Here’s the story. I’m at home with my parents, grandparents, and husband. We just enjoyed a delicious meatloaf for dinner and were sitting there looking at our leftovers, so we got talking about how we could use them. Which then, of course, turned into a heated discussion about who could make the best meatloaf sandwich. So the next day, we covered the table with vegetables, condiments, different kinds of bread, and went to war.
Each of us had unique ideas about what would make the best meatloaf sandwich. Some tried to go gourmet, others made a classic go-to. We were all pretty satisfied with the results, so it felt odd not documenting it. Okay, okay, I forced them to let me photograph these.
Originally our little meatloaf sandwich war was going to be a taste test to see who made the best, but here’s the problem: we only wanted to eat our own sandwiches. So we took our pictures, enjoyed our lunches, and decided it would be way more satisfying to let the readers decide which meatloaf sandwich is the best.
So here are seven different sandwich ideas we made using leftover meatloaf. We hope it inspires you to use up your leftovers and make the best tasting sandwich of all time. Or even duke it out with your family and have a sandwich war of your own.
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Dad: Open-faced sourdough with arugula, smoked gruyere, & hot sauce
With a bit of sourdough bread leftover, Dad decided to forgo his usual sandwich (listed at the end) and make something new. He topped a toasted slice of sourdough with arugula, a cold slice of meatloaf, a slice of smoked gruyere cheese, and topped with Crystal hot sauce. The combination may sound strange at first, but the combination of the gruyere with the meatloaf and the hot sauce was surprisingly delectable. Personally, I think Dad’s meatloaf sandwich comes in a close second—to mine, of course.
Mom: Salad with mixed greens, grape tomatoes, & balsamic vinaigrette
Mom has to eat a particular diet, which does exclude gluten. Instead of having her slice of meatloaf on bread, she topped it on a fresh bed of greens. She sliced up a few fresh medley grape tomatoes and drizzled her homemade balsamic vinaigrette on top.
The husband: White bread with ketchup and pickles
My husband was probably the most vocal about his meatloaf sandwich, because he’s been eating it the same way for years. Two slices of classic white bread, cold slices of meatloaf, pickles, and a nice drizzle of ketchup. For this particular sandwich, he used two types of pickles—pickled yellow peppers and dill pickles.
Grandpa: Hamburger bun with butter and onions
Grandpa likes to keep it simple for lunch. He’s the kind of guy that loves a good feast, but is also perfectly content eating an English muffin with peanut butter. For his meatloaf sandwich, he likes to put it on any kind of roll (we had hamburger rolls on hand) with a bit of butter. However, as he watched some of othe others put sliced onion on their sandwiches, he got a little jealous and added a few onion slices of his own. But usually, it’s just meatloaf and butter on a roll—super simple.
Grandma: Roll with ketchup, pickles, and onion
As you can probably tell, Grandma’s sandwich is very similar to my husband’s. It has a cold slice of meatloaf with ketchup and pickled yellow peppers. the only difference is the added slices of red onion, which she says is the most important part of your cold meatloaf sandwich.
Me: Everything bagel thin with egg, scallion cream cheese, white American cheese, & pea shoots
Alright so I admit, I’ve never made a meatloaf sandwich. When I have meatloaf leftover from dinner, my husband is usually the one making sandwiches with it. So as my first foray into the world of meatloaf sandwiches, I decided to give mine a little breakfast sandwich vibe. I toasted up an everything bagel thin, and unlike the others, I decided to heat up my meatloaf instead of eating it cold. I then spread some scallion cream cheese leftover in the fridge onto the bagel thin, added the warmed meatloaf with a slice of white American cheese, and topped it with a fried egg. To add some color, I added pea shoots. It’s the best sandwich…right? RIGHT?!
Pop-Pop: Toasted white bread with white American cheese and spicy mustard
Alright, so this sandwich wasn’t made by anyone in the room. But my mother felt weird not featuring a meatloaf sandwich that she—as well as my father—have enjoyed for so many years of their marriage. So this sandwich is dedicated to my Pop-Pop, who used to love my Grammy’s leftover meatloaf on toasted white bread with a slice of cheese and spicy mustard.
And there you have it! Seven meatloaf sandwich ideas. Now the question is, who’s sandwich do you think is the best? Share in the comments below—let’s go to war!
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