How I Use Costco and My Freezer for a Month of Breakfast Sandwiches
Bulking up the freezer with breakfast options is one of the secrets to successful meal planning. Costco and an afternoon of cooking is the secret to making freezer breakfasts to last my family a month.
Here’s how a trip to Costco and one afternoon of work can save breakfast — one freezer sandwich at a time.
Costco + BEC = Breakfast Bliss
While a dozen freezer breakfast burritos might last a week or two in your house, they last just three days with my family of four. Cruising the aisles of arguably the best bulk grocer in the business, it dawned on me that Costco was the cheapest place to load up on the basics for making bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches to stock our freezer.
While Costco will certainly have ingredients galore for everything from breakfast burritos to breakfast casserole kits — I like to stick with the classic bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich because it is easy to reheat and even easier to eat with one hand. Plus, I know everyone in my family will enjoy it.
Other Freezer Breakfast Ideas
If you’re looking for other options or simply want to stock your freezer with a variety of breakfast sandwiches or burritos, we’ve got a whole slew to suggest. Just like this classic, the ingredients for all of these can easily be purchased in quantity at a Costco or any other bulk shopping center.
Before That Costco Run
After you find a recipe to work from, determine how many sandwiches you’ll be making. Make sure there is room in your freezer for a few bags of sandwiches. Don’t forget to check your supply of foil and freezer bags before heading to Costco.
Checklist for a Month of Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Sandwiches
- Bread: 2-dozen English muffins, croissants, or rolls
- Cheese: 2-dozen slices, 1 package sliced cheese
- Bacon: 2 pounds
- Eggs: 5-dozen large
- Extras: Aluminum foil and freezer bags
The Bread
Once inside Costco, hit the bread aisle first. English muffins come in packs of 18, meaning you’ll need two packages (don’t worry; you can freeze the extras for next time). Alternatively you can pick up two packages of Costco croissants or two packages of the Le Brea Torta Sandwiches Rolls, if English muffins aren’t your thing.
English muffin intelligence: Why the English Muffin Is Better than the Bagel
The Cheese
Usually I’m an advocate for slicing or shredding your own cheese, but with a big-batch cooking project like, say, making 24 breakfast sandwiches for your freezer, I suggest you get the pre-sliced cheese. The Kirkland Signature Sliced American Cheese is pretty near perfect if you want a bacon, egg, and cheese that resembles an Egg McMuffin. Occasionally I pick up the Finlandia Mixed Deli Slices so there’s some cheese variety to our breakfast sandwiches.
On those Egg McMuffins: McDonald’s Egg McMuffin Is Actually Healthier than You Think
The Meat
On my mission for the classic bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich I prefer the Kirkland Signature Premium Bacon. When cooking big batches of bacon I rely solely on the oven-cooked bacon method. You could also swap the bacon for ham (the Jones Canadian Bacon Slices are exactly the size you’ll want for a breakfast sandwich) or buy pork sausage in bulk.
Cook bacon in bulk: How To Make Perfect Bacon in the Oven
The Eggs
Buying five-dozen eggs only feels obscene at a regular grocery store. At Costco I find the flats of eggs cheaper and a better quality. You can also buy liquid egg whites in bulk if you prefer a lighter breakfast sandwich.
More on the breakfast sandwich: 3 Essential Tips For a Better Breakfast Sandwich
The Freezer Sandwich Effect
Once the breakfast sandwiches are assembled and frozen, I can easily grab three or four at once and stick them unwrapped in the oven to warm up while everyone is getting ready in the morning. Admittedly we won’t eat these sandwiches for every breakfast. We’ll rotate between these, smoothies, and oatmeal to avoid breakfast fatigue, which means that two-dozen sandwiches will easily last a month.