What is a Turkey Melt? An Overview of This Comforting Grilled Cheese Sandwich

The turkey melt is a delicious spin on the classic grilled cheese sandwich with sliced turkey and other ingredients added for more flavor and heartiness. This combo of hot, melted cheese and savory turkey is pure comfort food perfect for a quick lunch or light dinner. But what exactly defines this sandwich? Here’s a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about turkey melts.

What is a Turkey Melt?

A turkey melt sandwich starts with the basic framework of a grilled cheese – slices of bread fried in butter and filled with melted cheese. From there sliced deli turkey is added as the star filling. The turkey provides a savory, protein-packed element to complement the rich cheese.

Other ingredients are also commonly added such as tomatoes, bacon, avocado, pesto or roasted red peppers. But the two core components are always turkey and melted cheese between slices of bread.

Common Turkey Melt Ingredients

While creativity is encouraged, most turkey melt recipes call for similar ingredients:

Sliced bread – Sourdough and wheat breads are especially popular,
Butter – For frying the bread to a crisp, golden brown.
Sliced cheese – Cheddar, provolone, Swiss and Monterey jack are common choices.
Sliced deli turkey – Smoked or roasted turkey lunchmeat.
Extras – Tomatoes, bacon, peppers, onions, etc to add more flavor.
Condiments – Mayo, mustard, hot sauce, etc. to spread on the bread.

Why Are Turkey Melts so Popular?

There are several reasons why turkey melts make such a satisfying sandwich:

Combo of flavors – The turkey and cheese complement each other perfectly. The cheese is rich, gooey and creamy while the turkey provides a fresh, savory meatiness.
Satisfying – Turkey melts fill you up without weighing you down. You get protein from the turkey and calcium from the cheese.
Quick – Assembly only takes 5-10 minutes. Turkey melts come together faster than most hot sandwiches.
Comforting – Hot, melty cheese sandwiched between crisp, buttery bread – what’s not to love? It’s downright cozy comfort food.
Versatile – Ingredients like tomatoes, peppers, avocados and pesto can be added to customize the flavor.
Budget-friendly – Deli turkey and cheese are very affordable ingredients, keeping costs down.

How to Make a Turkey Melt Sandwich

Making a turkey melt at home is easy. Here are the basic steps:

Butter the bread – Spread butter on one side of each bread slice. The butter will brown the bread as it cooks.
Add cheese and turkey – Top one slice with cheese then turkey slices. Add any additional fillings like tomato or bacon at this stage.
Top with cheese – Finish with a second slice of cheese to enclose the fillings.
Close the sandwich – Place the second buttered bread slice on top, buttered side up. Press gently.
Cook in skillet – Fry the sandwich over medium heat until both sides are golden brown and the cheese melts, 2-4 minutes per side.
Slice in half – Allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting in half to serve.

And that’s all there is to it! For added flavor, consider spreading condiments like mustard or pesto mayo on the bread slices.

Delicious Turkey Melt Combinations

One of the best qualities of a turkey melt is how customizable it is simply by switching up ingredients:

BLT Melt – Add crispy bacon, lettuce and tomato.
Southwest Melt – Use pepper jack cheese and add roasted green chiles.
Pesto Melt – Spread pesto mayo on the bread for fresh herb flavor.
Caprese Melt – Include sliced fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil leaves.
Avocado Melt – Add slices of creamy avocado for a flavor and texture contrast.
Greek Melt – Use feta cheese and add sliced black olives and red onion.

Tips for Making the Best Turkey Melts

With these handy tips, you’ll be a turkey melt pro in no time:

Use bonneless turkey slices for even cooking and melt-ability in each bite.
Choose bread that can stand up to melty cheese like sourdough, wheat or rye.
Spread mayo or mustard on bread slices before grilling for extra moisture and tang.
Add sliced tomato, onion or other veggies near the end so they don’t overcook.
Use a press to flatten the sandwich as it cooks for better contact between bread and filling.
Let the cooked sandwich rest 1-2 minutes before cutting in half for neat slices.

Simple Variations

Instead of deli turkey, use leftover roasted turkey meat.
For a spicy kick, add sliced jalapeños or hot sauce to the sandwich.
Swap out the cheese with havarti, gouda, asiago or other melted cheese.
For an Italian twist, use ciabatta or focaccia bread and add sun-dried tomatoes.
To make it more of a meal, serve with a side soup or salad.

Turkey Melts Make an Easy, Satisfying Lunch

With its crispy buttery bread, melted cheese, and savory turkey, the turkey melt sandwich hits the spot any time of day. It comes together fast using simple pantry ingredients. Feel free to get creative with add-ins to customize it to your tastes. Turkey melts are sure to satisfy your comfort food cravings.

Step 2: Grill the sandwich

In a large skillet, toast the sandwiches over medium heat until they’re golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side.

Ingredients for Turkey Melts

Mayonnaise: The canonical sandwich spread plays the same role here that it does in cold sandwiches, moistening and enriching the fillings.
Sourdough bread: Sourdough bread gives the finished sandwich a distinctive tang and a more interesting texture.
Chopped green chiles: The canned green chiles add a pleasantly mild heat to the sandwich, along with moisture and a sweet pepper flavor.
Sliced deli turkey: Deli turkey is mild-tasting and easy to work with, hence its popularity as a sandwich filling.
Shredded cheese: The shredded Colby or Monterey Jack cheese adds a pleasant richness to the sandwich without overwhelming the taste of the turkey. It’s also responsible for giving the sandwich its wonderfully melty gooeyness.
Butter: Butter browns the outside of the sandwich and adds flavor, as it does in classic grilled cheese sandwiches and any number of variations on the theme.

Spread mayonnaise over two slices of the sourdough bread. Then spread the bread evenly with green chiles. Layer the turkey and cheese over them. Top with the remaining two slices of bread, and spread the outsides of the sandwiches with butter.

The Best Turkey Melt (and a secret ingredient)

FAQ

What makes a melt sandwich?

A melt sandwich is a type of hot sandwich containing a suitable meltable cheese (sometimes grated) and a filling of meat or fish. The sandwich is grilled on the stovetop until the cheese melts (hence the name) and the bread is toasted, or heated in an oven.

What is the difference between a melt and a grilled cheese?

What is the difference between a melt and a grilled cheese sandwich? A melt is a broad category of food encompassing any heated sandwich made with melted cheese, whereas a grilled cheese is a specific type of sandwich most frequently made with cheese, bread, and butter, but it may include other elements as well.

Are turkey melts good?

When you want a quick but satisfying and tasty meal, a turkey and cheese melt absolutely fits the bill. You can think of it as a grown-up spin on a grilled cheese sandwich or a smart and practical way to use up leftover deli meat, but either way it’s a winner.

What is on a Subway turkey melt?

Imagine freshly baked bread stuffed with tender sliced turkey breast, turkey ham, crispy turkey strips melted cheese, and your choice of tasty vegetables and condiments. Now, stop imagining and get your mouth over to your nearest SUBWAY® Restaurant.