This Cheesy Omelet Is Our Everything

A Big Little Recipe has the smallest-possible ingredient list and big everything else—flavor, creativity, wow factor. Psst: We don't count water, salt, black pepper, and certain fats (specifically, 1/2 cup or less of olive oil, vegetable oil, and butter), since we're guessing you have those covered. Today, we’re giving an omelet everything it ever wanted.

As a child of the ’90s, I have never known a world without everything seasoning—the all-in-one combo of poppy and sesame seeds, garlic and onion bits, and salt that freckles the luckiest bagels and gets hopelessly stuck in your teeth.

According to David Farley for Taste, “A handful of middle-aged men think they invented [the everything bagel],” either in the 1980s or 1970s, depending on who you ask. Since then, it skyrocketed into a must at bagel shops, polka-dotting not just white bagels, but also whole-wheat and pumpernickel.

Thanks to its savory oomph and crunch-crunch-crunch, people now use everything seasoning for, well, everything else too. Which makes sense—it’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a Big Little superhero. Just like chili powder and za’atar and berbere, this ready-to-rumble blend is a one-ingredient way to pack any recipe with a ton of flavor. (1)

Picture this: everything scones. Or pigs in a blanket. Or cheese puffs. Or spiced nuts. Or, in this week’s Big Little Recipe, an ooey-gooey, cream cheese–stuffed omelet.

Because, while everything seasoning is most often used in the bagel sense—as a crust or last-minute sprinkle—it’s just as powerful as a mix-in. By whisking it with the eggs and shaking it all over the finished omelet, you get the best of both worlds: savoriness and texture throughout, with a crackly topping.

And sure, cream cheese isn’t as popular an omelet filling at diners as, say, American or cheddar. But it should be. Just as it excels at spreading on toast, cream cheese is second to none at turning molten and melty at the mention of a hot skillet.

In the video above, I serve my omelet with buttered toast. It goes without saying that crispy potatoes or hashbrowns would be equally welcome. Likewise, a mound of vinaigrette-slicked arugula. Or, tucked into an everything bagel? A dream come true.

(1) Indeed, you can DIY. But honestly, why would you, when there are so many great options available? I haven’t met a blend I don’t like, and am especially fond of Trader Joe’s and King Arthur’s.