Denver Omelet Recipe (2024)

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Jane

In NYC it is called a western omelette on all the Greek diner menus I’ve seen but you have to ask for and pay extra to add cheese. They usually mix the ham, onion and pepper into the eggs but serve it as a folder over omelette even though nothing is stuff inside. Ate it all through my childhood in NYC. I tried it per above and was surprised to fine i prefer the diner method of mixing the filling mixed into the egg.

Dave

... a scramble made by pioneers masking spoiled eggs with onions."You can't mask spoiled eggs with anything. The odor is overwhelming and sickening. No one would eat a spoiled egg, even under starvation conditions. And there is no such thing as an egg that is just turning. An egg that turns turns all the way.

RAH

Pretty classic (and easy) recipe.Swapped previously reserved bacon grease for butter. YUMYou can decrease the salt load by soaking ham steak in tepid water (3 soaks of 10 minutes each was enough for me). Made sure to DRY the ham before sauteeing!!

M

Had so many of these for late night brinner during my college years. Add some sour cream and salsa and endless cups of coffee.

Jim

I grew up eating this classic my father used to make for us using American cheese instead of jack. He called it his Denver Scramble. I love it when the Times returns to classics. Keep up the outstanding work!

Tara

Maybe it’s just me but I prefer my eggs to have the ingredients incorporated so they don’t fall off of my fork. When I’m served omelets like the one in the photo, I’m always having to work harder at keeping everything together. Why not scramble the ingredients and ten shape into an omelet?

Angela Gyetvan

Western in my family, too - but also more of a scramble than a true omelet. And why is it always the dads? Is there some kind of meeting where they pass along the secret? “Congrats, it’s a boy! Here’s your cigar & your Denver omelet recipe.”

Mark

I've always called this a Western Omelet. Once when I was in California I asked for one and the chef had no idea what a Western Omelet was.

Sean

Western Omelette at every diner in south jersey and philly

NellieH

Yup, a Western here in Toronto, too.

Sand

Actually, I remember this as a Western omelet and we had an Eastern omelet without the ham. So you would go into a diner and order an Eastern or a Western and they knew what you meant. It was so many years ago, probably ancient history by now.

Sue

I used to make this, we called it a Western sandwich, for my older brother almost every night when he was in high school. He was growing and needed nourishment. He had teenage male malaise so he needed me to do the cooking. Almost sixty years ago!

Luann

Denver sandwiches were my Dad’s specialty and are still one of my favourite quick meals.

P

Ok - without cheese, it is a Western omelet. With cheese, it is a Denver omelet. I can't have cheese, so it's vital to me that restaurant personnel know the difference. And they still get it wrong about half the time.As for this recipe: no salt or pepper. Cook the veggies, add the ham, dump it all into a bowl w/ the beaten egg mixture, stir a few times, add more butter to the pan, dump the mix in the pan & cook on medium until done all the way thru. Serves 2 w/ leftovers for the next day.

Stuart Itter

This is a version of the Western Egg that was popular decades ago. The egg fixed in this recipe was then served on untested bread with butter on the inside of one slice and mustard-a popular mustard on the inside of the other. Quite delicious actually.

Suebee

On the Vaughn Meader Kennedy comedy album, the Khrushev character says, "I'll have the eastern half of your Western sandwich." My dad would quote the record when he made these for us as kids, all indredients panfried into a disc, cut into quarters and served on Kaiser rolls cut in the middle. No cheese.

Sharon V

Mixed toppings into the eggs, put on toast and called a Denver sandwich in western Canada. Saskatchewan and Calgary.

joe

western omelet growing up in Queens NY

Ultrabuttercup

Born and raised in Utah and never heard of a Denver City

Sand

Actually, I remember this as a Western omelet and we had an Eastern omelet without the ham. So you would go into a diner and order an Eastern or a Western and they knew what you meant. It was so many years ago, probably ancient history by now.

David

As a kid growing up in the early 60's on a farm in rural Northern NY, my mother made these all the time and called them Western Egg Sandwich. She always made them with white Wonder bread. On diner menus you could always get a Western Egg Sandwich. Sadly, the sandwich never shows up menus anymore, only the Western Omelette. I love to hear about regional classic recipes, old and new.

Eric

I've been modifying the velvety scrambled eggs cooked in cream (a little less than the recipe) by placing a lid on the pan and letting set for about 30 seconds. It can then be turned and quickly cooked on the other side. This is a velvety omelet- so much better than the hard cooked kind. I often thrown in mild cheddar and diced ham- as quickly as possible- before the lid. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023773-velvety-scrambled-eggs?searchResultPosition=14

Kenneth M

My wife and I always argue on whether a Western omelette has cheese or not and perhaps this clarifies it? Is a Denver omelette just a Western with cheese?

P

Yes. Enjoy.

Tara

Maybe it’s just me but I prefer my eggs to have the ingredients incorporated so they don’t fall off of my fork. When I’m served omelets like the one in the photo, I’m always having to work harder at keeping everything together. Why not scramble the ingredients and ten shape into an omelet?

Umm, okay.

Dear God, no cheese!

Dr. Colleen Sullivan

In my Montana Irish family, it wasn't a Denver Omelette unless you added Durkee's Dressing. You could turn it into a Denver sandwich by putting the omelette on sour dough toast covered in Durkee's Dressing.

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Denver Omelet Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the ingredients in a Denver omelet? ›

The Denver omelet — a diner classic of eggs, bell peppers, onions, ham and often cheese — actually began as a sandwich made with those ingredients in the American West in the late 19th century.

What is the secret to making an omelette? ›

Whisking air into the eggs is one secret to a fluffy omelet. Also, if you cook the omelet in a pan that's too large for the number of eggs used, it will naturally be flatter. On the other hand, you don't want to overload a small pan. This only increases the time needed to cook the eggs and can lead to a rubbery omelet.

What is another name for a Denver omelet? ›

At some point a breadless version was developed, and it became known as the Denver (or western) omelet.

What is the difference between a Denver omelet and a Western omelet? ›

What then is the difference between a Denver and a Western? Basically, a Denver is a Western, with one difference: the Western is cooked on both sides, as in an omelet, while the Denver, with the exact same ingredients as a Western, is when the eggs are scrambled on the hot grill.

What is the original Denver omelette? ›

The essence of the Denver Omelet is simple: eggs, cheese, diced ham, mushrooms, onions and green pepper. It's a basic omelet, but it has some colorful origin stories. The traditional tale goes like this: a pioneer women masked the taste of rotten eggs with chopped ham, green peppers and onions.

What can I put inside my omelette? ›

Some classic omelet fillings include shredded cheddar or Gruyere cheese, sour cream, diced ham, crisp bacon, sautéed mushrooms, bell peppers or tomatoes, caramelized onions, fresh herbs or even leftovers from last night's dinner. For a sweet omelet, omit pepper and add a dash of sugar to egg mixture.

Is water or milk better for omelette? ›

If you want a lighter (not lighter in calories) and fluffier omelette, you can add a splash of water to the eggs which will create steam as it cooks. Or if you want a richer omelette, you can add a splash of milk or cream.

What makes an omelette taste better? ›

The Right Add-Ins for Flavor: Cheese, Meat, Veggies, Seasonings
  1. Diced ham, chicken, or bacon.
  2. Any type of cheese you like.
  3. Spinach, bell peppers, caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, tomatoes, or fresh herbs.
  4. Salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc. (

What is the hardest omelette to make? ›

The Japanese soft egg omelette (called 'omurice' in Japan) is one of the hardest egg dishes to make, but it isn't impossible! 🍳 We show you how it's done. Have you tried to make it? 🤷🏽‍♂️ #fyp #foryou #egg #eggs #omelette #omurice.

Do you cook onions before putting in omelette? ›

Eggs cook very quickly, so if you add raw onions to the egg mixture, your onions will be crunchy when the omelette is done. If you like your onions soft, cook them first with a pat of butter or olive oil, over low heat.

What does a Colorado omelette have in it? ›

Colorado Omelette

Bacon, shredded beef, pork sausage, and ham, paired with green peppers, onions, and melty cheddar cheese.

Why are IHOP omelettes so fluffy? ›

Drum roll, please! The secret to super fluffy IHOP omelets is… buttermilk pancake batter. For what it's worth, the IHOP menu does indicate in small text at the top of the page that their omelets contain pancake batter, but such a detail can go unnoticed by even the most dedicated IHOP eaters.

Why are IHOP omelettes so big? ›

As it turns out, that massive mountain of eggs isn't just eggs after all. The omelettes are actually made with some pancake batter in the mix. Recently, this creator stunned the TikTok world by uncovering IHOP's “dark secret”—and people had thoughts. Most commenters thought the act was criminal and misleading.

How healthy is a Denver omelette? ›

Denver Omelet
  • Calories 585.
  • Total Fat 51g 65%
  • Saturated Fat 27g 135%
  • Trans Fat 1.5g.
  • Polyunsaturated Fat 4.4g.
  • Monounsaturated Fat 15g.
  • Cholesterol 671mg 224%
  • Sodium 1096mg 48%
Mar 8, 2023

What is the difference between a French omelette and a Denver omelette? ›

Plain or French Omelet - made with just eggs, salt, and pepper, and is usually folded over itself. Cheese Omelet - made with grated cheese as a filling. Western or Denver Omelet - made with diced ham, onions, peppers, and cheese.

What is a Denver sandwich made of? ›

A Denver sandwich, also known as a Western sandwich, consists of a Denver omelet (consisting of at least ham, onion, green pepper, and scrambled eggs), sandwiched between two pieces of bread.

What is the difference between Denver and California omelette? ›

The Many Faces of an Ominous Omelet

Miller, for one, has heard it “referred to as a Western omelet, which changes from state to state.” A Western omelet may refer to the Denver filling of peppers, onions, and ham; though in California, many know it to be a combination of avocados, tomato, and mushroom.

Why is it called a Denver omelette? ›

According to this theory, it's believed that the Denver Omelette was actually an evolution of egg foo young consumed by Chinese laborers working on the railroad. Others insist that the Denver Omelette started out as a sandwich which later took omelette form. Over time, we simply lost the bread but held onto the name.

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