Family-Sized Tomato, Bacon, and Garlic Omelet
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 22, 2007
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Filling Ingredients
8 slices bacon (about 8 ounces), minced1 large ripe tomato, cored, seeded, and chopped fine½ green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine4 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 4 teaspoons)Omelet
8 large eggs ½ teaspoon salt ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 3 ounces shredded pepper Jack cheese (about ¾ cup)Before You Begin
Assemble the filling ingredients before making the omelet.
Instructions
- For the Filling: Fry the bacon in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato and bell pepper and cook until the vegetables are softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a paper towel-lined plate. Wipe the skillet clean with paper towels.
- For the Omelet: Whisk the eggs, salt, and pepper together. Melt the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, swirling to coat the skillet, until the foaming subsides.
- Add the eggs and bacon mixture and cook, stirring gently in a circular motion, until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Use a heatproof rubber spatula to pull the cooked edges of the egg toward the center of the pan, tilting the pan so the uncooked egg runs to the cleared edge of the pan. Repeat until the bottom of the omelet is just set but the top is still runny, about 1 minute. Cover the skillet, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the top of the omelet begins to set but is still moist, about 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the eggs, cover, and let sit until the cheese partially melts, about 1 minute. Slide half of the omelet onto a serving platter using the spatula, then tilt the skillet so the remaining omelet flips over onto itself, forming a half-moon shape. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.
Yield
Serves 4Ingredients
Filling Ingredients
Omelet
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Filling Ingredients
Omelet
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Filling Ingredients
Omelet
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
An omelet is a great breakfast or brunch dish, but cooking omelets one at a time for more than a couple of people is just not practical. We wanted to find a way to make an omelet that was big enough to serve four people. We wanted it to have tender, not rubbery, eggs and a rich, cheesy filling.
Flipping a huge eight-egg omelet was clearly not going to work, so we had to find a way to cook the top of the omelet as well as the bottom. Cooking the eggs longer over lower heat resulted in an unpleasant texture. Broiling to cook the top of the eggs worked, but it dried out the omelet, and we wanted it to be creamy. Then we had the idea of covering the pan after the bottom of the eggs was set but the top was still runny, which worked like a charm. The lid trapped the heat and moisture to steam the top of the omelet, and it partially melted the cheese as well. Now we had a perfectly cooked omelet for four, with tender eggs and bits of melted cheese in every bite.
Before You Begin
Assemble the filling ingredients before making the omelet.
Instructions
- For the Filling: Fry the bacon in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato and bell pepper and cook until the vegetables are softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a paper towel-lined plate. Wipe the skillet clean with paper towels.
- For the Omelet: Whisk the eggs, salt, and pepper together. Melt the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, swirling to coat the skillet, until the foaming subsides.
- Add the eggs and bacon mixture and cook, stirring gently in a circular motion, until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Use a heatproof rubber spatula to pull the cooked edges of the egg toward the center of the pan, tilting the pan so the uncooked egg runs to the cleared edge of the pan. Repeat until the bottom of the omelet is just set but the top is still runny, about 1 minute. Cover the skillet, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the top of the omelet begins to set but is still moist, about 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the eggs, cover, and let sit until the cheese partially melts, about 1 minute. Slide half of the omelet onto a serving platter using the spatula, then tilt the skillet so the remaining omelet flips over onto itself, forming a half-moon shape. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.
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