The Best Of The Best: 29 Life Changing Hot Sandwich Recipes

The sandwich is perhaps one of the most popular, and most pivotal innovations in the way we consume food, transforming the meals we have and making them easier to eat on the move, transport as a lunch for work and school, and to create combinations of flavors that might otherwise be impossible.

Obviously there are countless sandwiches out there, both hot and cold, but here in this article, we are going to look at some of the best hot sandwich recipes that will change your life. So, without further ado, let’s get started!

1. Sausage, Pepper & Onion Hoagie

First on our list, these meaty, peppery, indulgent sandwiches are truly delicious and comforting, and are popular throughout the world.

With an Italian heritage, and a rich tradition in the United States, these sandwiches represent the great benefits that the American melting pot has to offer – taking something delicious and incorporating it with new cuisines to create something truly unique and special.

2. Hot Pastrami Sandwich

A popular Romanian deli meat, pastrami is also popular amongst the American Jewish communities, which is where it garnered fame as a delicious, versatile, meat perfect for hot and cold sandwiches alike.

While commonly served in bagels, this hot pastrami sandwich breaks tradition, combining slices of peppery, rich pastrami with sauerkraut, provolone cheese, and thousand island dressing to create a truly fresh and exciting take on an American classic.

3. Nashville Hot Chicken & Waffle Sandwich

If the south is the kingdom of fried food, then Nashville, Tennessee has to be the king.

Nashville has a global reputation for producing the best, spiciest fried chicken in the country, and prides itself on serving this national favorite to locals and tourists alike.

Paired with sweet waffles, this might sound like a strange combination at first, but just because something is unusual doesn’t mean it can’t be utterly fantastic.

This is certainly true with this sandwich, which feels as fresh, original, and important as the country music for which the town is known.

4. The Grilled Cheese

Popular in the United States, but located all around the world in one form or another, the grilled cheese is so simple, yet so pivotal in the world of comfort food.

While the classic recipe is a firm favorite, this dish encourages experimentation, be it with spices, various meats, or a choice of cheeses to create your own unique concoction that speaks to you.

5. Roast Beef Sandwich With Gravy

While an American favorite, this dish finds its roots all across Europe – taking inspiration from the classic British tradition of meat and gravy, and combining it with Germanic culinary traditions to create something unique and delicious.

Warm, filling, and utterly indulgent, this isn’t a sandwich to eat on the go, not unless you want to spill it down your shirt. Sit down, get comfortable, and take it easy – after all, a sandwich this good deserves a certain level of respect.

6. The Philly Cheese Steak

Popular in the state of Pennsylvania, particularly the city of Philadelphia (from where it takes its name), the Philly cheese steak has become a firm favorite across the globe. And why wouldn’t it?

With a winning combination of beef steak, rich, gooey cheese, and a choice of spices and toppings, this was always going to be a thing of legend.

7. The Reuben

A popular sandwich in the United States, particularly in the northeast, the Reuben sandwich takes hot corned beef, onions, and melted cheese and serves it on toasted bread to create something truly indulgent and delicious.

With a history amongst the American Jewish population, this sandwich follows in the footsteps of other great deli meat sandwiches, and goes someway to highlight the community’s sheer importance in cultivating the modern staples of American cuisine.

8. Hot Italian Ham Sub

Popular in American bodegas, eateries, and even chain restaurants like Subway, the Italian ham sub is a popular and much loved choice the world over.

Combining peppery Italian ham with cheese, crisp vegetables, and the sauce of your choosing, this is a wholesome, warming, and utterly mouth watering sandwich that is famous for a reason.

9. Kentucky Hot Browns

Just like Tennessee, Kentucky cuisine has a long history with spices, and this recipe for Kentucky hot browns perfectly highlights this fact.

With grilled turkey breast, crispy bacon, heapings of melted cheese, and crunchy Texas toast, this really is a fantastic addition to this list, and one that remains underrated on the global stage.

10. Tuna Melt

Just like the grilled cheese, the tuna melt has become a firm favorite amongst foodies and sandwich fanatics, and in many ways couldn’t have existed without its more simplistic, cheesy counterpart.

Taking brine soaked tuna, rich gooey cheese, and basic seasoning, this already winning combination is then toasted until brown, and served with chips, French fries, or a small salad, depending on your taste.

11. BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich

The combination of slow cooked pulled pork and barbecue sauce has become famous all around the world, and remains a popular choice in countless restaurants and establishments.

And it’s not hard to see why, especially when you combine this with melted cheese, toasted bread, and your choice of sides, to create a comforting, indulgent meal that has everything you could ever want all in one little package.

12. Grilled Cheese Dogs

While many might be familiar with the classic hot dog, this recipe takes that classic idea and sends it to the next level, adding spices, spring onions and heapings of cheese, which are then toasted until melted and gooey.

This really is pure indulgence, and in many ways is the perfect comfort food.

13. Hawaiian Sliders

Particularly on the Pacific coast, there is an increasing popularity in Hawaiian inspired cuisine.

While the ‘Hawaiian’ pizza (ham and pineapple) has been around for decades, these sliders take the classic burger and enhance it with fruity pineapple, and a selection of spices to create a truly unique burger.

These sliders are perfect as part of a platter, and are a good way to try something new without overcommitting to a larger meal. So why not give them a try?

14. Hot & Crispy Fish Sandwich

Deep fried fish sandwiches are an ever popular edition to global cuisine, and come in various shapes, sizes, and flavors.

This recipe for hot and crispy fish sandwiches takes inspiration from classic southern culinary traditions, with a deep fried portion of fish, served with a light mayonnaise and fresh, crispy vegetables to create the perfect lunchtime treat.

15. New Orleans Shrimp Po’ Boy

A Louisiana favorite, your average po’ boy contains deep fried shrimp or crawfish, and is served with crunchy salad vegetables, creamy mayonnaise, and just a hint of spice, creating a truly original delicacy that has become synonymous with New Orleans and the rich seafood industry therein.

For a winning combination, serve these up on crusty French bread. You’ll thank us later!

16. Crunchy Catfish Sandwich

Another sandwich that began life in Louisiana, the catfish sandwich is similar to the fish sandwich in principle, replacing your standard battered white fish with a richer tasting catfish, deep fried and served with a spicy dressing.

This truly is a taste of the south, and has a long history within the culture of Louisiana, showing that even in some of the trickiest environments in the world, ingenuity and fantastic food can still prevail.

17. Hot Ham & Cheese

This classic take on the classic grilled cheese has made a name for itself on the global sandwich market, thanks to its comforting flavor palette, cheesiness, and meaty filling that offers just that little something extra to its original counterpart.

Similar in essence to the Reuben, this sandwich staple is famous and popular for a reason.

18. Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese

Famed for their spicy chicken and well known hot sauces, the town of Buffalo, New York deserves all the praise it can get, as far as culinary legacies go.

This take on the classic grilled cheese adds shredded chicken breast, and lashings of Frank’s red hot Buffalo wing sauce to create a true, comforting contender with a devilish kick that keeps you on your toes.

19. Hot Breakfast Sandwich

A term that can have any number of meanings, the hot breakfast sandwich has become a firm favorite across the world, thanks to traditions from numerous countries.

While many might associate this with McDonald’s, the history of this sandwich goes much further back than that, and is considered by many to be the only way to start the day.

This recipe sticks to a classic, taking a muffin bun, and stuffing it with sausage patties, American cheese, and a fried egg, to create a wholesome, delicious morning meal.

20. Croque Monsieur

This classically French sandwich is similar to the grilled ham and cheese, except that it combines this with a white wine/bechamel sauce topping, and a sprinkling of grated cheese, to create a smothered, cheesy, toasted treat that will become an instant favorite.

This dish has a long history, and is considered more classier than its simplistic American cousin, but despite this, there is no doubt that this is comfort food at its finest, and a truly worthy contender on this mouth watering list.

21. Nashville Hot Tofu Sliders

Of course, for many reasons, not everyone eats meat. This is why we have included this delicious (and ingenious) hot tofu sandwich, perfect for those looking for something a little different.

Building on the tradition of the Nashville hot chicken, this recipe takes fried tofu, and combines it with hot Tennessee spices to create a vegetarian take on a classic American sandwich.

22. Mac & Cheese Pork Sliders

Combining three American classics with mac and cheese, pulled pork, and the slider, this dish really is for those seeking the perfect comfort dish.

Cheesy, loaded with carbs, and infinitely satisfying, this sandwich represents the true versatility of this classic formula, and how with the right amount of imagination and drive, it can be modified to create something truly wonderful.

23. Hot Chicken Salad Sandwich

The chicken salad is a classic sandwich filling, and one that is known for being delicious, light, and amazingly satisfying.

This recipe builds on this reputation, combining it with shredded cheese and crusty French bread to create a new take on a much loved classic.

24. Hot Club Sandwich

Like the chicken salad sandwich, the club sandwich is a classic amongst foodies everywhere, taking ham, poultry, bacon, and combining it with fresh, crispy tomato and lettuce to create something truly wonderful.

This recipe improves that by adding toasted bread, and light, delicious mayonnaise to create a work of art.

25. Meatball Sub

Despite finding fame as a popular option in Subway restaurants, the meatball sub has a long history, both in Italy and the United States, where it remains a popular deli sandwich enjoyed by millions.

Rich with marinara sauce, meaty beef/pork meatballs, and heapings of melted cheese, this is essentially a gorgeous spaghetti dinner on a submarine sandwich, which when toasted and cut down the middle might as well be a painting of heaven itself.

There are countless ways this can be modified, be it with different cheeses, spices, herbs, or sauce combinations. But whichever way you decide to consume yours, the one thing that will be clear is just how much it deserves a place on this list.

26. Louisiana Hot Chicken Sandwich

Like Tennessee and Kentucky, Louisiana also has a long and storied history with spicy food, and this hot chicken sandwich is a perfect tip of the hat to a legacy that has endured centuries of societal change.

Taking grilled chicken breast, and combining it with fresh and crispy salad vegetables, we add cajun seasoning and creamy cajun dressing to create a light yet devilish sandwich that packs one hell of a punch.

27. Hot Salami Sandwich

Taking smoky Italian salami, and combining it with the cheese of your choosing, this classic deli sandwich really is a staple of the industry, and one that people keep coming back to time and time again.

I guess it is true that you can’t beat a classic, and that is exactly what this sandwich is, the perfect coming together of rich, peppery meats, gooey, indulgent cheeses, and gorgeous toasted bread that will cure just about anything that ails you.

28. Slow Cooked Hot Honey Chicken

This might sound similar to previous entries, but believe you me, this sandwich stands alone.

With a bed of shredded chicken breast, crisp lettuce, scallions, and green cabbage, this recipe then adds red chili flakes, herbs and spices, a rich mayonnaise, cider vinegar, and a sticky warm honey to create a truly unique flavor palette.

29. Muffuletta Sandwich

Last on our list, but by no means least, we come to the muffuletta sandwich – another New Orleans tradition popularized by Italian immigrants in the city.

With a ham and mozzarella cheese base, this sandwich then adds green olives, kalamata olives, pickled cauliflower florets, capers, celery, chopped carrots, salami and provolone cheese – along with numerous spices and oils – to create something truly unique, and very much representative of the cultural diversity that famously built New Orleans.

Final Thoughts

And there we have it, 29 of the best hot sandwich recipes out there!

What strikes me is the sheer amount of choice that is available, with the sandwich offering us a versatility in terms of flavor combinations and toppings that we just wouldn’t have had access to otherwise.

So, why not try some of these yourself? Something tells me you won’t be disappointed!