Now that school is in full steam, we thought we’d take a long, hard look at a lunchtime staple and turn it on its head. These hearty, healthy dinner-worthy sandwiches are what’s on the menu on nights when you want to get something delicious and nutritious on the table without the prep, cleaning and cooking overhead.
These sandwiches come together quickly, but you can assemble them the night before for super-speedy dinner service.Featuring fresh fruits and vegetables, tasty proteins and whole-grain carbohydrates, your sandwich-for-dinner program won’t derail your healthy goals either.
A+ BLT (AVOCADO & BLT SANDWICH)
There’s nothing quite as satisfying as a salty and sweet BLT, besides maybe a salty and sweet BLT with avocado.
Ingredients:
- 4 slices whole-grain bread
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon
- 2 Roma tomatoes
- 4 leaves romaine lettuce
- 1 avocado
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- Zest of one lemon (optional)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
First, prepare the bacon. Divide between 2 wire racks set inside large, foil-lined, rimmed baking sheets. Bake, rotating sheets front-to-back and top-to-bottom halfway through, until brown and crisp, 35–50 minutes (depending on the thickness of the bacon). Transfer to paper towels to drain. Bacon can be prepared the night before and stored in an airtight container.
Slice the tomato and rinse the lettuce. Set aside. Slice the avocado in half and remove the pit, then slice lengthwise. Set aside.
Toast the slices of bread to your liking. Divide the mayonnaise between the 4 slices. Sprinkle with lemon zest. Divide the romaine slices, tomatoes, avocado and bacon in two, then stack onto two slices of bread, covering with the other slices. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe makes 2 servings at 1 sandwich each.
Nutrition (per sandwich): Calories: 446 calories; Total Fat: 33g; Saturated Fat: 6g; Monounsaturated Fat: 13g; Cholesterol: 25mg; Sodium: 576mg; Carbohydrate: 32g; Dietary Fiber: 10g; Sugar: 9g; Protein: 9g
STELLAR HERBED EGG SALAD
Chances are, you already have the ingredients for this vegetarian sandwich, packed with protein and flavorful, colorful, delicious herbs.
Ingredients:
- 8 slices whole-grain or pumpernickel bread, toasted
- 8 large hard-boiled eggs, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh chives or scallions, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, coarsely chopped
- 2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
- 1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, plus more if needed
- Hot sauce
- Kosher salt and ground pepper, to taste
Directions:
Mix eggs, chives, mayonnaise, dill, mustard, 1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar and a few dashes of hot sauce in a medium bowl until well combined. Season with salt, pepper and more hot sauce or vinegar, if desired. Divide between 4 slices of toasted bread and sandwich with remaining slices.
Recipe makes 4 servings at 1 sandwich each.
Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 408 ; Total Fat: 21g; Saturated Fat: 4g; Monounsaturated Fat: 2g; Cholesterol: 363mg; Sodium: 630mg; Carbohydrate: 37g; Dietary Fiber: 13g; Sugar: 4g; Protein: 19g
READ MORE > UNEXPECTED STONE FRUIT SALAD
STONE FRUIT & MOZZARELLA TARTINES WITH PROSCUITTO
The leftovers of our favorite, most unexpected, stone fruit salad make for great open-faced sandwich toppings. These tartines are fresh and delicious served cold or at room temperature, but placing them under the broiler for a few moments helps melt the mozzarella and add caramelization to the fruit
Ingredients:
- 1 cup stone fruit and tomato salad
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4–6 slices prosciutto (optional)
- 1 cup fresh arugula
- 2 slices whole-grain bread
Instructions:
Heat the broiler in your oven to high. Toast the slices of bread to your liking. Divide the olive oil, drizzling over the toasted bread.
Divide the stone fruit salad between the slices and broil quickly, to start melting the cheese. Remove the tartines from the oven and top with prosciutto and arugula. Serve immediately.
Recipe makes 2 servings at 1 sandwich each.
Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 429; Total Fat: 25g; Saturated Fat: 5g; Monounsaturated Fat: 20g; Cholesterol: 5mg; Sodium: 253mg; Carbohydrate: 29g; Dietary Fiber: 6g; Sugar: 15g; Protein: 15g