Summer is for sandwiches
Eat them in the park, pack them for the beach, or just enjoy at home.
Hi! This newsletter includes so many recipe links; click here to view in browser if it gets cut off in your email. I call this series The Recipe Files; we’ll be back next week with recommendations and dinner advice from a very exciting podcast guest.
In case you don’t scroll all the way down, I wanted to shout out the discount code. Today’s send is coming to you with support from the very fabulous Mama Lil’s Peppers. Use code DINNERPLAN15 for 15% off at mamalils.com—your sandwiches will thank you.
I’m packing for the beach as I write this. Or, pre-packing, which means updating our perpetual list before the actual suitcase- and car-loading begins. The beach requires special gear, of course—I’m stocking up on sunscreen—but really, I’ve got sandwiches on the brain.
There is very little that’s as delightful as eating a really good sandwich at the beach. And while I won’t pretend that most of us look at recipes when constructing a sandwich, peeking at them now can serve as inspiration for whatever you might improvise on the day you decide to pack a meal for eating on a blanket in the sand—or taking to the park for a picnic.
Since I have coolers in mind here, most of what you’ll find below is great at room-temp. We’ll talk grilled cheese and hot subs another time.
Veg-focused sandwiches
Hailee Catalano’s Zucchini Burrata Sandwich
Ben Mims’s Crunchy Vegetable Sandwiches With Zucchini and Avocado (Vice)
Kay Chun’s Chickpea Salad Sandwich (NYT Cooking)
Meleyna Nomura’s Roasted Veggie Sandwich (The Kitchn)
Stephen Satterfield’s Radish Sandwich With Butter and Salt (Splendid Table)
Lauren Tyrell’s Avocado-and-Boursin Sandwiches (Martha Stewart)
Hetty Lui McKinnon’s Spinach Pesto Panini (
Gabrielle Hamilton’s Six-Foot Meatless Italian Hero (NYT Cooking)
Roy Choi’s Triple-A Veggie Sandwich (Food & Wine)
Katherine Sacks’s Vegitalian-Inspired Butternut Squash Sandwich With Cheddar and Pickled Onions (Epicurious)
Tyler Kord’s Broccoli Classic (reprinted from A Super Upsetting Book About Sandwiches)
Betsy Andrews’s California Sandwich (Saveur)
Martha Stewart’s Greek Salad Sandwich
Caroline Fidanza’s Scuttlebutt (Food52)
Gena Hamshaw’s Pickled Vegetable and Smoky Tofu Sandwich (The Full Helping)
Stephanie Ganz’s Chopped Artichoke Sub ()
Sam Dixon’s Feta, Fig, and Olive on Sourdough (The Guardian)
More sandwich ideas below…
Stock Your Pantry With Mama Lil’s Peppers
If you ask Pacific Northwest chefs about their favorite secret ingredient to punch up whatever they’re making, you’ll hear about Mama Lil’s Peppers, a summer sandwich essential—and the sponsor of today’s newsletter. Each ring of Mama Lil’s pickled peppers adds a pop of tangy flavor and balanced heat to whatever you’re eating.
This week, one of The Dinner Plan’s paid subscribers will win a truly epic Mama Lil’s assortment as a thank you.
HOW TO ENTER:
Make sure you’re signed up as a paid subscriber by end of day Tuesday, July 1, and
Leave a comment below about your favorite sandwich.
Giveaway winner will be alerted by Substack DM and email—be sure to check your messages! If there’s no answer from either within 48 hours, we will move on to another winner. U.S. addresses only, 18+. Giveaway not sponsored or administered by Substack. Ends July 1, 2025.
Sandwiches with meat
Genevieve Yam’s Turkey Club Sandwich (Serious Eats)
Joe Kindred’s Heirloom Tomato BLT—note the pickle juice! (Garden & Gun)
Genevieve Ko’s Mortadella Sandwich With Ricotta and Pistachio Pesto (NYT Cooking)
Tyler Kord’s Smoked Turkey Sandwich With Avocado, Ricotta, and Blueberry Jam (Oprah.com)
Jonathan Surratt’s Tribute to Defonte’s Chenzo (Bounded by Buns)
Cochon Butcher’s Muffuletta (Garden & Gun)
Becky Krystal’s Spicy, Smoky Turkey Sandwich (Washington Post)
Rob Levitt’s Publican Quality Meats Mortadella and Burrata Sandwich With Pistachio Butter (ABC7)
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt’s take on Cutty’s Spuckie (Serious Eats)
Sarah Blackburn’s Bacon Sandwich With Tarragon Quick Pickles, Aioli, and Greens (Edible)
Whitney Bond’s Apricot Ham and Cheese
Sandwiches with fish
Mei Liao’s Mackerel Lettuce Tomato Sandwich / MLT (Day With Mei)
Grace Parisi’s Salmon Salad Rolls (Food & Wine)
David Lebovitz’s Pan Bagnat
Molly Baz’s Niçoise Sando With Black Olive Mayo (Food52)
Clearly it’s hard to pick just one, but I just got the first summer tomato in my CSA box, I’ve got bacon and lettuce in the fridge, so it’s gonna be a BLT this weekend! 😋
I’m always looking for a new pepper puncher upper for my sandos. Can’t wait to try these.