Summer is upon us, and for many folks, that means heat … kids home all day … more heat … kids playing and constantly getting hungry … and even more heat. Between the soaring temperatures, chasing active children around (where in tarnation do they get all that energy?) and the increased demands on laundry caused by copious amounts of sweat and grime, often the last thing you want to do is make something hot to eat. What you need is something that doesn’t require firing up the stove or the oven, but also manages to be more nutritious and less guilt-inducing than serving ice cream for lunch and flavored ice cubes for dessert.
Sandwiches make excellent summer fare. They’re easy to make, and kids love them. They can be made into wraps, or served on a salad for a healthier, lower-carb option. You can make them ahead, too, which means you might actually have some time to catch your breath and put your feet up before getting a meal ready.
Our collection today features cold sandwiches, and the most heating you’ll have to do for these is toasting the bread. Which you don’t even have to do if you don’t want to. We’ll save the grilled sandwiches and paninis for another time. This post is all about keeping things cool, man. Let’s get started!
First up, chicken salad sandwiches. You can make these with leftover chicken (or turkey) or even rotisserie chicken, which adds a nice roasted flavor to the salad.
Clockwise from top left: Chicken Salad Sandwiches from callimakesdo, Curry Apple and Leftover Turkey Salad Sandwich from steamykitchen, Tarragon Chicken Salad with Pecans and Cranberries from theparsleythief, Fancy Chicken Salad from golokitchen, Chicken Salad with Peas and Herb Mustard Vinaigrette from multiplydelicious, and Crunchy Chicken Salad from ConContwin2.
We also have a few egg salad sandwiches to show you. And okay, I realize you’ll have to boil the eggs, but you can do that in the evening and have them ready to go the next day. There’s even a mayo-free version for those trying to stay away from the white stuff, and a grown-up version with olives and oregano. If you want to skip the eggs altogether, have a look at the mock egg salad below, made with tofu.
Clockwise from top left: Egg Salad with Kalamatas, Red Onion, and Fresh Oregano from ThreeManyCooks, Curry Egg Salad Sandwich from A Cozy Kitchen, Ella’s Egg Salad from Chez Us, an egg-less Mock Egg Salad with Cashew Mayo from myrecessionkitchen, Mini Cranberry Egg Salad Pitas from jillscleankitchen, and Mayo-Free Egg Salad from Natalie (Perry’s Plate).
Rounding out the big trio of salad sandwiches, here are some tuna salad options you might like, including one that also uses shrimp to pack some extra punch.
Clockwise from top left: Garden Tuna Salad with Olives from Angie McGowan, Mediterranean Tuna Salad from polwig,a mayo-free Mediterranean Tuna Salad from bringingupboys, and Tuna and Shrimp Sandwich from hellosal.
To change things up a bit, here are some other cold sandwich choices that depart from the traditional meat salad filling. Take a look at the fancy yet incredibly simple fig and brie sandwich that you can whip up for unexpected company, or to send to that lovely mom next door whose geraniums your son accidentally trampled on while playing tag the other day.
Figs and brie can often cover a multitude of sins. And sneaker tracks.
Clockwise from top left: Hearty Apple Sandwich from houndymama, Summer Veggie Sandwich from tamilovinglife, Summertime Tomato Sandwich from daxphillips, Fig, Brie, and Spinach Sandwiches from Laura Zolnoski, and Turkey and Roasted Red Pepper Sandwich from starcrossedb.
How about you? How do you keep cool in the summer? Around these parts, we’ve got about two more months of this heat, so we’ll take all the suggestions we can get!
45 Comments
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Alicia on 7.11.2010
Love egg salad and BLT’s, but one of my all time favorites is a Radish sandwich! A slice of white bread, spread with butter, with radish slices on that. Add a little salt and pepper and its perfect!
Darlene on 7.10.2010
One of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had was an Avo-gobble, which contains bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and sliced roasted turkey on a crusty roll. Delish!
Aggie Gesch on 7.10.2010
I like to make my husband a modified BLT. I use bacon, toast the bun, spread with mustard & mayo, then put on tomatoes, yellow, red, and orange slices of peppers. Add a salad and he loves it.
Jane on 7.10.2010
My mom always put a small, drained jar of chopped green olives and pimentos in her egg salad, and now I can’t eat it any other way.
littlemisschef on 7.10.2010
the best tuna salad ever:
https://tastykitchen.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/salads/cranberry-lemon-dill-tuna-salad/
Elizabeth on 7.10.2010
I LOVE LOVE LOVE egg salad and my chickens are popping out the eggs right and left. I’ve never thought about making egg salad with Greek olives. What timing!
Laela on 7.9.2010
May sound strange, but one good sandwich is cheddar cheese (I second the vote for Tillamook, sharp) and dill pickle slices (the sandwich slices make it easy) with a little mayo spread on both pieces of bread. I love a good veggie sandwich as well, they just require a bit more work.
Robin on 7.9.2010
Jessica @ How Sweet, why have I never thought before to put avocado on my BLTs??? Thank you!!!
Patti Thames on 7.9.2010
Banana & crunchy peanut butter on wheat bread is wonderful. After Hurricane Katrina, we didn’t have electricity for weeks. With this sandwich, we didn’t even need an ice chest. Of course, when we couldn’t get anymore bread, we ate the bananas with peanut butter on them.
penny wolf on 7.9.2010
Tasty Kitchen has several yummy twists on pb+j that I love.
I’m tooting my own horn because I have a post in that section:)
But really check those cold sammies out!
Lyn H. on 7.8.2010
No Shrimp Salad sandwich recipes? Those are my favorite. Chicken Salad is a close runner up. A cold Caprese Salad sandwich made with really good tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, fresh mozzarella, a drizzle of olive oil and fresh ground pepper would be delicious in this infernal heat.
MS Hospitality on 7.8.2010
Homegrown tomatoes and soft bread… dab of mayo… I”m a happy camper. Love the different sandwiches featured here…
Try my Fancy Pants Water on Tasty Kitchen… it’s so refreshing in the summer!
Beignets&Lattes on 7.8.2010
Whole wheat bread or white bread spread with mango chutney. Then add turkey, sharp cheddar cheese slices and sprouts.
really really good.
badwally on 7.8.2010
My mom would slice Walla Walla Sweet Onions in real thin rounds and marinate them overnight in baslamic vinegar. Next day toast sourdough bread and then butter it. Layer on the sweet onions and the best sandwich ever.
Debbie in WA on 7.8.2010
I’m with Bibliophile42 and Hazel but take it a step further. Nothing beats a Walla Walla sweet onion, sun-ripened tomato, cucumber and Tillamook sharp cheese sandwich on crusty sourdough bread with Best Foods mayo. Only happens in the summer and is best eaten while sitting on the deck enjoying the cool evening breeze!
Heather in Kansas on 7.8.2010
I love to take a whole wheat or “everything” bagel and top it with cream cheese and slice of tomato. Yum. Really love BLT’s, too.
Sweet Life Laur on 7.8.2010
Thank you for the fabulous write-up of my fig and brie sandwich; I love the idea of using it as a peacemaker with the neighbors!
sprucehill on 7.8.2010
Mmm these all look so good! Perfect hot weather food.
wendy2inwa on 7.8.2010
It IS the weather for it, last night we had BLT’s and chips with lemonade.
Debbie in Tennessee on 7.8.2010
My mom would make us egg salad sandwiches and lime koolaid in the summer when we were kids. Still love it today, but also just tomato, cheese and basil and a little olive oil on really good bread is a hit for us.
tessks on 7.7.2010
I like to toast a bagel (plain, blueberry, or cranberry), and spread it with plain cream cheese. Grill some peach slices and layer them onto the bagel. Drizzle a bit of honey and top with the other bagel half. Yummy, fast, and easy!
Luna on 7.7.2010
As others have said, and I admit it’s not REALLY a cold sandwich, since I like to toast the bread (and the bacon should not be cold) but the BLT is the ultimate in summer food. Whenever summer rolled around, and the heat in our UN-air conditioned house (don’t really need it in Northern Michigan but 3 days outta the year) made it unbearable to do much in the kitchen, my mum always made us BLTs. So that sandwich just says summer to me. In fact, I’m having one tonight – although my boyfriend is picking one up from Market Street for me, I am THAT lazy today.
AND I have a/c. Couldn’t live without it but for 3 days of the year, here in West Texas.
bibliophile42 on 7.7.2010
Oh, yum! I love fresh, home grown tomato slices (they’re the only kind that really taste like tomatoes) with sharp cheddar cheese on warm, crusty french bread.
AngAK on 7.7.2010
I’ll line up for a good BLTw/avocado, or egg salad. and plain old tomato sandwich with a dollop of Miracle Whip(yes indeedee) is summer itself. I also pull out the crockpot for hot meals that keep the kitchen,and cook, cool.
Bobbi B. on 7.7.2010
Pretzel sticks on the boat with the family then home to mom’s turkey salad with celery, salt, pepper and mayo. Olives and some cold pasta salad on the side, heavy on the Salad Supreme!
cookincanuck on 7.7.2010
Another great round-up of sandwiches! As for keeping cool, I never turn my nose up at a run through the sprinklers with my kids. I draw the line at the slip ‘n slide, however.
tamilovinglife on 7.7.2010
Sarah… cucumber water is wonderful. I was served that for the first time following a ‘spa day’ given to me by my husband. Just peel and slice the cucumbers and place in a pitcher of water–and put in the fridge to set for a couple of hours. Definately is nice and refreshing!
Ruthie on 7.7.2010
I love a good turkey sandwich with all the fixin’s: Turkey, cranberry sauce, bacon, spinach, red onion, and a good layer of cream cheese. Yum!
Sarah Rachelle on 7.7.2010
A big ol’ pitcher of lemonade! If we’re working outside, I like to water the lemonade (or some cold juice) down and add a tiny pinch of salt. Who needs Gatorade?
Lately I’ve also seen some cucumber water. Have yet to try it, but I heard it’s refreshing!
Speaking of salad – I’d like to try some new potato salads. Could you do a feature on those?
christinem on 7.7.2010
We’re actually not big on sandwiches, but we love our BLT’s (or BLAT’s – with avocado!) I love chicken salad – especially when it has fruit in it, like apples, grapes, dried cranberries, but I usually have that over salad greens. Cucumber, avocado, sprouts with mayo on toasted wheat bread is pretty good, too!
Beau @ SomethingEdible.com on 7.7.2010
As gorgeous as some of those salads look, I have to admit that I have an aversion to any bound salad I didn’t put together myself. I’ve probably been jaded by bad potluck, but I think it’s mostly a fear of the unknown. And salmonella ;-p
Natalie | Perry's Plate on 7.7.2010
Great sandwiches!! Thanks for featuring my egg salad
bringingupboys on 7.7.2010
Yum! All these sandwiches are making me hungry :). Tomato, mozzarella and basil on a hunk of crusty french bread with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and olive oil is also great on a hot summer day. I am also a big fan of cucumber sandwiches :).
Emi!y on 7.7.2010
I love a tomato sandwich probably more than is healthy! Sometimes on toasted oatmeal or wheat bread, but more often than not, just thick slices of garden-fresh tomatoes on white bread, a thin smearing of mayo on each piece and salt and fresh-cracked pepper.
The other one I like a lot is cucumbers and cream cheese with dill from the garden.
And my mom’s chicken salad is made with curry powder, green grapes, almonds and green onions. It’s to die for!
Sarah K on 7.7.2010
I guess we’re thinking along the same lines on these hot days. Just came on here to search for chicken salad recipes…perfect!!!
SandyH on 7.7.2010
Here in SE Texas, we actually have about three more months of intense heat. Then it starts to ease off a bit…but still pretty hot in the afternoons.
When my four kids were younger, if dinner that night (in the summer) involved the oven, I would very often cook it early in the day before it got too hot. Then I would re heat it in the microwave or even my trusty big toaster oven.(and yes we definitely have air conditioning, but the oven made it hot in the house even then.)
Club sandwiches are my favorite, on toasted homemade white bread, mayo, turkey, cheese (pepper jack is da bomb) thick sliced bacon fried crisp, shredded lettuce and sliced tomato. Three layers, cut into fourths. Serve with coleslaw and maybe some chips on the side!! Voila, NO OVEN!! My husband loves thinly sliced avocado on his.
Linda K on 7.7.2010
Here in the south, it’s all about tomato sandwiches, nothing fancy, white bread , mayo, lots of fresh tomato slices, and salt and/or pepper for some.
becky1031 on 7.7.2010
I make a loaded flat bread sandwich with garlic hummus, red onion, cukes, lettuce, red peppers, tomatoes, sprouts, salt and pepper and sometimes a slice of cheese in there. Cool, yummy, and filling!!
Alisa on 7.7.2010
i have to agree with jessica and karen — BLT’s all the way. it’s my favorite summer food. there’s gotta be mayo, and it’s gotta be on a toasted baguette roll or toasted italian bread. best summer food EVER.
Hazel on 7.7.2010
I realise I’m British and that no American will EVER understand, but the answer is cheese (a good powerful farmhouse cheddar, like they make down near my parents’ house in the west country) and Marmite, on perfectly fresh crusty white bread or thick sliced granary, with plenty of butter. Carrot and cucumber sticks on the side.
Karen W on 7.7.2010
I agree with Jessica, nothing says summer like a BLT. Although I’ve actually dropped the L to make more room for the B and the T. It has to be made with mayo, no Miracle Whip here.
Vicki B on 7.7.2010
Great french roll, creamy pesto, provolone, tomato, lettuce with a side of cold pasta salad.
Foodiebia on 7.7.2010
For cool sandwiches I will chow down on some chicken salad or maybe a PBJ if I happen to be on the beach.
Amy from She Wears Many Hats (missamy) on 7.7.2010
Yummy!!! I’m a big egg salad fan and those look delish!
Jessica @ How SWeet on 7.7.2010
My favorite cold sandwich is a BLT with loads of bacon and lots of avocado! Maybe washed down with a mojito?