26 Delicious Sandwiches To Make for Dinner

There are so many reasons to embrace sandwiches for dinner.

• It's hot out and you don't want to heat up the kitchen.
• You forgot to defrost the chicken.
• The kids have soccer/dance/basketball/play practice and you need something fast.
• You baked up a loaf of sourdough sandwich bread on the weekend and need to use it up.
• You cooked last night. And the night before. And you want a break tonight.
• Sandwiches are yummy.

These 26 sandwiches are (mostly) cooking-free and come together quickly. If a sandwich only doesn't feel like a meal, add some easy, healthy sides like a green salad, pickles, baby carrots, applesauce, or quick-to-throw-together fruit salad.

Loaded Veggie Sandwich

Slice up fresh raw produce—Persian cukes, heirloom tomatoes, ripe avocados, lettuce—add some cheese, sprouts, and pickled onions and put it all between two slices of good bread slathered with both mayo and mustard. Toast the bread or not. Your choice.

Grilled Chicken Caprese Sandwich

So summery! Ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, and creamy mozzarella come together for the timeless Caprese combo, bulked up with grilled chicken breast. A smear of pesto on the ciabatta punches up the flavor.

Classic Muffuletta

The origins of this classic New Orleans sandwich may be in dispute, but you can't dispute how delicious it is. The sandwich in a hollowed out boule is briny with olives and marinated vegetables, smoky with cured meats, and creamy with Italian cheese. One sandwich serves four. Note—the sandwich doesn't take long to build, but it does need to rest for at least 1 hour for the flavors to marry and the oil to soak into the bread.

Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Simply Recipes contributor Maria J. Ritchie says, "Pop your cheese in the freezer for a few minutes before you shred it; cold cheese is a lot easier to handle than lukewarm cheese that will inevitably mush into a paste as you grate."

Wedge Salad Sandwich

Simply Recipes Contributor Liz Tarpy says, "Be sure to dress the sandwich right before eating to prevent over-sogging the rolls."

Grilled Cheese BLT

What a mashup! All the things you love about a BLT, but with melty cheddar added to the mix. To keep it simple, microwave or air-fry your bacon.

Tuna Melt

A diner tuna melt is all well and good, but when you build it on sturdy rustic bread and add tarragon to the mix, you have an oozy, cheesy masterpiece.

Caesar Chicken Wrap

Do you have bottled Caesar dressing? Do you have cooked chicken breast? Add Romaine and tortillas and you're golden. No worries, our recipe has a way to make it all from scratch, if you prefer.

Ultimate Club Sandwich

Homemade garlic aioli in place of regular old mayo gives credence to this turkey club with roasted turkey, crispy bacon, and fresh veggies being the ultimate version of the sandwich. Also essential for making this the ultimate club—fresh, crisp romaine to give it a good crunch when you bite into it.

Chickpea Panini

So, it turns out that in Italy, a panini is not always grilled. This ungrilled panini, stuffed with a creamy yet healthful chickpea filling, ensures you have a no-cook meal.

Reuben Sandwich

Simply Recipes founder Elise Bauer says, "This makes one-half cup of dressing. So, reserve half and refrigerate for a later use."

Italian Sub Sandwich

This sub (or hoagie, if that's what you prefer to call it) is so loaded with salami, turkey breast, pepperoni, and, of course, banana peppers that you have to rip out some of the insides of the roll to fit it all in. Made on a large loaf of Italian bread, it serves 6!

Quick and Easy Egg Salad Sandwich

If you have eggs in the fridge, you always have a sandwich filling. A dash of curry powder adds some zing to traditional egg salad. Want to make it even more interesting? Add some optional chopped bell pepper, pickles, capers, or chopped cooked bacon.

Best Tuna Salad

Make this classic tuna salad with canned tuna, mayo, celery, onion, and lemon. You can customize it with chopped apples, grated carrots, scallions, and other mix-ins to your liking.

Pan Bagnat (French Tuna Sandwich)

This French picnic sandwich on a baguette is full of canned tuna, anchovies, olives, tomatoes, onions, and hard-boiled eggs. It's like the classic salade Nicoise in sandwich form. Its name means bathed bread. What is the bread bathed in? Olive oil.

Chickpea Salad Sandwich

This vegetarian take on chicken salad subs a can of drained chickpeas for the chicken. Mash the chickpeas and mix them with celery, capers, mayo, and mustard. Add the salad to a sandwich along with mashed avocado, tomato, and crunchy almond slivers. (Don't throw away the liquid drained from the chickpeas. It's called aquafaba and it has many culinary uses!)

Avocado Tuna Salad

This tuna salad skips the mayo and uses avocado to add creaminess to the tuna, red onions, and celery. The recipe makes enough for two sandwiches and comes together in just 10 minutes.

Ham Salad

Use up leftover ham in this savory salad that's full of hard-boiled eggs, pickle relish, mayo, onion, celery, bell pepper, and mustard. It works between two slices of bread of your choice, and it's also delicious all on its own.

Avocado Lettuce Tomato Sandwich (ALT)

No b with your l & t? Them's fighting words. Unless you replace the bacon with avocado. Then you have a fresh spin on a classic sandwich. Of course, you can also add some bacon. No one's stopping you.

Cuban Sandwich (Cubano)

There are plenty of ways to make a Cuban sandwich, but some are non-negotiable: slices of roast pork in particular. If you make a pork roast, this is THE way to use up your leftovers.

Tuna Salad Sandwich (With a Twist)

What differentiates this tuna salad from the tuna salad mentioned above? The addition of cottage cheese. It adds more protein, plus a creaminess and richness. The salad also gets some crunch from chopped celery and chopped red onion.

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

Don't tell anyone from Philly! They might balk at this concept, but marrying Philly cheesesteak toppings with an easy sloppy joe filling is genius.

Tarragon Chicken Salad

Inspired by the popular tarragon chicken salad Starbucks used to have on its menu, this version is even better. The aromatic green herb tarragon adds flavors of licorice, eucalyptus, vanilla, and pepper. Dried cranberries add a little sweetness. This salad works great between two hearty slices of whole grain bread, or whatever bread is your fave.

Deviled Ham with Pickled Jalapeños

This retro sandwich filling deserves to make a comeback. The 1960s party staple gets a Southwestern upgrade with the addition of spicy pickled jalapeños. Serve on the bread of your choice, but good old-fashioned white bread adds to its retro vibe.

Liverwurst Sandwich

If you hated liverwurst as a kid, even though you never tried it, it's time to give this sandwich meat a chance now that you have a grown up palate. You may be pleasantly surprised. This simple sandwich is good on white or rye bread with just a smear of mayo and a slice or two of lettuce.

Greens, Egg, and Ham Sandwich

A Seussian sandwich that proves we not only like green eggs and ham, but love it. The greens in question are wilted baby spinach, but any old green could work in the clean-out-the-fridge bonanza.