Use left over holiday turkey and ham (Or any leftover ham or turkey) to create a light and tasty meal after all of that heavy eating…. Make these Turkey Cuban Sandwiches! (A great way to create a Budget Friendly Menu Plan.)
I don’t know about you , but after stuffing my face during Thanksgiving or Christmas, I’m tired of the leftovers in no time at all. I think it’s because after cooking all day, and fighting with my mom about how much dill to put in the potato salad, I’m just done. After all of that, I’m just done! HaHa 🙂
I just want a hot bath, and a nice light meal….. Well, a lighter meal than what I just had….
And even though I’m sick of seeing turkey and ham, I still don’t want to get rid of my leftovers. I feel like I’m throwing away money, so I invented a grilled sandwich similar to the famous Cuban sandwich!
I grab a loaf of fresh baked Asiago cheese bread from my local grocery bakery, and I pile it high with ham, aged Swiss cheese, pickles, and a homemade deli spread. And instead of slow roasted pork, I use leftover roasted turkey of course.
This sandwich has an easy to make homemade deli spread that adds a nice tangy taste to the sandwich. And the cheese in the bread adds additional flavor as well. And after it’s all said and done, you brush the sandwich with melted butter, then cook it in a hot pan or some type of sandwich press to give you a buttery crispy grilled sandwich. (Don’t worry, you don’t have to go out and get a fancy panini press machine. I still use my old George Foreman grill or my cast iron pan to cook these bad boys.)
P.S. It’s not a requirement to roast a big turkey and ham. You can use a roasted turkey breast and deli ham slices from your grocery store’s deli. Also if you are just completely done with your leftovers, put your leftover turkey and ham in the freezer. Then, bring it back out later to make these sandwiches when you can come to grips with seeing turkey again.
Do you need more recipes for leftover turkey or any Holiday leftovers for that matter?? Check out my post with 25 ways to use Thanksgiving Leftovers. Get those recipes HERE.
Enjoying These Turkey Cuban Sandwiches? Try These, Too:
- Thanksgiving Turkey Tips For Beginners
- Garlic Parmesan Spaghetti Squash
- Coupon 101: Part 2 – How to Read Coupons
- Brandied Cinnamon Apples
Turkey Cuban Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 8 slices of cuban bread or sliced fresh baked bread. (I used an Asiago Cheese Bead Loaf from my market's bakery.)
- 4 slices of roasted turkey (I used 4 slices of roasted turkey breast and I sliced it about 1/4 inch thick)
- 4 slices of roasted ham (I slice these slices at about 1/4 inch thick) or 8 slices of deli ham
- 8 slices aged Swiss cheese
- 16 dill pickle slices (as shown in the pictures)
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Sandwich Spread Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used reduced fat olive oil mayonnaise)
- 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
- (This makes about 1 cup of sauce)
Instructions
- First make the sandwich spread by mixing all of the sandwich spread ingredients.
- Spread about a tablespoon of the sandwich spread on to one side of the bread.
- Then, layer your ham, turkey, pickles, and Swiss cheese on to that slice of bread you put the sandwich spread on. To complete the sandwich, top with another piece of bread.
- Repeat this 3 more times to make a total of 4 sandwiches with your ingredients.
- Melt the butter, and brush the outer sides of the bread with the melted butter.
- Turn on your griddle or panini press and let it heat up according to the manual's instructions. Or let a pan get hot on medium to medium high heat.
- Once the pan or cooking device is hot, add your sandwiches to it and cooked until the outside of each sandwich is golden brown, the cheese is melted, and the sandwich filling is heated through. This typical takes me about 3 to 4 minutes. (If you are using a pan, make sure to flip the sandwiches every one to two minutes to ensure both sides get golden brown, and the filling heats through.)
Notes
If you want this sandwich flat (similar to a panini) but don't have a fancy cooking device, place a heavy pan on top of the sandwiches while they cook in the pan to help flatten the sandwiches.
I add about 4 pickles to each sandwich, but if you love pickles, add more to suit your taste.
I add 1 tablespoon of sandwich spread to each sandwich and use the rest of the sauce as a dipping sauce while eating. But if you like your sandwich to have a lot of sauce, add more of the sandwich spread to your sandwich while assembling the sandwiches.
Please note that I am not a nutritionist, and the nutritional information is an estimate only. It varies based on the products and brands used.
Thanks for stopping by! Welcome to the Savory Spicerack! In my kitchen, there is no such thing as a bland meal. Each of my creations are just the way food should be – packed with flavor and created with love. 
looks good!
Thanks!
OMG — the Cuban got me. It is a weakness I can’t fight. I know that sounds so weak but my heavens the flavors are there. Now you’ve done me a huge favor by making turkey. Thank you!!
You are very welcome! Cuban is my favorite too!!! Just a nice hearty sandwich to fill us up! Thanks for stopping by!
Hand down, this is my type of sandwich! I could have a big platter full of these beauties for lunch. Looks really good
I know right! These hearty sandwiches are just my type too! Thanks so much!
I want to eat this sandwich! No leftovers here. I’ll just have to go to the store and buy! Oh I’m looking forward to this meal! Love the flavors you have put together here!
You know even I don’t have leftovers, I am heading to the store sometimes too just to make these! Thanks so much!
What a delicious looking sandwich, from the bread to the insides, this one has winner written all over it!
I am so happy this is a winner in your book Mr. Dan! Thanks for stopping by!
This sandwich is what I would order at our local deli. This is right up my alley and love that you can use turkey from a big meal to create another great recipe the next day. Delicious.
Oh my I love a good local deli! Yep leftovers is the best thing since sliced bread when it comes to saving a buck!
Ha! Ha! I am picturing you fighting with your mom over the dill. That must have been quite the sight to see.
This is such scrumptious looking sammy. I’m wishing I would have had my act together after the holidays so I could have whipped up a couple of these beauties (I had loads of turkey in the house). Next time. 😉
Ha! Yep you would have fell over laughing at me and my mom. Hey you don’t even need leftovers to make this sammy Lynn, you can hit up the store and make this. The frugal gods will still approve 🙂
I’m hungry just looking at these photos! Such a great idea for sprucing up leftovers too!
Thanks so much!! I’m hungry too as I type this wanting a redo!
Excellent idea Sharee! We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in Greece, but we do have leftover turkey or chicken (usually rotisserie chicken) quite often:) So this recipe very handy:) We loved the condiment you made, it’s perfect for this sandwich!
Thank you for another delicious idea dear! Have a delicious, joyful, happy Thanksgiving!
xoxoxo
Thanks so much! I am so happy that you can still create this sandwich no matter what day it is! I will be stopping by your way shortly to check out your wonderful delights! xo!