7 Sandwich Dinners That Feel Like a Real Meal

There was a time in my life when serving sandwiches for dinner felt like a confession of failure. Like, “I gave up, here is a sandwich.”

Then I had a kid who actually preferred a really good sandwich dinner over a sit down plate of meatloaf, and I realized I had been carrying around a weird rule that did not need to exist.

A really good sandwich dinner is a real dinner. It is hot.

It is satisfying. It usually involves a slow cooker that did all the work.

These are the sandwich dinners I make on nights when nobody wants to sit at a table for forty five minutes but everybody still needs to eat something real.

1) Maid Rite Loose Meat Sandwiches▼

This is the Iowa diner sandwich that I love and that confuses people who did not grow up in the Midwest. Seasoned crumbled ground beef on a soft white bun with mustard, onion, and pickle. No tomato sauce. No barbecue. Just plain, beefy, salty perfection. If you have never had one, you will think it cannot possibly be that good.

And then you will eat one. And then you will eat another. And then you will text me to thank me. This is the kind of dinner that comes together in one skillet in about fifteen minutes, so it earns a spot in the weeknight rotation even on the nights I swear I have nothing planned. Leftovers reheat fine in a pan with a splash of water so the meat does not dry out. If you are feeding a crowd, it doubles easily and holds well in a slow cooker set to warm for a game day spread.

2) Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches▼

This is a sandwich that feels like a real grown up dinner. Tender slow cooked beef on a hoagie roll with melted provolone, served with a little cup of au jus for dipping. The crockpot does all the work, and the result feels like the kind of sandwich you would order at a real restaurant. I make these on Sundays when I want dinner to feel a little special but I do not feel like doing anything special. The dipping is half the fun.

I throw the roast in frozen straight from the deep freezer and let it go low all day while we are out running errands. By dinner it shreds with two forks and barely any effort. If there is beef left over, it makes a fantastic Monday night soup with the extra au jus as your base. It also freezes flat in a bag for a future night when nobody feels like cooking at all.

3) Crockpot BBQ Chicken▼

Chicken breasts in the crockpot with barbecue sauce, shredded with a fork, piled onto a soft bun. It is the easiest sandwich dinner on this list, and the kind of dinner that becomes a summer Sunday tradition before you even notice it happened. Add coleslaw on top if you grew up that way. Skip it if you did not. Either way, the sandwich is a hit.

This is the recipe I hand to anyone who says they cannot cook. Frozen chicken breasts, a bottle of sauce you already like, and four hours on low is basically the whole method. It is also forgiving if you get busy and let it run an extra hour. Extra chicken freezes great in its own sauce, so I usually make a double batch on purpose.

4) Crockpot Philly Cheesesteak▼

The slow cooker version of the Philly classic. Tender beef, peppers, onions, and provolone, piled on hoagie rolls. It is the sandwich that feels like an indulgence even though you made it in the slow cooker with almost no work. This is the dinner I make when my teenager has friends over. The boys eat their weight in cheesesteaks.

The girls eat just as much and pretend they did not. A cheap cut of beef works great here because the low, slow cooking is what makes it tender, not the price tag. I slice mine thin while it is still a little frozen, which makes the whole job easier. Toast the hoagie rolls under the broiler for a minute before you pile everything on. It keeps them from turning soggy under all that melted provolone and au jus.

5) Sloppy Joes▼

The homemade version of the school cafeteria sandwich, except about ten times better. Ground beef in a saucy, slightly sweet, slightly tangy sauce, piled onto a soft bun. It is messy. That is the point. If you have a kid who claims to hate sloppy joes from the can, make them this one.

The homemade version is a different sandwich entirely. This sauce freezes beautifully once it has cooled, so I make a double batch and stash half in the deep freezer for a night when I have absolutely nothing left to give. Serve it over a baked potato instead of a bun for a fun change, or spoon it over rice if buns are not in the house. Either way, keep napkins close.

6) Pulled Pork Burritos▼

Technically a burrito, spiritually a sandwich. Slow cooked pulled pork wrapped in a warm tortilla with cheese, rice, beans, and whatever toppings you have around. It is the dinner that works as a sit down meal or a grab and go meal, which I appreciate on practice nights. I make a big batch of pulled pork on Sundays. We eat it as burritos one night, on buns another night, and over rice a third night.

Endlessly useful. Set out little bowls of toppings and let everyone build their own. It keeps the picky eaters happy and gets the kids to actually eat vegetables they picked themselves. Wrap extra burritos individually in foil and freeze them for lunches. They reheat in the microwave in a couple minutes for an actual homemade meal on a day you have zero time.

7) Pulled Beef▼

The slow cooker pulled beef that becomes whatever kind of sandwich you want it to be. Pile it on a hoagie roll with cheese, on a bun with barbecue sauce, or in a tortilla with salsa. The beef is tender enough to shred with a fork and savory enough to anchor any sandwich it ends up in. This is the recipe I make when I want a week’s worth of different sandwiches from one batch of meat. It is the gift that keeps on giving.

I like to portion the shredded beef into freezer bags with a little of the cooking liquid poured over the top. It keeps the meat from drying out and thaws quickly on a busy night. If the kids are pickier that week, plain beef on a bun with just cheese wins every time. Save the salsa and sauce as add on options instead of mixing it in for everybody.

Questions I Get About These Sandwich Dinners

Can I make any of these ahead of time?

Yes, all of these are even better the next day once the flavors have sat together. I regularly cook the meat portion a day or two ahead and just reheat it before serving.

Do the meats freeze well?

Very well. I freeze the shredded or crumbled meat flat in a bag so it thaws fast, then just warm it in a pan or the microwave when I need dinner in a hurry.

Can I double these recipes for a crowd?

Absolutely, and I do it often for potlucks or when the teenager brings friends home. Most of these scale up fine in a slow cooker as long as you give the meat a little extra cook time.

What if my kids are picky about toppings?

Keep the extras on the side in little bowls so everyone can build their own plain or loaded. That trick alone has saved more dinners in this house than I can count.

What should I serve alongside a sandwich dinner?

Something simple works best since the sandwich is doing the heavy lifting. Chips, a quick coleslaw, or cut up fruit rounds it out without adding more work for you.

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