TODD COLEMAN

Our Best Sandwich Recipes

Over 50 recipes for sandwiches from simple to spectacular: banh mi, grilled cheese, tea sandwiches, and more.

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An earthy combination of fried eggplant, tea-steeped hard-boiled eggs, tahini, parsley, amba (a mango relish), and cucumber salad goes into this vegetarian sandwich.

These simple broccoli rabe–sausage sandwiches are a favorite postmarket lunch of cook and author Lidia Bastianich. See the recipe for Umbrian Flat Bread Sandwiches (Torta al Testo) »

Sandwich loaves were popular party foods in the 1940s and '50s. This updated version combines earthy mushrooms and pistachios with baked ham and fresh asparagus.

This sandwich combines stir-fried vegetables with a citrusy chile mayonnaise.

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According to Andrea Nguyen, author of Into the Vietnamese Kitchen (Ten Speed Press, 2006), the baguette for this iconic Vietnamese sandwich "should be light and airy, with a very delicate crumb that does not fight you, but just frames the sandwich."

A version of a California classic, this sandwich is a mix of vegetables, whole-grain bread, and Jack cheese, topped with ranch dressing.

Mexico's overstuffed cemita poblana brims with queso blanco, chipotle, pepper, avocado, papalo and crisp milanesa (a fried cutlet).

The crab cake sandwich at David Lentz's Hungry Cat restaurants in Hollywood and Santa Barbara, California, comes with romesco sauce and shaved fennel, red onion, and arugula.

A Cubano is a griddled white roll with Swiss cheese, boiled ham, dill pickle slices, and roasted pork.

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If serving these elegant sandwiches for afternoon tea, remove the crusts and cut each into 4 triangles or 2 rectangles. Arrange in stacks of 2 alongside the rest of your tea sandwiches.

Commonly served during merienda (afternoon tea) in Cuba, this sandwich of turkey, jam, and cream cheese on a roll is sweet and savory all in one. Try substituting leftover cranberry sauce for the strawberry jam.

Fiery sriracha sauce and fresh herbs and cucumbers balance the richness of chef Tom Colicchio's fried calamari sandwich.

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A common street food in Lebanon, manaeesh are flatbreads spread with various fillings, then folded over for easy eating. This recipe is based on one in Barbara Abdeni Massaad's Man'oushé: Inside the Street Corner Lebanese Bakery (Alarm, 2005). See the recipe for Man'oushé »

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Who needs bread to make a sandwich? Venezuela's patacon maracucho uses fried plantains instead.

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This decadent creation from reader Denise Woodward, author of the blog Chez Us, combines hollandaise, spinach, and a homemade sausage patty that cleverly encases a runny egg yolk on a toasted English muffin, for an out-of-this-world breakfast sandwich. This recipe first appeared in our April 2011 special Sandwich Issue with the article Picture-Perfect.

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Provolone and roasted long hot peppers top luscious wine-and-herb-braised pulled pork in a favorite from DiNic's in Philadelphia. Get the recipe for Pulled Pork Italiano »

Tuna mayonnaise gives April Bloomfield's roast pork sandwich at John Dory Oyster Bar in New York City a savory boost.

Another easy and not-scary option if you're trying to ease your way into enjoying sardines.

This update on the sardine sandwich provides an extra kick in the horseradish cream.

The SPAM and Cheese Sandwich from Kogi, in Los Angeles, is made with a slider bun, Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses, SPAM, sweet chile sauce, and kimchi. See Recipe For the SPAM and Cheese Sandwich from Kogi » Back to Classic Combination: Ham and Cheese »

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This popular Mexican sandwich from the state of Jalisco is filled with crisp roast pork, then "drowned" in a spicy chile de árbol sauce.

This sweet sandwich from Tartine Bakery & Café in San Francisco, is pressed and griddled to melt the creamy banana, cheese, and quince filling and toast the bread.

This ice cream sandwich, sold as a street snack in Singapore, comes in an array of colors and flavors. Author Chris Tan advises using bleached all-purpose flour to produce a soft, Wonder bread-like crumb. See the recipe for Ice Cream Loti »

Chef Pichet Ong, of Spot Dessert Bar in New York City, gave us this recipe for pok pok, an ice cream sandwich based on those he ate as a child in Bangkok. See the recipe for Pok Pok »

A staple of Mumbai street stalls, these aromatic fried potato-fritter sandwiches are slathered with coriander and tamarind chutneys and served on a buttered, toasted roll.

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Brazil's Bauru is made by smothering roast beef with melted mozzarella and tomato. See the recipe For Bauru »

Our favorite Italian Panino features focaccia, Taleggio, speck (smoked cured ham), arugula, and balsamic vinegar. See Recipe For Italian Panino » Back to Classic Combination: Ham and Cheese »

Australia's Hundreds and Thousands sandwich, made with butter and sprinkles on toasted white bread, is a simple and unexpected dessert. See the recipe for Hundreds and Thousands »

Chock Full o'Nuts, the storied chain of New York City lunch counters, serves this sweet sandwich of date-nut bread, cream cheese, and walnuts.

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This chewy, griddled flatbread forms the frame for Emilia-Romagna's famous sandwich. Alexia uses a classic filling of prosciutto, Taleggio cheese, and arugula, but the flatbreads can take virtually any ingredients as their filling. See the recipe for Piadina Romagnola »

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This recipe for hickory-smoked chicken sandwiches served with tangy, mayonnaise-based white sauce originated in 1925, when railway worker Big Bob Gibson dug a pit in his backyard in Decatur, Alabama, nailed a plank-oak serving table to a sycamore tree, and started smoking barbecue for friends, co-workers, and passersby.

A staple of Junior League cookbooks, these miniature ham sandwiches are doused in a tangy butter-poppyseed sauce and then baked in the oven.

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8. When the pork belly is fork tender, remove it from the oven. With a slotted spatula, carefully remove the pork belly from the pot. In a bowl, combine the pork belly with the BBQ sauce, making sure to cover every inch of the meat. Slather a small amount of sauce on both the tops and bottoms of the sandwich rolls, then place the sauced pork belly on the bottom halves. Add pickles and red onions to each sandwich and cover with the top half of the bun.

Fluffy, eggy, buttery, sweet, coiled like a snail's shell and generously dusted with powdered sugar, Pan de Mallorca is named for its land of origin, in Spain.

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Our favorite fillings for light, dainty Venetian tea sandwiches are asparagus and eggs, tuna and olives, and arugula with cured beef. Serve a selection open-faced for a colorful, eye-catching presentation.

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Lemon curd and goat cheese lends this breakfast sandwich a pleasing tang. Get the recipe for Ham, Cheese, Egg, and Lemon Sandwiches »

This succulent roast pork is delicious served on ciabatta buns with hazelnut gremolata and lemon-caper aioli.

The bolillo, a French-style crusty white bread roll from Mexico, is the traditional foundation of this comforting dish, but a kaiser or most any other sandwich roll will work well.

These salsa-dunked and griddled sandwiches, an iconic Mexico City street food, are named for the pambazos—soft, oval rolls—they're typically made with. Telera and kaiser rolls make fine substitutes.

A toasted poppy seed bagel is piled high with crisp greens, oven-dried tomatoes, roasted chicken, bacon, a fried egg, and homemade buttermilk dressing for a decadent spin on the traditional club sandwich.

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Packed with tomatoes, local bell peppers, black niçoise olives, anchovies and tuna, pan bagnat is basically a salade niçoise on crusty bread.

Bring out peanut butter's savory side by topping it with a few strips of smoky bacon—cooked extra-crisp to hold up against sogginess. On hearty whole-wheat bread, it's the kind of sandwich you may not be able to wait until lunchtime to eat.

Sweet, juicy heirloom tomatoes and slices of just-ripe avocado work in perfect harmony no matter what you serve them on, but a slice of seven-grain bread adds a perfect amount of texture and crunch.

The New York City restaurant Penelope serves a cult-favorite sandwich called the John Oliver: fresh goat cheese and a generous serving of kalamata olive tapenade together on (yes, really) toasted cranberry walnut bread. It's an uncanny pairing: sweet, nutty, briny, and creamy all at once. Get the recipe for Goat Cheese and Olive Tapenade Sandwich »

A dollop of ricotta on earthy-sweet oat bread is delicious; add a drizzle of sourwood honey and it's elevated to the exquisite. (For a bit of sophisticated heat, top with a sprinkle of freshly-crushed red pepper flakes.)

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It's tres French to pair crisp, spicy radishes with softened, salted butter; a thin-sliced baguette is the perfect vehicle.

Ham and eggs may be a breakfast classic, but they're even better for lunch: try sliced or quartered hard-boiled eggs layered with a salty ham and a bit of mayo on a hearty white bread.

It's autumn on a slice of bread: sourdough spread with rich apple butter, topped with slices of mild smoked gouda and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.

Dense rye bread is the perfect base for a generous smear of not-too-spicy whole-grain mustard topped with thin slices of a sharp cheddar.

There's no reason this tried-and-true combination needs to be limited to tea time. Make three or four of these paper-thin preparations of white bread topped with tangy, softened cream cheese and crisp cucumber slices, and call it a lunch.

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Casse-Croute Tunisien, a North African take on a French pan bagnat, requires two hands and a big appetite.

A fried egg crowns a decadent sandwich of ham enrobed in bechamel and melted cheese from Oklahoma City's Ludivine restaurant.

Sliced prime rib is sandwiched on thick toast under a blanket of rich gravy made from pan drippings at Piccolo Pete's in Omaha. See the recipe for Prime Rib Sandwich »