The Paleo Sausage Egg McMuffin: perfect for fans of eating sausage ’n eggs with their hands. Besides, who needs bread when the filling’s the best part? Plus, it’s Whole30, keto, and super satisfying!

In honor of Father’s Day, I created this recipe for my Pop. He’s a lifelong fan of breakfast sausage and eggs…and, um, English muffins. But we’re gonna skip the bread part!

To make this breakfast sandwich resemble those from a certain fast-food joint (you know: the one with the freaky clown mascot), you’ll need some special equipment—namely, stainless steel biscuit cutters—but if you’ve got ’em, this recipe’s a snap. Plus, you can totally eat these sammies with your hands.

Time to make Paleo Sausage Egg McMuffin!

Here’s what you’ll need to make one “McMuffin”:

2 tablespoons ghee, divided (plus more for greasing the biscuit cutters)

¼ pound bulk raw pork breakfast sausage (if you’re doing a Whole30, make sure to buy sausage with compliant ingredients!)

2 large eggs

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup water

1 heaping tablespoon guacamole (optional)

Here’s what to do:

Gently press the meat down to uniformly shape a sausage patty.

Heat a skillet over medium heat and add a tablespoon of ghee. When the fat is shimmering, add the patty to the pan. If you really want the patty to keep its perfectly round shape, you can keep the mold on until the cooked patty shrinks away from the sides. Then, lift it off and away.

Clean the biscuit cutter and grease it again.

Fry the sausage about 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until fully cooked. If your patty’s thick, you may need to cover the pan to make sure it’s cooked through. Once the patty’s ready, transfer it to a plate.

Now, onward to the eggy “buns.” Grab two small bowls and crack one egg into each. Pierce the yolks with a fork.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with the remaining tablespoon of ghee. (Make sure you’ve got a tight-fitting lid for this skillet.) When the ghee’s shimmering, place the two greased biscuit cutters in the pan, and pour an egg into each mold.

Season the eggs with salt and pepper to taste. Then, add ¼ cup water to the skillet (outside of the egg molds), making sure not to splash the eggs.

Turn down the heat to low, and cover the pan.

Cook the eggs, covered, for about 3 minutes or until cooked through.

Transfer the eggs to a paper-towel lined plate. One easy way to do this is to slide a spatula under the mold as you tilt it up while wearing a heat-resistant glove.

Assemble the faux-“McMuffin” by sandwiching the sausage patty in between the two egg rounds.

If you’re feeling old-school, you can eat the sammie as-is, or wake up your palate with a squiggle of sriracha.

But my favorite addition to this breakfast burger? A big dollop of homemade guacamole.

Once you’ve gussied up your “McMuffin,” pick it up and chow down!

Sorry, Dad—I ate this one. I’ll make you another.

Happy Father’s Day!

Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013) and Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017)!

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