Gluten free turkey cheese melt with bacon, lettuce, and tomato is a fun way to enjoy turkey leftovers.

Hello, friends!

With Thanksgiving right around the corner here in the states, my family is already coming up with creative ideas for the turkey leftovers.

Honestly, why wait until Thanksgiving to enjoy delicious turkey tenderloin? Turkey made a wonderful, autumn dinner this weekend, and my kids loved using the leftover turkey to reinvent lunch the next day.

This gluten-free Turkey, Lettuce, Tomato, Bacon, and Swiss Cheese Melt (yes, half the fun is piling on all of the ingredients) was entirely my kids’ creation, so I’m handing it over to my daughter, Nicole, to explain the details of the sandwich making process.

Nicole here! I’m so excited to be sharing this recipe with you all. 🙂

Let’s start with the turkey. I’ve made turkey melts before with thin-sliced deli turkey, but you really can’t beat the taste of fresh, home cooked turkey tenderloin. Mom seasoned hers with salt and pepper and baked it in a beautiful sauce of white wine, chicken broth, apple cider vinegar, and green tarragon sprigs. Is your mouth watering yet?

Ok, let’s save some of that turkey for the sandwiches. We’ll also need to cook up bacon in a skillet. I used Oscar Mayer’s Select No Nitrite Bacon, and I’ll admit that I couldn’t stop myself from snacking on several strips of crispy bacon as I prepared the sandwiches.

Instructions

First, we’ll need two slices of gluten-free sandwich bread. I love Udi’s as the bread is almost as light and fluffy as real white bread. Actually, I’ll take that back. It is real white bread, just sans wheat.

I spread one side of the slices with softened butter, and then let them grill in a pan with more butter to make those beautiful black grill lines. The bread ends up toasty on one side, and soft and chewy on the other.

Next, I prepared the special sauce. This is the secret ingredient that takes the sandwich to a whole new level. It’s really just an abridged version of Russian dressing: a little bit of mayonnaise and ketchup mixed in a bowl until pink and ready to spread on the bread slices. We like organic mayonnaise from Primal Kitchen.

Now we’ll need to return to our skillet. Take several pieces of turkey, layer them with bacon, and cover with strips of Swiss cheese. Cover the skillet and heat until the cheese is melted.

And finally, we’re ready to build the sandwich: a beautiful hot, turkey sandwich for cold autumn afternoons. Spread the slices with the special sauce; add fresh lettuce; stuff with the turkey, bacon, and melted cheese; and don’t forget the juicy, red tomatoes!

Pro tips and recipe notes

If you want to give your taste buds an added treat, make sure to pair this sandwich with healthy organic pickle slices.
Today, I used Udi’s sandwich bread. You can go with whichever bread you prefer.

You may not be able to go back to ordinary turkey sandwiches after taking your first bite of this ultimate gluten-free turkey melt.

Enjoy!

More sandwich and wrap ideas

Review: Against the Grain rolls – Here’s my review of gluten free Against the Grain rolls including recipes for three savory and simple gluten free sandwiches you’ll love.

Hot Open Turkey Sandwich – You’ve just got to try this delicious hot open faced turkey sandwich. It’s so good.

Philly Cheesesteak Lettuce Wraps – These wraps are made with tender sliced roast beef, fresh peppers and onions, and melted provolone cheese covered in a delicious sauce. Best of all, they’re crazy easy to make.

Print Pin

5 from 1 vote