Ten sandwiches hearty enough for dinner
Stuck on what to make for dinner tonight? Forget fussy recipes and assemble a sandwich! There's something for everyone between two slices of hearty bread. Here's a creative list of sandwiches that will save you time in the kitchen while also keeping your family happy and full. (Related: 10 Easy, Delicious Recipes for Homemade Bread)
1. Ultimate Grilled Cheese
The Pioneer Woman knows how to give you an ultimate grilled cheese experience. Start with a slice of bread topped with a mayo hot sauce. Then pile on a layer of hard boiled eggs and a slice of cheese. Next, add some bacon (optional) and sautéed onions. Add one more slice and layer of eggs before grilling to a golden brown.
2. Turkey Bacon Bravo
Check out this copycat of Panera's Bacon Turkey Bravo sandwich. The author substitutes focaccia bread in for tomato-basil bread when she orders at the café, but you can use whatever you like best (or have available). Besides the core ingredients — romaine lettuce, tomato, turkey, gouda, and bacon — the real secret is in the sauce, which is just a combination of mayonnaise, ketchup, lemon juice, mustard, and hot sauce.
3. Veggie Behemoth
I created this veggie behemoth sandwich over five years ago. And I've made it once a week ever since (no joke). Thick cuts of toasted bread are layered with seitan, cheese, avocado, sweet potato fries, and coleslaw. I've been using pesto as a spread recently, but in its original form, I whisked together a sauce of white wine vinegar, sesame oil, horseradish, and yellow mustard.
4. Chicken Pesto
This chicken pesto sandwich comes together in just five minutes. You'll need shredded chicken breast, Greek yogurt, and bread, as well as some tomatoes, arugula, and mozzarella cheese. The key to this sandwich is the homemade pesto. Use your food processor to blend basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, pine nuts, salt, and pepper. Coat your chicken in the pesto, assemble the rest of the ingredients, and then you're done.
5. Bagel Sandwich
My favorite way to build a sandwich is with an open-faced bagel foundation. This avocado cream cheese sandwich is a superb example of what I love, but you can take this concept and apply it to whatever you like. I often eat a hummus melt atop a bagel. You can do a chicken salad or tuna salad melt. Or just pile on whatever ingredients are hiding around in your refrigerator.
6. Egg Salad
Alone, an egg salad sandwich might not seem like a very interesting dinner. However, when you take into account the powerful protein eggs pack — you might reconsider. Add to that the idea for switching out traditional mayonnaise with Greek yogurt for more protein points. Oh, and put it all on crusty bread with thickly sliced tomatoes and a bed of greens. Sounds pretty darned delicious to me. (Related: 10 Easy and Delicious Eggs for Dinner Recipes)
7. Shrimp Po' Boy
We used to live around the corner from this great Cajun/Creole restaurant that had the most amazing po' boy sandwiches. My husband has made this shrimp po' boy, and it's worth it. You'll toss all the sauce ingredients in a dish, mix, and let mingle while you cook your shrimp. From there, sauté your shrimp in butter and sprinkle with seasoning. Get out your hoagie rolls, put down a bed of sliced cabbage and some sauce, and add the cooked shrimp.
8. Green Goddess Grilled Cheese
Here's another variation of gooey grilled cheese, green goddess grilled cheese. You'll load up your sandwich with pesto, spinach, avocado, and goat cheese in addition to whatever sliced cheese you prefer. Then grill until golden and enjoy all that green goodness.
9. BBQ Bean With Slaw
Vegans in the bunch will go crazy for this BBQ bean sandwich with creamy cole slaw. The recipe calls for pinto beans, but I imagine you could use black, white, or even garbanzos in a pinch. You'll bake your beans in a coating of your favorite BBQ sauce for half an hour to thicken. Then place the beans on a bun and top with your coleslaw mixture.
10. Philly Cheesesteak
I'm a Pennsylvania native, so this Philly cheesesteak sandwich definitely pulls at my heartstrings. You should absolutely use skirt steak according to the author — no substitutions here. After cooking and draining the excess moisture from the meat, add salt and pepper to season. Then fold the Parmesan and American cheeses into the meat before placing everything on toasted rolls. Top with sautéed peppers and onions.
