This Pressed Roast Beef Sandwich post was sponsored by Sargento as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
My oldest daughter ate peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwiches every day for lunch in first grade. I kid you not. At age 6, she had no interest in the wide world of sandwich possibilities. Friends with older kids told me this was perfectly normal but it still drove me crazy! Thankfully she’s no longer that picky eater because really, who wouldn’t want sandwiches filled with tasty meats and 100% real, natural cheeses on good artisan bread like this Pressed Roast Beef Sandwich?
Have you ever tasted a pressed sandwich? I’m not talking about the one that somehow ended up at the bottom of the cooler no one wants anymore. This hearty Pressed Roast Beef Sandwich is intentionally pressed to bring all the flavors of the sandwich together giving you more of each delicious ingredient in every bite. This cold, picnic-style sandwich is easy to assemble, can feed a crowd and no panini press is needed!
You can take this Pressed Roast Beef Sandwich anywhere ~ picnics in the park, an outdoor concert or my personal favorite ~ a day on the lake boating. They’re even ideal if you’re hosting a shower or grad party because they can should be made ahead of time.
We’re long-time boaters so as cold sandwiches go, there’s hardly a sandwich out there I haven’t carefully packed and stored in a cooler, including the aforementioned unintentionally pressed sandwich.
A good sandwich makes a great meal, but I have a few ideas about what makes a good sandwich. In short, good quality fresh ingredients from your local grocery, including:
- good bread
- 100% Real, Natural Cheese
- delicious deli meat
- tasty condiment
- a little crunch
This Pressed Roast Beef Sandwich is made on ciabatta bread slathered with a homemade pesto mayonnaise, Sargento® Sliced Smokehouse Cheddar™ Cheese, layers of thinly sliced lean deli roast beef, crisp lettuce, ripe, red tomatoes and even some very thinly sliced tangy granny smith apple. Just the apple and Sargento® Sliced Smokehouse Cheddar™ Cheese alone are out of this world.
Here’s all you’ll need to make the Pressed Roast Beef Sandwich:
- 1 loaf of ciabatta bread sliced in half lengthwise
- pesto mayonnaise (recipe below)
- 12 ounces of good quality deli roast beef thinly sliced
- 6 slices of Sargento® Sliced Smokehouse Cheddar™ Cheese (varies with the size of ciabatta loaf)
- 3-5 lettuce leaves (depending on size)
- One medium tomato, thinly sliced
- one granny smith apple, thinly sliced
- Salt and pepper
- Plastic wrap
Tip #1: Have the deli counter slice the roast beef thin, but not so thin it balls up.
Tip #2: If you can’t find ciabatta french, italian or sourdough are also delicious.
Pesto Mayonnaise:
This creamy pesto mayo pairs really well with the beef and the Sargento® Sliced Smokehouse Cheddar™ Cheese, enhancing the flavors without being overpowering and with just two ingredients, it couldn’t be simpler:
To make the creamy pesto mayonnaise, blend:
- 1/4 cup of pesto (homemade OR store bought)
- 2 tablespoons of (real) mayonnaise
Assembling the Pressed Roast Beef Sandwich:
Slice the ciabatta lengthwise then pull some of the bread out with your fingers from the center area, leaving the edges intact. We have ducks in our area that benefit from this step, but in case you don’t ~ it’s also ideal to make breadcrumbs.
Next divide the pesto mayo between the two halves and spread from edge to edge of the bread to ensure flavor in every bite.
Layer Sargento® Sliced Smokehouse Cheddar™ Cheese on both sides of the bread, then on one side, stack a layer of lettuce, half of the deli roast beef, sliced tomato (season the tomatoes with salt and pepper), thinly sliced apple and the rest of the deli roast beef.
This is how the Pressed Roast Beef Sandwich looks pre-pressed, wrapped as tightly as possible in plastic wrap. Transfer the sandwich to the refrigerator making sure to support the center of the sandwich.
Load something heavy on the Pressed Roast Beef Sandwich while it sits in the refrigerator for several hours up to overnight. A cast iron skillet works well but if you don’t have one, several books will do the trick. You’ll looking for about 3 pounds.
While our sandwich is pressing, let’s talk Meijer and mPerks:
Meijer: Our neighborhood Meijer has been open a few years now. I know some people don’t enjoy grocery shopping, but being the food nerd that I am, I actually do. I like checking out what’s new, what’s been moved and what’s on sale. When I found out Meijer was building in my area, I thought ~ bring your A-Game. They did.
I always shop with a list so I don’t forget what I came for, but some things I don’t need a reminder for because I buy them literally every week ~ like cheese. I’m kind of obsessed with it and usually have at least 6-8 varieties of in the refrigerator at all times, including Sargento® 100% Real, Natural Cheese Slices. Not only does this cheese make a good sandwich even better, but there are a variety of natural cheeses already sliced and ready anytime I want it, even for a mid-afternoon snack (Sargento® Sliced Smokehouse Cheddar™ Cheese + apples – try it!).
mPerks: I used to be a coupon clipper. I’ll admit I wasn’t very good at it, often forgetting them on the kitchen counter. Some people are better though and then there are those that reach almost Olympic status. mPerks offers digital coupons, exclusive offers and in-store rewards all tracked on your smart phone or computer and creating the mPerks account is free, making it easy to take advantage of savings.
Sign up for an mPerks account and save $1 off two Sargento® Slices products from 6/18 – 7/15. Just log into your mPerks account and search “Sargento” where it says Find Offer.
Serving the sandwich:
After your sandwich has pressed for several hours up to overnight, remove the plastic wrap and use a large serrated knife to slice through. If you’d like, wrap the individual sandwiches in wax paper and tie with twine for a pretty presentation.
Looking for more cheese inspiration? Check out Sargento® on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.
Pressed sandwiches aren’t limited to just roast beef! What kind of meat(s) will you pair with Sargento® 100% Real, Natural Cheese Slices ?
Enjoy!
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Pressed Roast Beef Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 loaf of ciabatta bread sliced in half lengthwise
- pesto mayonnaise (recipe below)
- 12 ounces good quality deli roast beef thinly sliced
- 6 slices Sargento® Sliced Smokehouse Cheddar™ Cheese (varies with the size of ciabatta loaf)
- 3-5 lettuce leaves (depending on size)
- 1 medium tomato thinly sliced
- 1 granny smith apple thinly sliced
- Salt and pepper
- Plastic wrap
PESTO MAYO
- 1/4 cup pesto (homemade OR store bought)
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Instructions
- Slice the ciabatta lengthwise then pull some of the bread out with your fingers from the center area, leaving the edges intact.
- Next divide the pesto mayo between the two halves and spread from edge to edge of the bread to ensure flavor in every bite.
- Layer Sargento® Sliced Smokehouse Cheddar™ Cheese on both sides of the bread, then on one side, stack a layer of lettuce, half of the deli roast beef, sliced tomato (season the tomatoes with salt and pepper), thinly sliced apple and the rest of the deli roast beef.
- Fold the sandwich together then wrap the sandwich as tightly as possible in plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator, supporting the middle of the sandwich.
- Weight the sandwich (see body of post) for several hours up to overnight in the refrigerator.
- After the sandwich has been pressed, slice and serve.
This sandwich looks so darn good. Love all the ingredients that go into making it…..smokehouse cheddar and apple, yum. Pinned. Definitely making this soon. Happy 4th – stay safe.
Hi there Mary! I hope you and your family had a nice 4th holiday. Thank you – always appreciate your kind words – enjoy the day!
This looks delicious Having company soon and going to make this!
Hi Susan – Thank you! I hope you and your company enjoy it as much as we do! 🙂
The tomato slices should go underneath the meat filling & the apple slices are sliced too thin should be sliced into 1/4 inch round thick slices layer between meat
Hi Marquel – thanks for your insight and ideas 🙂 – I appreciate you taking the time to comment ~ Bernie