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Meatless Monday Breakfast Sammies

I love a good breakfast sandwich, loaded with your traditional bacon, sausage, or ham options. But once in a while, I aspire to make something that is equally-delicious, without the added cholesterol.
I’ve come across two amazing options to use as the meatless patty base here: (a) textured soy protein, or (b) seitan, made from cooked wheat gluten. While textured soy protein and seitan are bland and boring by themselves, I’ve added a mixture of deeply caramelized onions, cheesy mashed potato, and spices to create a breakfast patty that will make you want to call your mamma. Does it take some extra effort? Sure it does!
The following recipe makes enough mixture to create eight patties, which can be frozen for use whenever you want.
The recipe provides instructions to make four incredibly large breakfast sandwiches, made with two meatless patties each.

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 2 white onions (cut into thin uniform slices)
  • ½ tsp white granulated sugar
  • ½ tsp Kosher salt
  • 1 Yukon gold potato
  • 1 cup dried textured soy protein
  • 1 whole egg
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • ½ tsp granulated garlic
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • ¼ tsp ground cayenne
  • ¼ cup chives (finely sliced)
  • 4 sesame seed burger buns
  • 4 Tbsp ½ stick butter, softened
  • 8 slices smoked Gouda cheese (or cheese of preference)
  • 4 eggs (cooked sunny-side up)
  • 4 lettuce leaves (sized to fit the sesame seed buns)
  • 8 tomato slices (very thin)
  • Ketchup (for serving)
  • A few drops of your favorite hot sauce (for serving)

Instructions 

  • Add the butter to a sauté pan with the sliced white onions, white granulated sugar, and Kosher salt.
  • *The white granulated sugar helps the onions caramelize faster.
  • Reduce the heat to medium, and cook the onions for roughly thirty minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • *If the onions are getting inconsistently dark, add a splash or two of water and stir to combine. Avoid burning the onions at this stage.
  • While the onions are cooking, boil one whole Yukon gold potato in a pot of salted water.
  • When the onions are golden-brown in color and caramelized, remove them from the heat.
  • When the potato is fully cooked through in the center, turn off the heat under the boiling water and keep the potato sitting in the hot water while you prepare the remaining patty ingredients.
  • Boil the dried textured soy protein in enough water to cover by one inch.
  • Cook the textured soy protein for roughly ten minutes, or until it is completely soft.
  • When the textured soy protein is cooked, drain it from the liquid.
  • Finely dice the cooked potato and textured soy protein, and add the diced potato and textured soy protein to a large mixing bowl.
  • Add the caramelized onions from earlier.
  • Add the whole egg, one Tablespoon of butter, one cup of shredded cheddar cheese, along with some red pepper flakes, dried oregano, granulated garlic, ground cumin, ground cayenne, and sliced chives.
  • Mix the contents well, until everything is evenly distributed.
  • Taste, and add more Kosher salt if desired.
  • When you are satisfied with the taste of your patty mixture, form it into patties on a parchment paper-lined sheet tray, and stick the sheet tray with the shaped patties into the fridge to firm up.
  • When you are ready to prepare you breakfast sandwiches, butter the sesame seed buns.
  • Griddle the buns until they are golden-brown.
  • Pan-fry the prepared breakfast sandwich patties you made earlier in some butter until they are crispy and lightly griddled on the outsides.
  • Assemble the sandwiches with your toasted buns, meatless patties, smoked Gouda cheese, sunny-side-up egg, lettuce, and tomato.
  • Serve with ketchup and hot sauce, if desired.

Notes

If you freeze any leftover patties, you can cook them exactly like how you would cook them fresh—in a pan with a little bit of oil. Cook the frozen patty over medium heat and it should be ready in under five minutes.