If I see a club sandwich on a menu, I’m ordering it. End of story. No matter how you stack it, I rarely find a sandwich that has a better combination of ingredients that meld so perfectly together. That first bite through the crisp lettuce, juicy tomato, sweet ham, and salty bacon sends the endorphin center of my brain to the realm of utter satisfaction.
Eating these sandwiches at a restaurant is anyone’s gamble. It’s all pretty processed, and I know that. The salt is higher than it should be, the meat came from God knows where, and all in all it’s never quite as good as anything I make at home. So I try to take my own sandwich makings to the office to build my own for lunch. It’s always a far better option than what the corner deli is dishing up.
That better option, for me, is Applegate. I’ve been a long-time consumer and fan of their cleaner approach to meat products. How could anyone not be? They source humanely-raised animals to craft quality meat products that are organic and hormone free. The sandwich meats are tender, juicy, and never overwhelmingly salty. For pre-cut sandwich meat, it’s truly as good as it gets.
And can we talk about that bacon? The first time I made Applegate’s Uncured Sunday Bacon I was in weekend morning breakfast nirvana. It wasn’t too fatty, crisped up perfectly, and the taste rivaled the best strips of bacon I’ve ever tasted.
I usually pass on the mayo on any sandwich, and we left it off of this club too. Avocado does the trick for me! It keeps the sandwich moist, but better than that greasy condiment it provides fiber, protein, and a lot of potassium (more than a banana).
Pile all of this on lightly toasted sourdough bread (is there anything worse than tearing up the roof of your mouth on bread?) and finish it with a thin slice of provolone cheese, ripe tomatoes, and a crisp leaf of lettuce.
This sandwich is perfection, really. It’s everything I love about a club sandwich. And for once, it’s a club sandwich you can actually feel good about eating.
Best Club Sandwich Ever
serves 1
INGREDIENTS
2 slices Applegate uncured honey ham
One of our Best Club Sandwiches Ever has 482 calories. Pair this with a piece of fresh fruit and your meal is set. When compared with the club’s restaurant competitors, it comes in lower on calories (Chili’s with fries has 1500 calories!), has more fiber, and even more protein. It’s a calorie steal. Quality of ingredients, and knowing what you’re eating, can be just as important as the nutrition label, and this one goes a long way in that regard.
Want to modify without sacrificing? You can shave almost 200 calories by ditching the bread and using the Bibb lettuce as a wrap. You can save as much as 90 calories by nixing the cheese.
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Can’t see this video? Watch Best Club Sandwich Ever at YouTube.
Recipe by Brandi Koskie; Photos by Kacy Meinecke. Applegate provided product for this recipe at our request.