Classic Club Sandwich
on Jan 07, 2023, Updated Jan 29, 2024
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A Classic Club Sandwich is hard to beat- so filling and tasty! This classic double decker sandwich recipe is perfect for lunch or a snack.
Club Sandwiches are some of the best: toasted bread piled high with plenty of meats, juicy tomatoes, and crisp lettuce- yum! Goes great with a side of Air Fryer French Fries or some Pasta Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Double Decker
- Simple fresh ingredients.
- These are great for those days when you don’t want to get the stove warming up or a bunch of pots and pans dirty.
- You could also serve up them up as a filling sandwich appetizer at a party or luncheon- sort of like a tea sandwich. They make for a great finger food.
Sometimes, all I want is a good, warm sandwich topped with plenty of tasty meats and toppings. Thankfully, this diner style sandwich fits that bill nicely!
We think the Club Sandwich Recipe we have below will help you make the Best Club Sandwich you’ve ever had! Make this today and serve it up with a healthy serving of potato salad or potato chips and a pickle spear for a quick and filling lunch.
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Club Sandwich Ingredients
- Sandwich Bread – While you could grab some cheap bread for this recipe, we think a good sandwich starts with good bread. Feel free to use a white bread or a wheat bread depending on your preference. We really like using this Pepperidge Farm bread, but any good dense bread will work well!
- Mayonnaise
- Salt and Pepper
- Ham
- Cheese – Again, you could use cheap Kraft singles here but we like good cheese. Stop by the deli and grab some nice American or cheddar cheese slices instead.
- Lettuce – We used some romaine lettuce on our Club, but generally any “leaf lettuce” will do the trick. You can use good old Iceberg lettuce too. I’ve heard good things about butterhead lettuce, so give that a try and let us know how it tastes!
- Tomato – Any fresh tomatoes will do, but I’ve heard a beefsteak tomato or an heirloom tomato tastes great.
- Turkey or Chicken – We used turkey.
- Bacon – Microwave bacon works perfectly fine here, but you can pan-fry bacon up yourself if you want to! You could also try using something like our Air Fryer Bacon for this recipe. Just make sure it is crispy bacon.
How to Make a Club Sandwich
Making this up isn’t all that hard to do once you have your ingredients prepped. Here’s what to do:
- Toast bread and dress with mayo, salt and pepper. Assemble first half with ham, cheese, and lettuce.
- Add middle piece of bread then assemble second half with tomato slices, turkey or chicken, and bacon.
- Top sandwich with final slice of bread.
- Place on a cutting board and cut into triangular pieces or divide into halves or quarters. Use fancy toothpicks to hold the layers in place.
Variations for this Deli-Style Sandwich
- Consider thinly sliced chicken breast or even a roast beef instead of the deli turkey.
- Thin sliced red onion or avacado can add an additional flavor profile. Or add your other favorite veggies.
- Spicy mustard, thousand island dressing or a spicy aoili would add some tang.
- Pepper jack, provolone, havarti or swiss cheese could really take this triple decker to another level.
FAQs about Club Sandwiches
If you’re out of the loop and asking “what is a club sandwich,” let me catch you up to speed. A club sandwich is hearty sandwich filled with ham, turkey(or chicken), and bacon- plus some tasty additions like leaf lettuce, tomatoes, and mayo. That’s a lot of stuff crammed into one sandwich- that’s why you throw an extra slice of bread into the middle and cut it into quarters. Personally, I like a good turkey club sandwich, but feel free to make yours with chicken if you like!
The original Club Sandwich did not include a third slice of bread. Over the years, to keep the sandwich filling while not adding to the more expensive meat and cheese layers, a third slice of bread was added. It also helps to stabilize the sandwich between all of the more slippery layers.
Although the original did not include cheese, it has become more or less standard today. The kind of cheese can vary depending on the location and cook.
Once again, the original clubhouse sandwich did not include bacon. Over time, bacon has become pretty much normal.
A BLT typically consists of bacon, lettuce and tomato (usually with mayo). A Club Sandwich has the added layers of meat (typically turkey and ham).
Tips for Making the Best Sandwich
- Use wooden skewers or toothpicks to hold all of the sandwich’s layers in place while cutting with a serrated knife.
- Use a good quality deli lunchmeat, thinly sliced or even shaved. We prefer Boars Head.
- Thin bread works best, as this sandwich can get quite large.
- Use a high quality mayo, like Duke’s or Hellman’s. You could also try this homemade mayonnaise from Inspired Taste.
- You will not want to make this too much ahead of time, as the mayo will make the bread soggy, Also moisture from the other ingredients will add to this problem. The lettuce will not stay crisp either.
Other Delicious Sandwich Recipes
- For a delicious spin on the Classic Club, try our Copycat Applebee’s Clubhouse Grille. I’ve loved this Applebee’s version ever since I first tried it and love to whip up this tasty copycat version of it whenever I’m craving it. Some pepper jack cheese and that touch of BBQ sauce really makes this taste great!
- Another quick and easy recipe we like to make is our Copycat Chick-fil-A Chicken Salad Sandwich. Chicken salad makes for a great lunch option and Chick-fil-A always seems to do them the best! Use some good leaf lettuce to really make this recipe shine.
- Can’t forget about a classic egg salad: for that, go with our Copycat Starbucks Egg Salad. A simple blend of eggs, mayo, good Dijon mustard, and some chives makes for the best egg salad- throw that onto some good whole wheat with some arugula and you’re in business! A tasty recipe that’s a must-make during the spring and summer months.
Did you make this recipe? If so, be sure to rate with a star rating and drop a comment below.
Club Sandwich
Ingredients
- 3 slices Sandwich Bread
- 2 teaspoons Mayonnaise
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
- 2 slices Sliced Ham
- 1 slice Cheese, American or Cheddar
- 1 leaf Romaine Lettuce
- 1 slice Tomato
- 2 slices Sliced Turkey Breast
- 2 strips Bacon, cut in half
Instructions
- Toast bread until lightly brown.
- Spread each slice with mayonnaise.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Place ham on mayonnaise covered side of bottom bread.
- Top ham with a slice of cheese.
- Top cheese with lettuce.
- Place another piece of toast on top of lettuce (mayonnaise side down).
- Top with tomato, then turkey and bacon.
- Place on last slice of toast (mayonnaise side down).
- Use skewers to hold layers in place and cut sandwich into quarters.
Notes
- Use wooden skewers or toothpicks to hold all of the sandwich’s layers in place while cutting with a serrated knife.
- Use a good quality deli lunchmeat, thinly sliced or even shaved. We prefer Boars Head.
- Thin sandwich bread works best, as this sandwich can get quite large.
- Use a high quality mayo, like Dukes or Hellmans.
- Use microwave bacon if you want to save time.
I will definitely recommend this to my friends and we make it when we are going on a picnic. Thanks, Jen Cincyshopper for writing this amazing recipe.
I love a good deli style sandwich! Great instructions – Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party – Hope to see you there tomorrow too! Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Nothing beats a good club sandwich. We make them often for a quick and easy dinner. We do add spicy mustard to ours instead of mayo.
They are so simple to make, no need to purchase from the deli. I typically use mayo but spicy mustard does sound super tasty. Thanks for checking out the recipe. Have a wonderful weekend.