A golden sesame bagel toast, stuffed with a host of delicious fillings.
A wonderful quick and indulgent lunch!
A toast to bagels…
Bagels are surely one of the most widespread and recognised Jewish breads. They’re delicious with classic fillings like smoked salmon and cream cheese, but really their chewy crust and delicious flavour will elevate pretty much any sandwich fillings you care to use.
Bagels are also fantastic toasted. Sliced in half and popped into the toaster until golden, then slathered with butter…. yum!
But, if you want to really go wild, you need to combine the sandwich with the toasting, to create BAGEL TOAST. Oh my.
Cast your mind back…
Bagel toast is a really nostalgic treat for me. If you frequented Israeli bus stations in the 1990s (and who didn’t?!) you’ll probably remember them too.
The delicious aroma of toasting bagels filled the air, as hungry hordes of bus travellers sought out a filling snack.
For there, alongside the falafel, bourekas, burgers and miscellaneous other street food, there was always a bagel toast stand – where giant sesame bagels were overloaded with a combination of delicious fillings and grilled in a toastie press till crisp, hot and golden.
What type of bagel?
I’m not sure why the bagels I remember were always sesame bagels. Maybe other kinds of bagels just hadn’t been invented yet, or maybe the sesame ones were always the most popular. Or maybe, there were other kinds of bagels for toasting, and I just didn’t notice. We’ll never know.
In any case, when you make your own bagel toast at home you can choose whatever kind of bagel you like – plain, sesame, poppyseed, onion, or even an everything bagel.
Bagel toast fillings
Bus station bagel toastie stands offered all manner of different options to go inside your toasted bagel sandwich, including (but not limited to):
- tomato sauce – think pizza rather than ketchup
- yellow cheese – a bit like cheddar
- white cheese – bland
- ‘salty’ cheese – vaguely like feta
- humous
- grilled aubergine
- olives and pickles
- tuna – plain or with mayo
- spicy tuna – mixed with a fiery tomato sauce
- sliced hardboiled egg
- sliced tomato
- harissa/schug/hot sauce
- amba – a sweet-spicy fermented mango sauce, a bit like mango chutney
Basic, or extra
The basic filling for your toasted bagel was tomato sauce and cheese, but it was much more fun to get carried away and overstuff the bagel. The end result would be a hot, gooey, drippy mess and VERY delicious. Licking cheesy, spicy drips off your fingers was an essential part of the bagel toast experience!
Bagel toast fillings – more is definitely better
Despite the diversity of filling options, I can’t remember ever putting together a bad bagel toast combination.
Tuna + cheese + olives + hard boiled egg? Delicious!
Humous + white cheese + aubergine + schug? Yum!
The example in the photographs here was filled with humous, hot sauce, cheddar, feta, sliced tomato, olives and mango chutney (we were all out of amba). It was absolutely gorgeous!
Toasting equipment
To properly toast your bagel sandwich, you will need a sandwich toaster/toastie maker/panini press. I bought one quite like this in the January sales a few years ago, and DH berated me for wasting money on yet another kitchen gadget that would never get used…
Well, I’m delighted to tell you that this machine comes out frequently to make cheese toasties (that’s “grilled cheese” for the Americans), quesadillas, cheesy pita bread, and of course this delicious overstuffed bagel toast. So there, DH!
Time to experiment! Give bagel toast a whirl!
So, dig out your sandwich toaster and give bagel toast a whirl. It’s SO MUCH BETTER than a boring cheese toastie.
What’s your favourite filling combo? Let me know in the comments!
Serves 1 – but you can easily make more.
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Overstuffed bagel toast
Ingredients
- 1 sesame bagel
Choose as many as you like from the following list of suggested fillings:
- 2-3 tablespoon pizza sauce
- 3 tablespoon humous
- 3 tablespoon grated cheddar
- 1-2 tablespoon crumbled feta
- 1-2 tablespoon sliced olives
- 1 large tomato, sliced
- 1 sliced hardboiled egg
- 2-3 tablespoon amba or mango chutney
- hot sauce or harissa (to taste)
- anything else you fancy!
Instructions
- Slice the bagel horizontally. Spread/arrange your choice of fillings over, then squash the two halves back together.
- Toast in a panini press/toastie maker/sandwich toaster for around 5 minutes until the fillings are hot and melty and the bagel is golden and crispy.
- Cut into halves, eat (carefully!) and enjoy ?
Notes
Nutrition
More ideas involving toast
If you’re looking for more lovely toasty lunch ideas, how about avocado toast with smoked mackerel and lime, easy pear and stilton toasts, or ‘love apple’ soup with cheesy toast hearts.
This post was first published in April 2018. It was updated and republished in January 2023.
Katherine
This is a next-level bagel! I love all the big flavors in it.
Helen
Thanks Katherine. Yes, big flavours and not for the faint hearted!!
TAYLER ROSS
I had this bagel toast for breakfast this morning and it was delicious! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Helen
That’s great to hear Tayler. It will certainly fuel you for the day!
Sonal Gupta
I love it! This is perfect for the weekend brunching! Perfect idea for entertaining too.
Helen
Brunch is a great idea Sonal! I usually have this for lunch but will definitely add it to the ‘brunch’ recipe pile now too.
Beth
This is one of the best bagel recipes I’ve ever made! I love all the cheese and other ingredients stuffed into those bagels!
Helen
Thanks Beth, so happy to hear you enjoyed it.
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
I Just tried this recipe and my family loved it. It was so easy and the flavors were fantastic.
Helen
That’s great to hear Shadi – so glad you all enjoyed them.
Holley
Holy moly are these delicious or what?! Definitely a go-to recipe!
Helen
Thanks Holley! I totally agree 🙂
Ridhima
This looks like the perfect comfort food!
Lucy
I am not sure why I’ve never thought of toasting a bagel like this in a panini/toasted sandwich maker. But now I am planning to make one for my lunch tomorrow! I bet my kids will adore this too. Thanks for the recipe!
Helen
Thanks Lucy! I’m sure you’ll love it 🙂
Just make sure you have plenty of napkins handy!
Claire Jessiman
My favourite toastie filling is cheese and haggis but now I really want to try PB&J in a toasted sesame bagel.
Helen
Whatever floats your boat…!
Elizabeth
I need this in my life! This overstuffed bagel looks like my idea of culinary heaven!
Helen
Thanks Elizabeth! It’s pretty easy to make so I’m sure you can rustle one up and be enjoying it in no time ?