Warm weather is HEEEERE! Although the winter was not particularly cold, I’m SO incredibly happy that late spring has arrived, and finally has us inching closer to pool weather. This grilled turkey sandwich is really great for three reasons : 1. it’s SO easy! 2. it gives you an excuse to fire up the grill 3. it is made with turkey, which is an awesome alternative if you’re looking to incorporate leaner meats into your diet!
Turkey is naturally low in fat and provides immune-boosting nutrients like iron, zinc and potassium. It’s also packed with lean protein to keep people feeling full longer. I personally love turkey, and it’s always my first choice when it comes to any type of sandwich. But I wanted to get creative and add a twist to a traditional favorite of mine.
For this sandwich, there’s another fun twist : sun-dried tomato and and green onion cream cheese! I chopped two sun-dried tomatoes, one stalk of green onion, and mixed it into one ounce of cream cheese (I used reduced fat). I also added a tablespoon of reduced fat mayo, and a touch of salt and pepper. I spread this onto the inside of the top bun before topping off the sandwich – and it was SO good!
The rest of the grilled turkey sandwich construction is SUPER easy! I used my grill pan, because our new apartment doesn’t have enough room on the balcony for our old grill. 🙁 But it’s okay – this pan is SO awesome, and leaves the grill lines just like the real thing! I turned the heat to medium, let each side of the turkey slices cook for about ten seconds (until steaming), then flipped to repeat on the other side.
Isn’t that gorgeous? Then I simply piled one slice onto the bottom bun, topped with freshly grated sharp cheddar, and topped with another slice of grilled turkey. Adding them immediately with the cheese melts the cheese directly into the turkey, which makes for less mess when eating. 🙂
Then I topped the turkey and cheese with a fresh slice of lettuce from the Farmer’s Market down the street, and completed the entire grilled turkey sandwich package with the top bun (cream cheese side down.)
Talk about an easy meal, but with some serious flavor addition. I highly encourage you to get fancy with your cream cheese mixture if you aren’t a fan of sun-dried tomatoes or green onion! You could even mix in a different kind of shredded cheese, or maybe red onion, or even chopped pickles! The possibilities are endless. 🙂
Fire up the grill for something unexpectedly delicious this summer. For additional recipes, tips, videos and resources on turkey, follow Serve Turkey on Facebook and @ServeTurkey on Twitter.
summertime grilled turkey sandwich
Ingredients
for sandwich
- 1/2 lb. freshly cooked and sliced turkey breast
- 2 ounces freshly grated sharp cheddar
- 2 large lettuce leaves
- 2 egg buns
- 1 Tbsp. butter
for cream cheese mix
- 1 ounce cream cheese i used reduced fat
- 2 sun-dried tomatoes chopped
- 1 green onion shoot finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp. mayo I used reduced fat
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine all cream cheese mix ingredients and set aside.
- Heat a large grill pan over medium heat. Slice both egg buns in half, and lightly coat all cut-sides with butter. Lay all slices into the grill pan, cut-side down. Grill for 1-2 minutes, until toasted. Remove all buns from grill pan, and set aside.
- Spread cream cheese mixture onto the cut-side of both top halves. Place these halves near the untouched bottom halves.
- Lay one slice of turkey flat onto the grill pan. Allow to cook for 10-15 seconds, or until steaming and grill lines are apparent. Flip over and repeat on other side. Remove the turkey slice from the grill pan, and immediately place onto one bottom half of an egg bun. Top with shredded cheddar cheese.
- Repeat with another turkey slice, and place directly onto the first turkey slice and cheese. Top with a bit more shredded cheddar (if desired), then top with one lettuce leaf. Place top half of egg bun directly onto the lettuce (cream cheese side down to touch the lettuce).
- Repeat to make a second sandwich.
- Enjoy!
Tried this recipe?
Make sure to follow on Pinterest @aflavorjournal and on Instagram @aflavorjournal
Get More from A Flavor Journal!
Don’t forget to connect with me on social media where I share all of my small batch recipes!