46 Sandwich Recipes That Aren’t PB&J
Updated: Aug. 19, 2024
Need good sandwich recipes to create when you're tired of the same old-school sammies? We've got so many ideas, you'll be able to try something new almost every week.
It’s all too easy to fall into a sandwich rut, eating the same PB&J or turkey-and-mayo day after day. Shake things up with a fresh sandwich recipe. We’ve rounded up our favorites, from mile-high restaurant-copycat club sandwiches to fresh veggie-forward wraps to cheesy melts. And remember, sandwiches don’t have to stay in the lunch bag. An eggy breakfast biscuit is the perfect recipe to start the day, while a melt makes a hearty dinner. Or, serve up sliders for a potluck party! Need a meal that’s a bit more filling? Try our favorite soups or salads as sandwich sides.
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Ham and Swiss Sliders
Ham and cheese is a classic sandwich combo, but these cheesy melts take it to another level. A pan of slider-sized buns is quick to layer, and a glaze of brown sugar, poppy seeds and horseradish tops it all off. They’ll be the first to disappear from the potluck table.
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Reuben Sandwiches
Reuben sandwiches are shared by Kathy Jo Scott of Hemingford, Nebraska. “My mouth waters just thinking of these sandwiches,” confesses Kathy Jo. “I adapted the recipe from one my mother found several years ago.”
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Turkey Focaccia Club
A great club sandwich balances savory deli meat, cheese and bacon with sweet-tangy condiments. This top-rated club slathers on mayo, mustard, honey and cranberry sauce to pack a big flavor punch. Though delicious any time of year, this is often best served with leftover cranberry sauce after Thanksgiving.
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Parmesan Chicken Sandwiches
One brilliant way to create a more exciting sandwich is to borrow fillings from your favorite meals. Here, breaded, saucy chicken Parmesan is served up in a handheld hoagie rather than on a bed of noodles, making it perfect for a quick family dinner.
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Dilly Turkey Melt
One way to up your sandwich game? Turn up the heat—literally. Grilling sandwiches enhance their flavor. The heat sears the bread and encourages the filling flavors to mingle. Melting the cheese is just a bonus. Serve these melts for winter lunch or dinner with a warm side of soup.
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Pineapple Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Chicken salad is surprisingly versatile. Stir in fillings to add texture: crunchy chopped nuts, crisp grapes or sliced apples, chewy raisins, dried spices and fresh herbs. Here, sweet pineapple adds a juicy, tropical slant on your typical sandwich.
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Gourmet Barbecue Beef Sandwiches
Tender, flavorful beef is an easy sandwich filling, if you make it in the slow cooker! While this recipe calls for a fancy sandwich atop croissants, it will be just as tasty on a hard roll or on sliced crusty bread.
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Shrimp Patty Sandwiches
Crispy, savory fish patties are a great seafood dish for skeptics. These savory cakes combine shrimp with haddock to maximize flavor without breaking the budget. Serve on burger buns or open-faced.
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California Roll Wraps
Sushi is delicious at a restaurant, but a bit fussy for an everyday meal at home. These simple wraps aim to duplicate the flavor, combining rich imitation crab meat, spicy wasabi mayo and creamy avocado with an array of crisp, chopped veggies. You can use what’s in season or in your fridge.
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Cuban Sandwich Burgers
These burgers nod to the classic flavors of a Cuban sandwich, and they’re a great summertime option when you have the grill fired up. Start with burger patties made from both ground beef and ground pork, then layer ham, cheese and pickles on top of the patties. Finish the burgers by smashing them down with a hot cast iron skillet for extra toasty buns.
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Beef ‘n’ Cheese Wraps
The benefits of wrap sandwiches are plentiful: the tortilla is less bulky, so the sandwich is lighter and the fillings can shine. Wraps are easy to find gluten-free, and they’re quick to, well, wrap up and take on-the-go. You can also slice a wrap into sections, skewer with a toothpick and turn them into appetizers.
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Grandma’s Baked Ham Salad Sandwiches
Need to eat up leftover ham? This old-fashioned ham salad recipe is just the ticket. The simple sandwich filling is packed with flavor but stirs together in minutes. Warm in the oven for a heartier meal or serve cold. Either way, it’s great with potato salad.
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Caribbean Chipotle Pork Sliders
Our favorite pulled pork sliders combine the heat of chipotle peppers with a cool tropical coleslaw. The robust flavors make these a big hit with guests. —Kadija Bridgewater, Boca Raton, Florida
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Club Roll-Ups
The secret to a good roll-up? A good sauce! Tortillas can get very dry if left plain. This recipe combines both cream cheese and ranch dressing for a tart, tangy, creamy base for the meat and cheese filling.
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Basil Chicken Sandwiches
Easy and elegant, this chicken sandwich is special enough to serve company but simple enough for everyday. Bottled salad dressing does double duty here, seasoning the chicken as it cooks and topping the sandwich buns. Serve with a fresh salad or veggie side.
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Tangy Barbecue Sandwiches
Prepping a big batch of barbecue beef is simple in the slow cooker. It’s a crowd-pleaser on game day, but it’s also worth making when it’s just the family. Freeze leftovers for a busy week when you want a meal ready-to-go.
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Tuna Melt on Cornbread
Sometimes, the best way to make a familiar sandwich feel fresh is to change up the bread. Instead of sticking with white bread, branch out—think crusty rolls, English muffins or even sliced cornbread like this tuna melt recipe.
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Pressure-Cooker Tandoori Chicken Panini
This Indian-inspired recipe cooks up in a jiffy thanks to the pressure-cooker. While some sandwiches feel too simple for dinner, this one doesn’t; bold spices, sweet chutney and chewy naan make for a satisfying meal.
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Gouda Turkey Club
The ingredient list for this club sandwich looks simple, but the method deploys a cool trick. Mix mayonnaise with shredded cheese and seasonings. The result is a hearty, flavor-packed dressing that complements the simple sliced turkey and avocado perfectly.
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Beer-Braised Pulled Ham
It’s tough to beat hot ham and mustard on rolls, but this recipe gives it a try, slow-cooking the pork in beer to add lots of flavor. Serve on pretzel buns, as suggested, for a Bavarian twist, or go with classic hard rolls.
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Italian Steak Sandwiches
No need to cook steak from scratch to make a good steak sandwich. This recipe dresses up deli roast beef with a broth of fresh garlic, herbs and spices. Nobody would guess the beef didn’t braise for ages on your stovetop!
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Cuban-Style Pork Sandwiches
These traditional Cuban-style sandwiches win rave reviews for the excellent homemade sauce. Pro tip: if you don’t have a panini press, you can finish hot sandwiches under the broiler, or in a hot cast iron pan on the stovetop, topped with another heavy pan or pot.
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Creamy Eggplant & Mushroom Monte Cristo
Eggplant is a surprisingly versatile veggie. When thinly sliced and cooked, it becomes silky and dense, the perfect filling for a vegetarian Monte Cristo.
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Italian Meatball Subs
Savory, hearty meatball sandwiches make a cozy fall or winter dinner. Serve them on top of a bun squishy enough to absorb the tasty tomato sauce.
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Basil-Tomato Grilled Cheese
Grilled cheese is delicious, but it definitely feels like an item on the kid’s menu. Jazz it up with basil and fresh tomatoes.
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French Dip
Like everything French, the French dip sandwich feels fancy: rolls piled with seasoned beef and served alongside a dish of sauce. But, like anything from a slow cooker, they’re easy to make. You can prepare the beef a day in advance and gently rewarm before assembling the sandwiches.
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Slow-Cooked Turkey Sloppy Joes
Don’t forget sloppy joes! The sandwich gets associated with cafeteria food, but when made fresh, the saucy sliders are packed with flavor and a great family meal. Serve with snappy green beans or lightly steamed broccoli.
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Bacon & Swiss Chicken Sandwiches
Chicken sandwiches are secretly vehicles for your favorite condiments. Honey mustard lovers, this one is for you!Also, check our sampled and ranked eight different restaurants list to find out once and for all who makes the best fast-food chicken sandwich.
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Ultimate Pastrami Sandwiches
Some sandwiches are a labor of love, but worth every bit of preparation. Take this restaurant-inspired pastrami sandwich with its perfect balance of fillings. Homemade cabbage slaw adds a fresh crunch, waffle fries add savory crispness, and the provolone and pastrami are pure comfort. Before you move ahead, get to know the difference between pastrami and corned beef.
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Grilled Goat Cheese & Arugula Sandwiches
Gooey, cozy grilled cheese can absolutely be elegant, and this recipe proves it. Serve this grown-up grilled cheese alongside a bowl of tomato soup (cold in summer, steaming in winter).
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Sweet & Smoky Pulled Pork Sandwiches
This ultra-tender pulled pork tastes like it spent days on the smoker, but it’s really made in the slow cooker. The secret? A well-seasoned sauce and a low, slow braise. Make sure to use a good store-bought barbecue sauce to finish.
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Chipotle Roast Beef Sandwiches
These savory, slightly spicy sandwiches taste restaurant-worthy, but they’re made with simple deli roast beef! The trick is to toast the buns, which primes them to absorb more of the yummy sauce (which is just jazzed-up mayo). It’s a great summer sandwich for warm nights eating out on the patio.
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Cranberry Turkey Wraps
It’s easy to make a rich sandwich taste great, but lightening up a sandwich recipe without ending up with a bland, sad sammie is the real trick. This wrap is packed with alternative (and tasty) ideas. Low-fat condiments are an easy switch, and you can add accents to milder meats like dried cranberries, sliced oranges and chopped pecans.
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BLT Waffle Sliders
It’s hard to beat a good BLT sandwich, but here’s one way: Serve them on waffles! BLTs as the new breakfast food is definitely something we can get behind.
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Savory Beef Sandwiches
The slow cooker is an ideal cooking method for beef, yielding perfectly tender meat every time (plus a potful of sauce). Serve these classic sandwiches with potato salad.
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Caesar Chicken Wraps
Sandwiches and wraps are a great place to use up leftover cooked chicken. These easy wraps can go so many directions. Serve with a big salad for a light dinner, corn on the cob for a heartier summer supper or pair the wrap with an apple for lunch.
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Weeknight Chicken Mozzarella Sandwiches
These chicken sandwiches have an easy way of flavoring—instead of dredging chicken breasts in plain breadcrumbs, it calls for garlic breadcrumbs. (Use stale bread leftover from spaghetti night!) It might seem like a simple change, but it’s one that infuses lots of flavor into the crispy chicken.
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Cuban Sliders
Cuban ham sandwiches get the slider treatment in this top-rated, crowd-pleasing recipe. The sliders are easy to make in a 13×9 pan; you don’t even need to separate the package of rolls! Simply slice across, layer on the fillings and bake under a buttery sauce.
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Cheesy Chicken Subs
If you’re tired of throwing chicken on a bun, try this inspired sub sandwich. Cook mushrooms and onions until they’re brown and fragrant, then add the chicken, which you’ve dusted with Ceasar salad seasoning. To finish it up, slide the open sandwiches under a broiler to melt cheese on top.
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Makeover Reuben Melt
Love Reubens but not the indulgence? Try these simple sandwiches, which are also quicker to prepare. They swap fresh slaw mix for the sauerkraut, and a homemade thousand island dressing made from low-fat milk. It’s one of our favorite lightened-up comfort foods.
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Chicken & Caramelized Onion Grilled Cheese
Everything is better with caramelized onions! The trick is to go nice and slow, letting the onions cook until they’re truly melted and super-sweet, which takes a good half-hour at least. Go ahead and make more than you need: they keep well in a jar in the fridge, and taste good on sandwiches, salads, burgers, pastas and pizza.
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Turkey & Swiss Biscuit Sliders
Another overlooked sandwich base? Biscuits! This recipe calls for making from-scratch biscuits, but of course you can use store-bought dough, or even leftover biscuits.
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Cashew Chicken Salad Sandwiches
You can’t have enough chicken salad recipes! The secret ingredient in this mix is chopped cucumber, which adds a fresh, summery flavor. Serve with a simple one-step summer side dish.
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Shredded French Dip
This top-rated sandwich recipe stars a beef roast so tender it practically shreds itself! Serve on a crusty roll that can stand up to dipping in the savory sauce.
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BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
A quick homemade barbecue sauce makes these chicken sandwiches extra special. As a bonus, you can adjust the seasonings to suit your appetite, upping the salsa for extra spice, the ketchup for extra sweetness or adding smoked paprika for heat.
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Cashew Turkey Salad Sandwiches
So-called salad sandwiches aren’t especially healthy, despite their name, but this recipe lightens things up. Tossing cubed turkey (or chicken) in low-fat mayo and plain yogurt maintains all the flavor but less fat. Dried apricots and cashews add pleasant crunch and chew to the mix.Originally Published: December 31, 1969
