Pepper and Egg Sandwich

This pepper and egg sandwich nails the New York-area, Italian-American classic recipe. It’s equally great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

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Why we love this recipe

A pepper and egg sandwich has so much to recommend it. It’s:

• Pure comfort food with a totally respectable nutritional profile
• Equally appropriate any time of day, including the wee hours
• Quick and easy to make
• Vegetarian
• Beloved by grownups and kids alike

This version gets the classic vibe just right, with generous ingredient ratios and tons of well-balanced flavor.

What you’ll need

Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.

• For the bread, you can use an Italian roll (also called a hoagie or hero roll) or a six-inch segment cut from a loaf of Italian bread. Both of these options have a structure that will hold up to the fillings while yielding easily to the bite.
• For a single sandwich, you’ll use half of a medium-sized yellow onion. (You can substitute red or white onion if you prefer a little extra sweetness.) You’ll cut it from tip to root, rather than crosswise, to create a nicer shape and a structure that stays intact even when very tender.
• I like to use a cubanelle pepper, which has sweet, mild flesh that’s thinner and less watery than a bell pepper. It’s traditional in this dish and truly great for pan-frying. You can use an Anaheim pepper or even a green bell pepper instead if that’s what you’ve got.
• You can use any eggs you like, but sourcing good ones makes all the difference in terms of flavor, animal welfare, and environmental health. I’ve devoted a short section below to helping you parse the details, if you’d like to.
• If you like, you can add cheese. My favorite options are shredded provolone, mozzarella, or extra-sharp cheddar, or a couple of slices of American cheese. Here I’ve pictured smoked fresh mozzarella, which just works so beautifully.
• Even in a sandwich like this, I’m going to advocate for a really good-quality butter, because it just makes everything taste so much better. Here and virtually everywhere, I start with a cultured, salted butter from grass-fed cows. This sounds fancy but doesn’t have to be. Kerrygold, for example, is sold in most supermarkets at a reasonable price.

How to make it

Here’s an overview of what you’ll do to make a fabulous pepper and egg sandwich. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.

1. First you’ll split, butter, and toast the roll.
2. Sauté the peppers and onions.
3. Scramble the eggs and cook them with the peppers and onions. Melt in cheese if using.
4. Pile the whole thing into the griddled roll. That’s it!

Expert tips and FAQs

More favorite egg sandwiches

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4.67 from 3 votes

Pepper and Egg Sandwich

By Carolyn Gratzer Cope

This pepper and egg sandwich nails the New York-area, Italian-American classic recipe. It's equally great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 10 minutes mins

Total: 15 minutes mins

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Ingredients 

• ▢ 1 Cubanelle pepper
• ▢ ½ small yellow onion
• ▢ 1 Italian roll or 6-inch segment Italian bread
• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter, softened, divided
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt, divided
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 1//8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 2 ounces shredded provolone, mozzarella, or extra-sharp cheddar, or two slices American cheese, optional
• ▢ Hot sauce, optional, for serving

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Remove the stem and seeds from the pepper and slice the flesh into approximate 1/2-inch by 2-inch pieces. Trim the onion and slice into 1/4-inch slices from tip to root.
• Split the roll or bread in half almost all the way, leaving one side intact to form a hinge. Spread each cut face with about 1/2 tablespoon of the butter. Place cut-sides down onto a 10-inch skillet or dark nonstick frying pan set over medium heat and cook until lightly toasted. Remove to a plate.
• Melt remaining tablespoon of butter in the skillet.
• Add pepper and onions, sprinkle with half the salt, and cook, stirring from time, until softened and lightly browned in spots.
• Crack the eggs into a small mixing bowl and add the remaining salt and the pepper. Beat with a fork until homogenous.
• Pour the scrambled eggs into the skillet. Cook, dragging the edges to the center from time to time and swirling the pan once in a while to encourage the uncooked top parts to wend their way to the bottom.
• Optional: When egg is just about cooked, sprinkle or place the cheese on top and fold it in, letting it melt a bit.
• Pile the egg mixture into the roll and serve right away, with hot sauce if you like.

Notes

1. For the bread, you can use an Italian roll (also called a hoagie or hero roll) or a six-inch segment cut from a loaf of Italian bread. Both of these options have a structure that will hold up to the fillings while yielding easily to the bite.
2. For a single sandwich, you'll use half of a medium-sized yellow onion. (You can substitute red or white onion if you prefer a little extra sweetness.) You'll cut it from tip to root, rather than crosswise, to create a nicer shape and a structure that stays intact even when very tender.
3. I like to use a cubanelle pepper, which has sweet, mild flesh that's thinner and less watery than a bell pepper. It's traditional in this dish and truly great for pan-frying. You can use an Anaheim pepper or even a green bell pepper instead if that's what you've got.
4. If you like, you can add cheese. My favorite options are shredded provolone, mozzarella, or extra-sharp cheddar, or a couple of slices of American cheese. Here I've pictured smoked fresh mozzarella, which just works so beautifully.
5. Even in a sandwich like this, I'm going to advocate for a really good-quality butter, because it just makes everything taste so much better. Here and virtually everywhere, I start with a cultured, salted butter from grass-fed cows. This sounds fancy but doesn't have to be. Kerrygold, for example, is sold in most supermarkets at a reasonable price.
6. You can sauté the pepper and onion up to a week in advance if you like, store in an airtight container in the fridge, and reheat at the point that the recipe instructs you to begin cooking it. This recipe is also a great way to use leftover peppers and onions. Cook the rest of the ingredients and assemble the sandwich just before serving.
7. Sandwich leftovers are tricky and really depend on your tolerance for bread that's no longer performing at peak levels. If you want to go for it, I recommend wrapping the leftovers in foil and reheating in the oven or toaster oven until warmed through.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 1096kcal, Carbohydrates: 49g, Protein: 54g, Fat: 76g, Saturated Fat: 42g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 27g, Trans Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 553mg, Sodium: 2646mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 6g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Breakfast and Brunch

Cuisine: American

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