Welp, it’s been about three months since I last did a post on food so this time, instead of How to Make an Awesome Salad, I bring you: How to Make an Awesome Sandwich.

Now, I know I am not the type of blog people turn to when it comes to recipes or crafts or anything homemakery. However, I’m a decent cook in general (though of the non-recipe following variety). I want to say among my friends, I am known to be really good at making soups, salads, and sandwiches.

I have to say, I often forget about the sandwich as a meal option (mostly because my kids don’t eat them), but when I do, I always tell myself I should make them more often because it is quick, easy, and tasty.

Here then, is my general formula for a really tasty sandwich:

Awesome Sandwich Formula

1) Something to hold the sandwich together
2) Something crunchy
3) Something protein
4) Something savory
5) Something spready
6) Something fatty
7) Something juicy

Now, you don’t have to have something in every category, but I want to say you need at least 4-5 for a truly delicious sandwich. And when you manage to have all categories, you have a memorable sandwich. (And many of these items can be combined. Eg: bacon is both crunchy, savory, fatty, AND protein!)

To make things easy for you, I am now going to list some possible things (as idea kick starters) in each category.

1) Something to hold the sandwich together – Totally obvious, but something to hold the sandwich is needed. Otherwise, it’s a salad. (True fact: I pretty much make my salads the same way I make my sandwiches except that I add a lot more fruit.)

– Bread (any kind, really – there are SO many kinds! They all work!)
– Naan (toasted is even better!)
– Tortilla (for a wrap instead of a “sandwich”)
– Croissants
– Pita
– Biscuits/Bread rolls
– Lettuce (if you’re avoiding carbs, lettuce also holds things together)
– Donuts

2) Something crunchy – Mostly vegetables, can also be a combo category with savory and protein.

– Some types of lettuce
– Celery (personally, not a favorite)
– Carrots
– Jicama
– Bell peppers
– Cucumbers/pickles
– Banana peppers
– Bacon
– Bean sprouts
– Onions
– Apple slices
– Seeds (pumpkin, sunflower)
– Nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, candied ones are awesome, too!)

3) Something protein – Usually a meat or an egg, or nuts and seeds. Pro Tip: if you’re using deli meat, roll them up instead of laying them flat on the sandwich. You might use the same number of slices, but for some reason, when they’re rolled up, it’s SO MUCH BETTER. Pro Tip 2: Nothing improves a sandwich more than putting an over-medium fried egg on top of it.

– Bacon
– Salami
– Chicken (I like to use leftover Costco rotisserie chicken)
– Deli meat/ham
– Egg (scrambled, sliced and hard boiled, over medium, etc.)
– Smoked salmon
– Leftover steak/pork/whatever
– Sausage/brats
– Seeds (pumpkin, sunflower)
– Nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, candied)

4) Something savory – This is usually a combo category since meats, spreads, and cheeses all fit the bill. Pickled vegetables (eg: artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, olives, etc.) are a nice kick. You could also substitute savory with spicy, too.

5) Something spready – This usually refers to stuff you spread on the bread (ie: condiments), but it can also include things like chicken salad or pesto.

– Chicken/Tuna salad
– Pesto
– Mayo (or Japanese spicy mayo, or sriracha mayo, or any fancy mayo with a kick)
– Grey Poupon/mustard
– Nut/Seed butters (Not just for PBJs)
– Jam/Jellies (Not just for PBJs)

6) Something fatty – My FAVORITE category!

– Bacon
– Cheeses (goat cheese, blue cheese, shoot, in a pinch, string cheese)
– Avocado
– Egg
– Nuts/Seeds
– Certain cuts of meat (like pork belly)

7) Something juicy – In my mind, this refers to tomatoes (nothing better than a beefy, heirloom tomato), or a runny egg yolk. But apples and other types of crisp fruits count, too.

Pro tip 3: You can also include seeds, nuts, and fruits (dried or fresh) – either in a salad type of spread (eg: chicken salad), or just sprinkled onto the sandwich. It does make things a bit crumbly though.

If you’re feeling fancy and/or Subway sandwichesque, you can also add a dressing. Here’s my salad dressing from my previous post. But honestly, I personally think a dressing is a bit of an overkill. (Plus, you run the risk of the bread getting soggy – which is the WORST.)

Easy Salad Dressing Recipe

1) 1 part olive oil
2) 1 part seasoned rice vinegar
3) salt/pepper/garlic powder/white pepper to taste
4) optional: sesame oil, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, Memmi soup base, dijon mustard

If this post seems almost exactly like my salad post, you’re right. It is. Except now there is something to hold the sandwich together instead of a bowl.

And since you can likely tell I cribbed most of this post from my previous one, we might as well end the same way: Alright, that’s it. If this takes you more than 10 minutes to make, it’s too hard! Enjoy!