Nutritious Sandwich Options
Cooking Light is working with the Partnership for a Healthier America and USDA’s MyPlate to give anyone looking for healthier options access to thousands of recipes that will help them create healthy, tasty plates. For more information about creating a healthy plate, visit ChooseMyPlate.gov.
First up is our Chicken and Roquefort Sandwiches. One serving of this entrée contains about one-fourth of your daily sodium allotment. We extend salty Roquefort cheese by mixing it with cream cheese as a spread. A 2-ounce portion size for bread also helps control sodium counts.
Lemongrass Tofu Banh Mi
The bread and Vietnamese filling—carrot and radish, cilantro, mayonnaise, and cucumber—are traditional in this vegetarian take on the classic. Prepare mayonnaise mixture and toast bread while the tofu and vegetable mixture marinate.
Open-Faced Blackened Catfish Sandwiches
This Cajun-inspired catfish sandwich is served open faced and topped with a creamy slaw packed with fresh cilantro.
Hoisin-Glazed Salmon Burgers with Pickled Cucumber
Quick-pickled cukes give these burgers tart crunch. Panko and egg white hold the patties together. Use cilantro leaves on the burgers as you would Âlettuce for herby freshness.
Lamb Burgers with Cilantro Raita
The tangy, herby yogurt sauce (raita) stands in for mayonnaise on this blended burger. For more spicy kick, leave the seeds in the serrano chile.
Grilled Tomato and Brie Sandwiches
These grilled tomato and brie sandwiches make the most of juicy, flavorful summer tomatoes. Serve with grapes or carrot sticks.
Soy-Marinated Pork Sandwiches
There's just the right amount of heat and sweet in these succulent pork sandwiches. Serve with a soba noodle salad.
Italian Beef Sandwiches
If you can't find Italian rolls, substitute a sturdy bread that will soak up the juices in this moist, delightfully messy sandwich.
Barbecue Pulled Chicken Sliders
Make these easy barbecue pulled chicken sliders by pairing shredded rotisserie chicken with homemade barbecue sauce for an easy weeknight meal.
Open-Faced Eggplant Sandwiches
Here's the key to a speedy dinner: While the eggplant broils, toast your bread slices in a toaster oven.
Tuna Salad Melt
You'll love this open-faced take on a classic tuna melt. Sustainable note: Solid white tuna is albacore, the most sustainable choice among varieties of tuna.
Slow-Cooked BBQ Fennel, Onion, and Pork Sandwiches
These pork sandwiches are a nod to low-and-slow Southern barbecue–using just a little bit of pork shoulder. And just like traditional pulled pork, the meltingly tender vegetables and pork are piled high on toasted buns, slathered with a Greek yogurt mixture, and topped with shredded cabbage.
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Bacon and Egg Sandwiches with Caramelized Onions and Arugula
This upscale twist on the traditional breakfast sandwich features sweet, tender caramelized onion and peppery arugula. A fresh fruit salad would be a good accompaniment.
Roast Chicken and Cranberry Sandwiches
Chutney adds a pleasing sweetness to this new twist on the chicken sandwich. We prefer cranberry chutney, but any variety will do.
Open-Faced Prosciutto and Plum Sandwiches
Sweet fig preserves balance the tartness of the plums. Choose red or purple plums with bright, unblemished skin that are firm and plump to the touch.
Chicken Souvlaki Pitas with Tahini Sauce
If you can't find tahini, substitute an equal amount of peanut butter to make the sauce for these Middle East–inspired sandwiches. You can prepare the sauce and chicken ahead of time and stuff the pitas when you're ready to eat.
Grilled Goat Cheese Sandwiches with Fig and Honey
These grilled cheese sandwiches are equally good for breakfast or dinner. Mixing honey with the goat cheese makes it easier to spread over the cinnamon-raisin bread plus it adds a delectable sweetness that won't overpower the palate. This warm, ooey-gooey goodness is exactly what you're in the mood for.
Our Homemade Quick Black Bean Burger
Serve this meatless black bean burger on a bun with hot sauce-spiked ketchup, spinach leaves, tomato, a slice of Monterey Jack cheese, avocado slices, and onion.
Steak Sandwiches with Pickled Onion and Herb Aioli
Herbs, garlic, and lemon juice combine with mayo for a sauce that makes the sandwich.
Cornmeal-Crusted Tilapia Sandwiches with Jicama Slaw
This quick, simple, and delicious tilapia sandwich will satisfy your weeknight hunger.
Open-Faced Chicken Club Sandwiches
This flavorful sandwich will add brightness to your day. Serve it with fresh seasonal citrus or other fruit.
Beef, Orange, and Gorgonzola Sandwiches
Grilled flank steak with oranges and blue cheese combine in a sandwich that will make you the envy of coworkers when you open your lunch box. For the best results, use crusty rolls because they stay pleasantly crisp.
Quick BBQ Sandwiches with Slaw
Pile the slaw on the sandwich for a crunchy contrast to the tender grilled pork. Serve with smoky grilled corn: Brush 4 ears shucked corn with olive oil. Grill 8 minutes, turning occasionally. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon smoked paprika. Serve with lime wedges.
Fried Egg BLT Sandwiches
Opt for focaccia without cheese or herbs, and choose one that doesn't look oily. Serve with a fruit salad of 1 cup blueberries and 2 cups strawberries.
Grilled Farmers' Market Sandwiches
The stack of grilled eggplant, red onion, and zucchini are quite a mouthful but still tasty to eat.
Spicy Chicken Sandwiches with Cilantro-Lime Mayo
These reduced-fat chicken sandwiches feature chicken cutlets encrusted with tortilla chip crumbs, which yield a satisfying crunch. You can also use spicy chips for more heat.
Smoked Mozzarella, Spinach, and Pepper Omelet Sandwiches
Breakfast for dinner is a fun way to shake up your menu, and breakfast foods are almost always quick and easy. This 10-minute dish is no exception. We combine whole eggs and egg whites to give great flavor but keep fat in check, and use deeply flavored smoked mozzarella to add more depth.
Italian Meatball Sliders
Little burgers deliver big flavor in these Italian-inspired sliders. Marinara sauce replaces the ketchup and basil serves as a sub for lettuce.
Fruity Tuna-Salad Pita Sandwiches
These sandwiches taste great and pair protein with carbohydrates to keep your energy level up. You can substitute one (9-ounce) can of solid white tuna in water, drained, for the tuna steak.
Chipotle Chicken Cheesesteaks
This sandwich packs in gooey cheese, smoky spices, and chunks of chicken for a comforting family-friendly dinner.
Italian Sausage Hoagies
The hearty filling of veggies and turkey sausage will get rave reviews from adults and kids alike.
Mushroom Lentil Burgers
Make homemade veggie burgers in a snap with precooked lentils. Brown lentils can be substituted but tend to be more moisture-dense and may require additional breadcrumbs to help bind the burgers.
Shrimp Salad Rolls
Superfast and easy to make, these shrimp salad rolls are a great way to eat more seafood during the week.
Melty Monsieur
Serve fruit with this kid-friendly take on the classic croque monsieur.
Curried Pork Salad Wraps
If you can't find lavash, try lower-sodium flatbreads or sandwich wraps.
Breaded Fish Sandwiches with Mint-Caper Tartar Sauce
Spiking tartar sauce with mint and capers improves the classic fish sandwich deliciously. Cutting the fish into a square shape helps it fit the bun better. Be sure to use a sweet onion, and soak it in ice water so that you get the crunch but no harsh bite.
Berkeley Veggie Burger
Big-time flavors from blue cheese and horseradish make this burger delicious.
Tomato and Feta Toasts with Mixed Greens Salad
Utilize summer's bounty in this superfast, super healthy open-face tomato sandwich.
Great Plains Burger
King Corn governs the Great Plains and probably always will. This burger delivers deep corn essence two ways. The first puts a happy soul-of-corn flavor right in the patty: Corn chips are crumbled into lean, free-range bison meat. Then there's a sweet, creamy fresh-corn mayo that brightens the whole thing up. Charred onion bolstered by smoky chile pepper heats and a wild whiff of sage completes the roundup of prairie gusto. -Robin Bashinsky, Recipe Tester and Developer
Grilled Turkey-Plum Sandwiches
This turkey sandwich loses the bland cold cuts and upgrades to thick turkey cutlets, sweet plums, and fresh basil.
New England Turkey Burger
Surf-and-turf sings a New England tune: Stick a few hunks of Maine lobstah on a beef patty and call it a day. But beef and lobster don't really belong together in a bun. I wanted something simpler, more basic and true to the region where I spent my college years. Turkey is a healthy choice and the essence of New England tradition. Caramelized onions simmer in hoppy Sam Adams beer, while shaved Vermont cheddar adds tang and richness to the meat. -Hannah Klinger, Contributor
Pacific Northwest Burger
Salmon is sacred in the region, but don't grind it, please. No fish cake beats a fillet hot off the grill, nicely charred and glazed outside, almost sushi-tender within. Watercress—the peppery green I was eating way before arugula vogued in local markets—is quintessentially Pacific Northwest. Asian flavors are beloved, so the mayo is ginger-tinged. For crunch and tang, there's a quick pickle of fresh, thin-sliced radish. This luscious treat takes me right back home. -Scott Mowbray, Editor
Egg Salad Sandwiches with Bacon and Sriracha
Look for precooked eggs, such as Eggland's Best, in the dairy section of the supermarket.
Greek-Seasoned Steak Sandwiches
Serve these hearty sandwiches with a side of crisp carrot and celery sticks and light ranch dressing for dipping. Make breadcrumbs with the parts of pita you cut off by pulsing in a food processor; freeze for a couple of months.
Kale and Caramelized Onion Grilled Cheese
Let veggies in on the grilled cheese action with this gooey sandwich recipe.
Meatball Subs
These meaty, saucy, two-napkin sandwiches are destined for heavy dinnertime rotation.
Cheesy Chicken and Pepper Subs
Serve with crunchy vegetable sticks, a simple tossed salad, or steamed green beans.
Chicken Salad Melts
For a touch more sweetness, substitute halved grapes for the apple. You can also chop the apple and add it to the salad mixture.
Lamb and Red Pepper Pita Sandwiches
Folding feta into the lamb mixture adds a salty tang to the patties. Also, use a gentle hand when forming the patties so they keep their texture.
Shorty Shrimp Po'boys
Grab a shorty! Our smaller-scale sandwich is truly satisfying, especially with pickle chips and kale.
Picadillo Sloppy Joes
Turn this into a family-friendly meal and substitute diced green or red peppers for the pickled jalapeños. Whip up these Sloppy Joes in just 40 minutes by grilling the onions, toasting the buns, and preparing the salad all while the beef mixture cooks.
Mini Philly Cheeseburgers
These cheesy sliders are a family-friendly hit and ready in just 20 minutes.
Ultimate Grilled Cheese
When a rich cheese mixture is slathered on whole-grain bread and sautéed in olive oil, the result is a glorious silky, ultra-cheesy sandwich.
Avocado and Tomato Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Soft, buttery avocado amps up the irresistible gooeyness of this grilled cheese. Tomato brings a bright, acidic contrast to the richness of cheese and avocado. Firm, ripe tomatoes will perform best--giving off some, but not too much, juice as the sandwich grills.
Grilled Turkey, Apple, and Cheddar Sandwiches
Mango chutney is more savory than sweet, with warm spices, onion, and vinegar. It adds a tangy note to the sandwiches, but you can omit it if you like. For extra toasty sandwiches, weigh down with a plate or heavy pan as they cook.
