This Cubano Sandwich is packed with savory ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard. Bring a taste of Cuba to your table with this crispy, pressed sandwich!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Pack your bags and grab a mojito...we're going to Cuba!
Or...let's stay home and get everything you need at your local grocery store.
I'm excited to introduce you to this tasty sandwich, which is one of my personal favs. A Cubano sandwich is a rumba of flavors in your mouth with salty ham, juicy pork loin, zesty pickles and a touch of mustard for tang.
In fact, this is a magical recipe to repurpose leftover roasted pork loin. No leftovers? Never fear!
You can easily make pork loin in the air fryer or around here, our grocer's deli case has cooked pork loin on hand. Is that a midwestern thing? You'll have to let me know.
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🛒 INGREDIENTS
Check your pantry, fridge and freezer before you head to the grocery store. Here's what you'll need.
- French bread - we are looking for something light and crispy that will hold up to all the sandwich toppings we're adding. Ciabatta bread works well, too. We want the bread to "give" or compress when it's pressed but not become overly hard or chewy.
- mayo - mayonnaise, not Miracle Whip type salad dressing
- Dijon mustard - this adds some tang against the richness we have going on. Yellow mustard also works.
- Swiss cheese - for a little nutty flavor and the melty cheese factor. Clearly, I'm obsessed.
- deli ham - if you have leftover ham from making pineapple honey glazed ham, this is a perfect place for it.
- pork loin - you can also use leftover pork tenderloin
- dill pickles - these really are a must, in my opinion
- butter or oil - for greasing the pan
See recipe card for quantities.
📋 Substitutions
Bread - make it gluten free by subbing in a gluten free variety of bread.
Pork - use leftover pulled pork in place of the pork loin.
Cheese - Try using provolone, mozzarella, or Gouda.
🥣 How to make Cubano Sandwiches
Preheat a skillet (I like to use a cast iron one, if available) over medium high heat.
- Slice the bread lengthwise into 2 pieces.
Spread with mayo and mustard.
- On the bottom half, layer half the cheese slices, ham, pork and pickles. Top with remaining cheese slices.
Add the top half of the bread.
- Spread butter on the outside top and bottom of the sandwiches.
Cut assembled loaf into 4 pieces.
- Place sandwiches in skillet, and cook over medium high heat, pressing the sandwiches with a spatula or other weighted skillet on top.
Flip, reduce the heat to low and cook until the second side is lightly golden brown and cheese is beginning to melt.
Hint: You don't need a fancy panini press to make this sandwich! Use a heavy skillet or a cast iron pan to press the sandwich while cooking.
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📖 Variations
Play around with the flavors! Try using smoky ham instead of regular, change up the mustards, or using bread and butter pickles.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
How about serving these up with some Instant Pot black beans, air fryer sweet potato wedges or sweet and tangy coleslaw?
Top tip
This is made as a panini-style sandwich, but it can just as easily be made ahead of time and packed in a lunchbox. Take help where you can get it at the deli counter with pre-cooked pork loin, or use leftovers from a Sunday dinner.
Storage
Store wrapped in plastic or an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You can also wrap your sandwich in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze for later. Reheat in the oven or a skillet. If you choose to microwave it, remember to remove the foil!
Related
Looking for other sandwich recipes? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Cuban sandwiches:
Cubano Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 loaf French bread
- 2 Tablespoons mayo
- 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 8 slices Swiss cheese
- 4 ounces deli ham sliced
- 4 ounces cooked pork loin sliced
- ¼ cup sliced dill pickles
- 2 Tablespoons butter (more if needed)
Want To Save This Recipe For Later?
I'll email it to you, so you can come back to it later!
Instructions
- Preheat a skillet (cast iron, if available) over medium high heat.
- Slice the 1 loaf French bread lengthwise into 2 long pieces. Spread with 2 Tablespoons mayo and 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard.
- On the bottom half, layer half of the 4 slices Swiss cheese. Add 4 ounces deli ham, 4 ounces cooked pork loin and ¼ cup sliced dill pickles. Top with remaining 4 cheese slices. Add the top half of the bread.
- Spread 2 Tablespoons butter on the outside top and bottom of the sandwiches. Cut assembled loaf into 4 pieces.
- Place sandwiches in skillet, and cook over medium high heat, pressing the sandwich with a spatula or other weighted skillet on top.
- Flip, reduce the heat to low and cook until the second side is lightly golden brown and cheese is beginning to melt. Cut in half on a diagonal and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
