I could live off of sandwiches all summer long, especially the kind that requires zero cooking (like this one!). I was recently in Philadelphia for a wedding and made it my mission to try as many sandwiches as I could in the city of hoagies. This recipe is inspired by a sandwich I had at Middle Child called “so long sal”. It had what they called an “artichoke relish” as the spread that had little shreds of cheese mixed into it, which was really the star of the sandwich (that and the seeded hoagie).
So for this recipe, we’re chopping jarred peppers, artichokes, and cheese together until they’re super fine to use as our “spread”. The rest is pretty simple – it’s all about that spread!
Ingredient highlight
Artichokes! Are a great source of potassium, magnesium, iron, vitamin C, folic acid, and protein. They contain a specific type of fiber called inulin, which is a prebiotic that is important for maintaining a healthy gut.
Servings 4 sandwiches
Prep Time 5 minutes Ingredients
- 4 oz provolone or cheddar cheese, grated or sliced
- 1 heaping cup of a mix of artichoke hearts and roasted red bell peppers*
- 8 large slices bread, toasted**
- 10-12 oz sliced turkey (or any other deli meat)
- Arugula (or other lettuce)
- Dijon mustard
- *You could also just do one or the other if you don’t want to buy an extra ingredient, but I love the mix!
- **A sandwich is only as good as the bread used to make it. I like to use local sourdough bread, but you can find good sourdough at most grocery stores.
Instructions
- To a cutting board, add the cheese, artichoke, and peppers in a pile. Use a knife to chop it all up together until everything is mixed and very finely chopped.
- On one piece of toast, add a generous scoop of the artichoke/pepper mixture and spread/press it evenly to cover the toast. Top with turkey, followed by the arugula. On the other slice of toast, spread a very generous layer of dijon mustard.
- Now just put the sandwich together, press it down firmly so all the ingredients can get to know each other, and slice it in half (with a bread/serrated knife).
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Make the artichoke spread.
Substitutions:
- To make vegetarian, use scrambled or fried eggs OR a plank of pan-fried or baked tofu in place of the meat. You could also mash up some beans (like in this recipe) and use that.
- To make vegan, see above + use a vegan cheese or skip the cheese.
- To make gluten-free, use a GF bread or eat it in a corn or GF tortilla. You could also make it a salad or bowl by chopping up the cold cuts into bite sized pieces. Serve that with the veg/cheese mixture over a bed of dressed greens or grains. Top with some avocado and nuts!
- Any lettuce or greens can be used in place of arugula.
Storage:
- Store leftover artichoke spread in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Make another sandwich! Try it “grilled cheese” style. Add the arugula after you grill the sandwich or serve it with a side of arugula salad.
- Leftover artichoke spread can be used in any sandwich or on toast with a fried egg on top. Try adding it to a tortilla and make a quesadilla with it!
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