Thick-cut bread is fried with an egg nestled inside (aka "egg in the hole"!). Then the sandwich is topped with slices of fried bologna, tomato and cheese. The cheese is then broiled to perfection for a delicious and hearty fried bologna and egg breakfast sandwich!
This fried bologna and egg sandwich is one of my favorite easy brunch recipes. When most people think of bologna, they picture those white bread, bologna and American cheese sandwiches from childhood. But bologna is so much more than that! Bologna really shines when fried in a pan, with crispy, almost burnt edges. This fried bologna and egg sandwich pairs that delicious crispy fried bologna with egg, tomato, and cheese, for a quick weekend brunch dish that will be sure to please.
This recipe uses the "egg-in-the-hole" technique (the egg is cooked inside a hole in the bread). This helps the bologna, tomato and cheese to lay nicely on top so it's easy to cut into the sandwich. When you do, the soft yolk releases and creates the perfect dipping sauce for the sandwich!
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you need for this fried bologna and egg sandwich:
- Bologna: you need 2 - 3 slices. You can use any kind of bologna you prefer.
- Thick-cut bread: I like soft Italian bread, or white sandwich bread. Sourdough would also be great! I really prefer to buy a whole, un-sliced loaf so I can cut a nice, thick piece (about 1 inch thick!).
- Egg: just one is all you need
- Tomato: I like to buy vine-ripened tomatoes, which you can usually find pretty ripe even in colder months. You need 2 - 3 slices of the vine-ripened tomato to cover the surface of the bread. If you have a larger tomato, you can probably get away with one slice. If you don't like tomato, feel free to leave it out. Or, try subbing avocado slices (just place them on the sandwich raw, no need to fry!).
- Butter: just a bit to fry the sandwich, bologna and tomato slices
- Cheese: 1 - 2 slices. I like using Havarti, but any sliced melting cheese would work - American, cheddar, or even pepper Jack would all be great!
- Black pepper: a sprinkle on top for extra flavor.
Wait, pepper but no salt?
No, you don't need any extra salt! The bologna and cheese are already quite salty, so that does enough to flavor the entire sandwich. A touch of fresh black pepper is all you need!
Helpful tips
Some quick tips for this recipe:
- If your loaf of bread has a thinner diameter than a typical sandwich bread, be sure to cut your bread on a diagonal. This gives you more surface area for all those delicious toppings.
- I found a good size for the egg hole is about 1 inch by 2 inches. Using a sharp paring knife works well to make the hole without tearing up the bread too much.
- And what to do with that extra piece of bread? You can either snack on it right then and there. Or, this is my preference: throw it in the pan with the larger slice of bread and fry it in the butter! Then enjoy your little buttery snack. 🙂
- To check the doneness of the egg, use the corner of your spatula to gently poke the egg. If the egg feels squishy, it's still very runny inside. I like it this way, but if you prefer you can cook it for a few moments longer. Just keep checking with the spatula frequently because it can overcook quickly if you're not watching.
- It works better to layer the tomato first on top of the sandwich, and then add the bologna and cheese. If you put the tomato right under the cheese, the cheese had a tendency to slip off the tomato.
Final thoughts
I hope this recipe will give you a fresh outlook on that humble bologna from childhood! If you’ve tried this Fried Bologna and Egg Sandwich recipe, please let me know what you thought about it in the comments down below, I would love to hear from you! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see more delicious recipes from Nibble and Dine!
And if you need some other dishes to round out your decadent weekend brunch, check these favorites out!
- Mango and White Chocolate Scones: these delicious sweet and tangy scones are ready in about 30 minutes.
- Cheater Home Fries: by kick-starting the cooking in the microwave, these home fries are ready in less than 20 minutes.
- Air fryer fingerling potatoes: another great breakfast potato option, these are super brown and crispy!
- Strawberry Honey Lime Mimosas: every lazy Sunday brunch needs a decadent sparkly beverage!
📖 Recipe
Fried Bologna and Egg Sandwich
This fried bologna and egg sandwich, topped with sizzled tomatoes and melted cheese is ready in 15 minutes and is the perfect recipe for a lazy weekend brunch.
- Prep Time: 8 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 sandwich 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: stove top, broiler
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. butter, divided
- 1 inch-thick slice of bread
- 1 egg
- 2 - 3 slices bologna
- 1 - 3 slices ripe tomato
- 1 - 2 slices Havarti cheese, or other melting cheese of your choice
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat broiler on high.
- Cut a rectangle out of the middle of the bread, approximately 1 inch by 2 inches.
- In a large skillet, melt ½ tbsp. butter on medium heat, swirling the butter around to cover the surface of the pan.
- Once butter is sizzling, add the bread to the pan. Crack the egg into the hole in the bread.
- Cook for approximately 2 minutes. If you prefer your egg less runny, add 1 - 2 additional minutes to the cooking time, but be sure to peek under the bread during cooking and if it's getting too brown, turn heat down.
- Using a spatula, flip the bread over, making sure the bread lands on the side of the pan rather than the middle.
- Add the remaining ½ tbsp. butter to the empty space in the pan. Add bologna and tomato slices to the pan. Cook bread, bologna and tomato for 2 minutes. Flip bologna and tomato during cooking time to ensure even browning. Turn down heat if they are browning too fast.
- Remove bread to an oven-safe tray. Add tomato slices on top of the bread, then pile on the bologna. Top with cheese slice(s). Broil for 2 - 3 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and slightly brown. Watch carefully during broiling to avoid burning.
- Remove from tray onto a serving plate. Top with freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately.
Abbi says
This was awesome first time I had fried bologna, however I know a easy hack for the egg on the nest t technique. If you use a very narrow cup like a high ball glass, press the top of the glass into the bread firmly then twist, it creates a perfect circle without risk of tearing the edges
Kate says
Abbi that is a great idea! I will for sure try that next time, thank you for the tip! And I'm so glad you enjoyed the sandwich 🙂
Andria says
I have made this 3 days in a row! It's a new staple for me! I really appreciate how thorough the instructions are as I am not a natural in the kitchen. SO GOOD!!!
Kate says
Thank you Andria for your comment, that is wonderful that you are enjoying the sandwich so much thank you for sharing 🙂