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Why make a fine turkey sandwich when you can make an amazing one? Our turkey avocado sandwich has layers and layers of fabulous flavor and texture. Equally great with leftover or cold cut turkey breast.
Why we love this recipe
Whether you’re starting with leftover Thanksgiving turkey or a trip to the deli counter, this turkey sandwich elevates its handful of pretty special elements into something very special. It’s got:
- Great, lightly toasted bread
- Plenty of turkey
- A layer of crisp, savory bacon
- Creamy avocado sprinkled with flaky salt and pepper
- A generous sprinkling of scallions
- Spicy Japanese-style mayo spiked with sriracha
They all come together to make a crave-inducing, well-balanced whole that’s even better than the sum of its parts. (Psst…just for fun: Turkey facts from The Smithsonian.)
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- You can choose any type of good-quality, fairly large sliced bread that you like. Something on the sturdier side is great. Here I’ve pictured slices of a whole wheat boule that I toasted lightly. Sourdough and seeded rye would also be top-notch choices.
- Use sliced turkey breast. Whether it’s carved from your Thanksgiving turkey or purchased at the deli counter is up to you.
- You can substitute regular mayo if that’s what you’ve got. But if you’re a fan of umami, give Japanese mayo a try.
How to make it
Here’s how to make a great turkey avocado sandwich. You can see all the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get the details in the recipe card below.
- Cook the bacon and lightly toast the bread if you like.
- Onto the bottom slice, layer the turkey and then the bacon.
- Onto the top slice, spread the mayo and the sriracha. Sprinkle on the scallions. Then layer on the avocado.
- Sprinkle the avocado with flaky salt and pepper. Place the top half onto the bottom half, cut, and serve.
Expert tips and FAQs
It’s great either way, truly. In the days after Thanksgiving, we love to make it with leftover turkey. But since folks around here crave it year-round, we often make it with our favorite brand of organic deli turkey, too.
Japanese mayo (a.k.a. Kewpie mayo) is my favorite version of this condiment, hands-down. If you’ve ever eaten a spicy tuna roll at a sushi restaurant in the United States, you’ve probably had it. (Spicy sauce is Kewpie mayo mixed with sriracha.) It’s creamier, tangier, and more full of umami than American-style mayo.
I think it really elevates this sandwich — but you can absolutely use regular mayo instead if you like.
I don’t find this amount of sriracha to be overpoweringly spicy by any means, but if you’d rather skip the hot sauce, go ahead. You’ll still have a great sandwich.
More favorite ways to use leftover turkey
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Ridiculously Good Turkey Avocado Sandwich
Ingredients
- 3 strips thick bacon
- 2 slices good sandwich bread
- ¼ pound (113 grams) sliced turkey breast
- 2 tablespoons Japanese mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- 2 tablespoons sliced scallions
- ½ ripe Haas avocado, sliced
- Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cut the bacon slices in half and place in a cold frying pan. Set over medium heat and cook, turning occasionally, until crisped to your liking. Drain on paper towels.
- If you like, lightly toast the bread.
- Layer the turkey slices onto one slice of the bread. Top with an even layer of bacon.
- Onto the other slice of bread, spread the mayo and then the sriracha. Sprinkle with scallions. Layer on the avocado slices. Sprinkle the avocado with the salt and pepper.
- Close the sandwich by tipping the avocado-topped slice of bread onto the turkey-topped slice. Cut in half and serve right away.
Notes
- You can use any type of fairly large sliced bread that you like. Sourdough and seeded rye are fabulous choices, as is the whole wheat boule pictured here. The choice of whether to toast is up to you.
- This is an equally great sandwich to make with leftover Thanksgiving turkey (use sliced white meat) or deli-sliced turkey breast.
- Japanese mayo has a creamier texture and tangier taste with more umami. I adore it, but you can use regular mayo here if you like.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Absolutely incredible sandwich, I make it at least once a week now
Woohoo! Thanks, Trevor.