How To Make A Delicious Sandwichon (Step By Step)
Sandwichon is a delectable multi-layered sandwich that’s traditionally served at parties and during the holiday season. It’s typically made with layers of crustless white bread that filled with different types of meat-based salads, pâtés, ham, cheese, and decorated to look like a cake with either a creamy red pimento sauce or a white cream cheese frosting.
This is quite a unique Mexican recipe not to be missed!
What is a Sandwichon?
Sandwichon is a savory sandwich cake invented in 1956 by Don Petronilo Vázquez Madera in the city of Mérida, which is located in the state of Yucatán in Southeast Mexico.
Don Petronilio created three different types of sandwichon but nowadays there are countless variations that consists of different fillings of savory or sweet and combining savory and sweet ingredients to create a truly unique treat.
One of the more popular versions is called “sandwichon de jamon y queso”. And it’s prepared with crustless white bread loafs layered with pâté sauce, slices of ham, and Daisy cheese (which is a yellow cheese native to Yucatan).
The vibrant orange colored pâté sauce is made by blending cream, canned pimento peppers, ham, cheese, pickled jalapeños, and salt. Some people also like to add mayonnaise and/or cream cheese to make the sauce richer.
So then the pâté sauce is spread on the slices of bread with the ham and cheese. The whole sandwich is coated in the savory sauce then it’s decorated with sliced pimento peppers and peas or green olives.
Another version called “sandwichón confeti or blanco” is made similar to the above, but a layer of strawberry jam is also incorporated. This one usually has the top bread slice and sides decorated with a cream cheese and cream spread and it’s topped with pecans and sometimes also maraschino cherries or pineapple rings are used.
The third more popular traditional sandwichon filling consists of layers of shredded chicken with mayonnaise and typically the same red pate sauce is used.
But so like any other recipe and with time, each Yucatecan family has their own versions.
Now add to it that with popularity and emigration the sandwichon spread across Mexico and regional variations have been adapted. The ham and cheese layers have been replaced by creamy chicken salad, tuna salad, minced ham filling, just roasted chicken filling to name a few. There are so many different ways to make sandwichon!
Though it’s now popular all over Mexico and other Latin American countries, the sandwichon is an iconic and emblematic dish of Yucatan!
My Take on Sandwichon
Though my family is from the Western part of Mexico, I have an aunt from Southern Mexico that taught my mom to make sandwichon.
So growing up, my mami would make sandwichon for us especially for Christmas – my sister C always begged mom to make it for Christmas. So for me savory sandwich cakes are part of Christmas.
My recipe is based on the basic traditional ham and cheese version, just made meatless and diary-free – and trust me it’s so good that even meat-eaters will want a taste!
Why You’ll Love Sandwichon
• This delicious dish is easy to make and budget friendly!
• Can be made a day ahead of your gathering.
• Sandwichon is a great addition to other party foods.
• Can be serves as an appetizer or main dish.
Ingredients
White Sandwich Bread: Down here on the Peninsula, they sell sandwichon bread that is a loaf of sandwich bread with the crust removed and sliced into long pieces instead of the square individual slice of bread in regular packs. I’m pretty sure you won’t find it where you live so you can use regular sliced sandwich bread then cut off the crust.
Ham: I used plant-based ham and you can use your favorite brand.
Yellow Cheese: The traditional Daisy cheese isn’t available outside of the Peninsula so you can substitute it with American or Cheddar cheese. I used Daiya Cheddar slices.
Pate Sauce: For my plant-based sandwichon recipe I use dairy-free cream or my homemade sour cream when I have it, silken tofu, a slice of ham and cheese, canned pimento which is just roasted red bell pepper in brine, pickled jalapeños, and salt.
To Decorate: You’ll need more canned pimento and some green olives or canned peas. You could also get creative with the decorating and make flowers using cherry tomatoes and parsley leaves.
Other Ingredients: Many people in Mexico like to add a bar of cream cheese to make the pate sauce. If you’d like you can add some dairy-free cream cheese. In this case you may need to add more cream or milk to help with blending and also adjust the seasoning.
🥴I’ve seen some recipes of people from Texas that use Tostito cheese dip in place of the pate sauce. I mean to each their own but that is not how we make sandwichon in the Yucatan Peninsula or the rest of Mexico.
💡Tip: You can find the cans or jars of pimento at your local grocery store or look in the Hispanic food isle for “pimenton“ and the Goya or La Costeña brand.
If you can’t find them at all then you can put some red bell peppers under the broiler until charred, rest, peel and deseed, then use in the recipe.
Sanwichon Step-by-Step
Please notice that when I recorded the video I made two sandwichones so you won’t see the double width in the instructions.
Step 1 Make Pâté Sauce:
In the cup of your blender pour in the cream, break up the tofu into it, pimento peppers, salt, pickled jalapenos and brine, ham slice, and roughly torn up cheese slice. Blend until completely cream, stop to scrape down the sides and taste for salt. Pour into a bowl.
Step 2 Prep The Bread:
Stack 3 slices of bread and slice off the crust on all sides. Repeat until all the bread is ready.
Step 3 Assemble The Sandwichon:
Use a glass baking dish large enough to fit two slices of bread side by side. Smear some of the pate sauce on the bottom then layer two rows of 3 bread slices side by side cutting excess if needed.
Coat the top of the bread with an even layer. Layer cheese slices on top of the bread, then layer ham slices on top of the cheese. If you need to cut off excess or doble layer.
Spread some more pate sauce across the ham then top with more bread. Repeat the process until you’ve created 3 layers of the ham and cheese.
The final layer of bread you’ll want to evenly coat with just the pate sauce.
Step 4 Refrigerate:
Place in the refrigerator for at least an hour or overnight to really let the flavors come together.
Step 5 Decorate:
After resting in the fridge spread more of the pate sauce across the sandwichon then decorate with the remaining pimento peppers. I like to make slices and place diagonally then put some olive halves across them. Get creative and decorate as you’d like.
Step 6 Cut:
Use a cake cutter or serving spatula to slice the sandwichon into serving sizes. Then my favorite part, dig in!
How to Serve Sandwichon
Traditionally sandwichon is serve with a side of Mexican macaroni salad or cream spaghetti. Or you can serve smaller slices as an appetizer.
This delectable sandwich “cake” can be served for holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Cinco de Mayo, or for celebrations like christenings, baby showers, or adult and children’s birthday parties.
It can even be served as a just because treat!
Taste
This sandwichon tastes savory, creamy, a little spicy and a tad smokey from the pimento peppers and ham. The texture is soft and melts into your taste buds. The pate sauce is seriously delicious that you could also use is as a dip or even pasta sauce.
Is This a Vegan Sandwichon Recipe?
Yes this sandwichon is plant-based because it’s made with vegan ham, and dairy-free cheese and cream. Additionally instead of cream cheese it uses silken tofu to give the sauce a creamy texture.
Gracias
I’m so happy you stopped by. If you have any questions or want to let me know how you liked this recipe, do leave a comment. Muchas gracias, I appreciate you!
More Recipes to Try
Sandwichon Recipe
Ingredients
- 24 slices of white bread
- 10 slices ham I used plant-based ham
- 10 slices American cheese* I used Daiya Cheddar slices
- 1 cup cream I used dairy-free crema
- 10.9 oz or 308g silken tofu drained
- 9.5 oz or 270g canned pimento peppers drained
- 3 small pickled jalapeños stem removed
- 1-2 Tablespoons jalapeño brine
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 1 cup green olives with pimento filling
Instructions
- Blend the cream, break up the tofu into it, 7oz of pimento peppers, salt, pickled jalapenos and brine, one ham slice, and one roughly torn up cheese slice. Blend until completely cream, stop to scrape down the sides and taste for salt.
- Pour sandwichon pate sauce into a bowl and set aside.
- Stack 3 slices of bread and slice off the crust on all sides. Repeat until all the bread is ready.
- Use a glass baking dish large enough to fit two slices of bread side by side. Smear some of the pate sauce on the bottom then layer two rows of 3 bread slices side by side cutting excess if needed.
- Coat the top of the bread with an even layer of the sauce. Layer cheese slices on top of the bread, then layer ham slices on top of the cheese. If you need to cut off excess or doble layer.
- Spread some more pate sauce across the ham then top with more bread. Repeat the process until you’ve created 3 layers of the ham and cheese.
- The final layer of bread you’ll want to evenly coat with just the pate sauce.
- Place in the refrigerator for at least an hour or overnight to really let the flavors come together.
- After resting in the fridge spread more of the pate sauce across the sandwichon then decorate with the remaining pimento peppers. I like to make slices and place diagonally then put some olive halves across them. Get creative and decorate as you’d like.
- Use a cake cutter or serving spatula to slice the sandwichon into serving sizes and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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Looking for a Barro Plate Like Mine
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Nancy Lopez is a food blogger and author of the cookbook Mexican Tamales Made Meatless. Born in Mexico, raised in the US, and currently living in Southern Mexico, she has followed a meatless diet for almost 10 years. It is her passion and mission to share all she has learned about vegan Mexican cooking and vegetarian Mexican recipes. Mexican Made Meatless is a blog dedicated to preserving the authentic flavors of Mexican cuisine just without the meat. It’s a place to celebrate Mexican culture and all it’s delightfully delicious traditional foods. Read more…
