The Best Ham and Cheese Sandwich: Step by Step Recipe

February 28, 2024
Chuck Sillari

I consider myself a real expert when it comes to ham and cheese sandwiches. I eat them, I make them and I study them.

I know that sounds weird. Why would someone waste their time studying a simple sandwich?

Well, the answer is obvious. I’m nuts. I’m nuts about sandwiches.

And I’m always trying to figure out how to make the best sandwiches.

What’s the best type of bread for a particular sandwich?

Should I use mayo or mustard…or both? Yellow mustard or dijon mustard?

What’s the best kind of cheese for a particular sandwich?

In this case, I needed to know the best type of cheese for a ham sandwich.

These are the questions I need answers to. And I spend a lot of time tasting and testing how to make the perfect sandwich.

Today I’m going to show you how I took a ham and cheese sandwich to the next level recently. It came out awesome!

Try this ham and cheese sandwich recipe and let me know what you think. I’m pretty sure it will become one of your favorite sandwiches.

What You Need to Make A Great Ham and Cheese Sandwich

All of the ingredients you need are going to be simple. You should be able to find them all in your local grocery store.

Ham

This ham sandwich recipe is going to be easy. I basically took the classic ham sandwich and elevated it with a few simple touches.

It’s also going to be a cold ham sandwich.

When I made this sandwich I used a really basic deli ham. Nothing fancy. I swear.

The most important thing is that you have the guy behind the counter slice the ham as thin as possible.

Don’t be shy. Ask to inspect a piece of ham after he slices it.

If the pieces of ham you put on your sandwich are too thick, it won’t be as good. Believe me!

Thin slices of ham are very important when trying to make the perfect ham sandwich. The salty ham can be overpowering if it’s sliced too thick.

In my opinion the best ham can ruin a sandwich if it’s sliced too thick and the cheapest ham can be great if it’s sliced really thin.

Ok. I think you understand my obsession with thin sliced ham. Let’s move on.

Cheese

I see a ham sandwich as being a blank canvas when it comes to cheese.

For this sandwich, I used provolone cheese. I made sure to slice it fresh and slice it thin. That’s the only way to do it in my opinion.

But if you don’t love provolone, you don’t have to use it. There are so many different cheeses to choose from.

You could use American cheese, mozzarella cheese or cheddar cheese. Like I said before, whatever you use, make sure that your slices of cheese are thin.

Pick your favorite cheese and run with it.

Bread

The bread is a really important part of any sandwich. If you use bad bread, you’re done.

For my ham and cheese sandwich I decided to use one of the sub rolls we serve at Mortadella Head. It’s crusty on the outside and soft on the inside.

If you don’t have a sub roll, you could use a baguette, a ciabatta roll or sourdough bread.

The Spread

I made a really quick Calabrian chili pepper aioli for this sandwich. I took mayonnaise, crushed Calabrian chili pepper and honey.

Then I mixed it all together. It adds a little creaminess, heat and sweetness to the sandwich.

I strongly recommend that you always spread your mayo on both sides of the roll for even distribution of flavors.

If you’re using sliced bread, apply it to both slices of bread. When you spread your mayo on the top slice of bread and the bottom slice, you’ll be able to tell the difference.

The Veggies

I made my sandwich with crispy romaine lettuce, tomatoes and pickles. I sliced the romaine really thin. I actually shredded it with my knife.

Shredded lettuce is always the ideal choice for any sandwich in my opinion.

I sliced my tomatoes nice and thin too.

I used dill pickle chips right from the jar. I love pickles on a ham and cheese sandwich.

Seasoning

Always season the veggies on your sandwich. A liberal amount of salt and pepper makes every sandwich better.

Add a nice drizzle of olive oil and you’re golden!

How to Make the Best Ham and Cheese Sandwich

I started off by making my Calabrian chili aioli. I simply mixed together mayonnaise, crushed Calabrian chili peppers and honey.

Then I stirred it up with a spoon until it was well mixed.

Then I cut my sub roll into 2 pieces. The top and the bottom.

I slathered the mayo on both halves of the sub roll. I made sure each piece of bread had plenty of mayo.

My next step was to slice the cheese. I have a slicer in the Mortadella Head kitchen so I like slicing it fresh. I covered the bottom roll with lots of cheese.

The next thing I did was slice the ham. I sliced it really thin because that’s the best way to do it. I loaded piles of ham onto the bread.

I took the romaine lettuce leaves and sliced them really thin with a knife. I spread the lettuce evenly over the ham.

I sliced the tomato and laid the slices over the lettuce

The next thing I did was apply the pickles in a straight line on top of the tomatoes. I like the way the vinegar from the pickles cuts the fattiness of the savory ham. It’s a perfect combination.

Finally I seasoned it all with a good amount of salt, black pepper and olive oil.

And that’s it!

The Best Cheese for A Ham Sandwich FAQs

What other types of ham can be used for this sandwich?

This sandwich can be made with just about any cooked ham. If you have leftover ham from Sunday dinner..use it.

Leftover spiral ham will work just fine.

If you are using ham from the deli, you can use black forest ham, Polish ham or prosciutto cotto.

Can this ham and cheese sandwich be served hot?

Yes. When I made it, I ate it at room temperature. If you like hot ham and cheese, here are a couple ways to do it.

Make a grilled ham and cheese in a cast-iron skillet or frying pan. Add some real butter to the pan and put it on medium heat. Put the sandwich in the pan for a couple minutes on each side.

You’ll know it’s done when the cheese melts and the bread is a nice golden brown.

You can also put the sandwich in the oven and make a ham and cheese toastie.

What are the best cheeses for grilled cheese and ham sandwiches?

Like I said before I like provolone, American and cheddar cheese for room temperature sandwiches. These cheeses also melt really nice.

If you want to try some other cheeses try Alpine cheese, Gruyere cheese or Swiss cheese. If you’ve had melted Swiss cheese before, these are all similar.

If you like creamy cheese you can use goat cheese. It’s not really a melty cheese, but it has a lot of flavor and it’s spreadable.

The Best Ham and Cheese Sandwich: Step by Step Recipe

What You Need to Make A Great Ham and Cheese Sandwich