try.”
This hearty breakfast sandwich (or dinner sandwich – what’s stopping you?) is layered with slices of crispy bacon, oven-roasted balsamic eggplant, juicy tomato slices, and a runny fried egg, all between two slices of tangy, toasted sourdough. Throw in a bit of spinach for colour, and you have a wonderful flavour-explosion that’s guaranteed to kick-start your day into awesome.
The stand out ingredient in this sandwich is really the eggplant. Why on earth would you put eggplant on a breakfast sandwich? Well, it gets roasted with some tangy balsamic, salt + pepper, giving it a contrasting creamy texture and a sponginess that is perfect for soaking up that runny egg yolk. Oh yesssss.
Side note – did you know that eggplant is actually a fruit? I guess technically it has seeds, but I still always considered it a vegetable. Who knew?
Roasting the eggplant does require turning on the oven, but the extra step is definitely worth it. It only takes about 20 minutes to roast, and in that time you can prep the other ingredients and fry the bacon and eggs. By the time the eggplant is done roasting, everything should be ready to assemble into a drool-worthy sandwich.
I highly suggest that you fry up your bacon and then fry your eggs in the bacon grease. It really ups the flavour of the eggs and helps the eggs keep their shape in the pan. But, if you’d like a healthier option, you can fry the eggs in a bit of olive oil or coconut oil.
^It’s like a rainbow sandwich, so many colours, textures and flavours.
Just writing about this sandwich makes me want to make it again for dinner tonight. Who else thinks that breakfast for dinner is the best way to end the day?
| B.E.E.T Sandwiches (Bacon, Egg, Eggplant, Tomato) | Print |
- 4-6 slices eggplant, sliced ¼ inch thick
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Dash of red chili flakes
- 4 strips of bacon
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large tomato, sliced
- Spinach leaves (optional)
- 4 slices sourdough bread (or any thick bread), toasted
- Mayonnaise
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and lightly grease the foil; set aside.
- In a bowl, toss together eggplant slices, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and red chili flakes, making each side of the eggplant slices gets coated with oil. Transfer eggplant slices to prepared baking tray and bake for about 20 minutes, flipping once, until eggplant is lightly browned and tender.
- While eggplant is cooking, cook bacon in a non-stick skillet over medium heat until crispy. Remove from heat and pat away any grease; set aside. Leave bacon grease in the skillet (to fry the eggs in!)*
- Crack each egg into its own little bowl. Heat the same skillet with the bacon grease on medium-low heat. Pour each egg into the skillet, being careful not to break the yolks. Cook eggs for about 3-4 minutes until whites are firm (5-6 mins for a firmer egg).
- Spread a thin layer of mayo on each slice of bread. Stack the bacon, tomato, eggplant, and fried egg onto two slices of bread. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, top with the second slices and serve immediately.
Hi Chelsea,
British call Eggplant ‘Aubergine’ – so it would be a B.E.A.T. Sandwich!
We serve Aubergine Rolls (tomatoes, peppers, feta, herbs and yoghurt, wrapped in aubergine thats been pan fried in butter) at our restaurant in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Will put your BEET/BEAT Sandwich on as a special (we have standard BLT too)!
Always enjoy your blogs.
Trevor.
That’s such a lovely compliment, Trevor! I’m glad the BEET/BEAT works both ways! Also those Aubergine Rolls you described had me drooling instantly.