Review of Panera Bread's Asiago Bagel Breakfast Sandwich

Panera Bread's breakfast line has expanded since I first started getting the bacon, egg & cheese breakfast sandwich. After looking over the breakfast menu recently, I ordered the asiago bagel breakfast sandwich.

Panera Bread's Asiago Bagel Breakfast Sandwich: Presentation
The Panera Bread asiago bagel breakfast sandwich consists of bacon, egg, and white cheddar on an asiago cheese bagel. To make this sandwich, the preparer places both halves of a sliced asiago cheese specialty bagel on the prep counter. This particular type of bagel doesn't have a hole, so it covers the other components instead of leaving a gap in the middle.

Half a slice of Vermont sharp white cheddar goes on the bottom half of the bagel, followed by a steamed egg and two criss-crossed slices of applewood-smoked bacon. The other half of the cheese is next. The top half of the bagel completes the sandwich, which is then cooked on a panini grill. This gets the outside of the bagel nice and toasty while heating the sandwich and melting the white cheddar cheese.

Some preparers add a little pepper to the egg, but I didn't see any on mine. After adding some salt and pepper to my sandwich, I took a bite.

Panera Bread's Asiago Bagel Breakfast Sandwich: Taste
I liked what I tasted. This is a good, hearty breakfast sandwich. The bagel is delicious, and the flavor of the asiago goes well with the bacon and egg.

My only complaint is that I couldn't taste the sharp white cheddar. I've had this bagel by itself before, untoasted, and it had a strong asiago cheese flavor. I believe that grilling it brings out the asiago flavor even more. Because of this, I'm not sure the white cheddar is necessary, although it's possible that the two flavors complement each other and that the flavor wouldn't be as good without the cheddar.

Panera Bread's Asiago Bagel Breakfast Sandwich: Nutrition
The Panera Bread website has a handy nutrition calculator. As you would expect, this breakfast sandwich is high in calories, fat, and carbohydrates. According to the chart, it contains 610 calories, but simple addition yields 600 calories. Approximately 250 calories are from fat. The total fat content is 28g, with 13g saturated fat and 245mg cholesterol. This menu item also has 55g carbohydrates and 1350mg sodium. Surprisingly, the bagel itself contains 560mg sodium, which is 110mg more than the bacon.

It's also possible to customize this sandwich by forgoing the bacon or choosing a different bagel, but of course this results in completely different sandwiches. Keeping the asiago bagel and eliminating the bacon saves 450mg sodium, 30mg cholesterol, and 120 calories.

Panera Bread's Asiago Bagel Breakfast Sandwich: Verdict
Panera Bread's asiago bagel breakfast sandwich is a change of pace that's both filling and flavorful. I'll order this occasionally when I want something different.