Homemade Egg McMuffins

Looking for more penny pinched recipes? Here you go!

Update January 2016: I made these this week with whole wheat 100 calorie English Muffins, a slice of leftover Christmas ham and Swiss Cheese. Even better than the original! 

We tried out these homemade Egg McMuffin Sandwiches last night for dinner, and they were so much like McDonald's but even better because I knew exactly what was going into them! Even though none of the items were on sale (and I paid way too much for them here at our Giant Eagle ~ yikes!), I still saved a bundle over heading through the drive thru. Here's the cost breakdown:

• 6 English Muffins $4.29 (I was shocked at that price – you can definitely find a better sale on those!)
• 1 package Hormel Canadian Bacon $4.99 (also really high – I'll watch for a sale next time)
• 6 eggs $1
• American Cheese Slices $.75
• Total = 11.38, compared to $2.79 each at McDonald's or $16.74, and that was without a sale (or even shopping a store like Aldi or Walmart – I'll definitely do that next time!)

See the recipe HERE. 

Both Publix and Winn Dixie had Thomas English Muffins on sale for $2.10 this week, and I'm betting if I waited for a sale I could get Canadian Bacon for around $3. If I'd been able to get them just for those prices my total expense would have been $6.86 or $1/14 per sandwich, almost 1/3 of the McDonald's cost ~ I'll definitely watch for sales on those to stock up next time!

The best part about making them at home though is you get to control what goes into your sandwich. You could easily substitute the cheese for Swiss or Cheddar to skip processed cheese, and you know exactly what's going into your frying pan. I followed these directions exactly, used a mason jar lid ring to make the eggs like they recommended, and my husband agreed that they tasted just like the real thing.

While it's not the most exciting meal out there, this was an easy way to feed our bunch before we all headed out to different activities, and helped us skip a trip through the drive thru. I'd love to hear if you've made other restaurant recipes at home and they've worked out ~ one of the biggest way to pinch pennies is definitely by just eating at home!

Looking for restaurant recipes to try at home? Here are a few of our favorites . . .

• Cracker Barrel Chicken Tenderloin Sandwich
• Smashburger Inspired Grilled Chicken Sandwich
• Olive Garden Pasta Fagioli Soup
• Olive Garden Fettuccine Alfredo
• Easy Homemade Chicken Tenders with Zax Sauce
• (better than Taco Bell) Homemade Mexican Pizza
• Texas Roadhouse Cinnamon Butter

If you need a little more menu inspiration, go HERE.