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Turkey Pesto Sandwich with Marinated Tomato and Provolone

August 30, 2023October 20, 2024

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This Turkey Pesto Sandwich is the perfect way to enjoy a batch of homemade pesto (or even store-bought pesto)! And it’s a great way to use up that leftover Thanksgiving turkey!

close up of pesto turkey sandwich with provolone, tomatoes and mixed greens

I’ve been making these Turkey Pesto Sandwiches on repeat ever since I made that walnut kale pesto. This sandwich is a delicious meal for any time of year but is especially perfect as a fall lunch! You don’t have to make your own pesto, but pesto is the best part of this sandwich and it’s very easy to make (I promise!). But if you don’t want to, I’m going to give another easy tip in this recipe to elevate any homemade sandwich (or turkey pesto wrap!) that you really need to try! Let’s make lunch!

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you decide to purchase any of the items linked in this post, I should earn a small commission. This creates no additional cost to you and helps support the work that goes into running The Fig Jar. Thank you! -Becky

Ingredients

Turkey Pesto Sandwich Recipe

To make this Pesto Turkey Sandwich, you will need:

Bread: Use your favorite bread! I try to always find the best bread I can, meaning minimal ingredients. I’m talking about bread that actually gets moldy when left out for a few days. My go-to for this recipe is sourdough bread. As a backup though, I really like Milton’s multigrain or a good ciabatta bread.
Pesto: Make my walnut kale pesto, arugula basil pesto without garlic or use your favorite pesto from your local grocery store. Trader Joe’s has a great Vegan Kale Cashew and Basil Pesto!
Mayonnaise
Turkey: When you want to make a killer homemade sandwich, the ingredients matter! Get the best deli turkey you can find. Applegate makes great organic, humanely raised oven-roasted sliced turkey breast. You can also use leftover turkey breast from your Thanksgiving meal!
Cheese: Provolone is my go-to sandwich cheese forever. But slices of fresh mozzarella cheese or parmesan cheese would be great, too!
Marinated tomato: Sliced tomato, vinegar, avocado oil or olive oil, salt and black pepper
Mixed greens

How to make this Turkey Pesto Sandwich

If you’re making your own pesto, do this first! If using store-bought you’re almost ready to start assembling, but remember, I said I was going to teach you a little trick to make this sandwich (and any sandwich) taste even better? Well, here it is: marinate the tomatoes. All you need to do is slice tomatoes, place them in a bowl, and add some oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Let this sit for about 10 minutes and you’re good to go. Trust me, it adds so much flavor!

sliced tomatoes in a bowl with vinegar, oil, salt and pepper

Now let’s make this sandwich already. Start by toasting your slices of bread. You can also skip this part, assemble the sandwich and grill in a pan or on a panini press it to make a panini but this is how I do it.

Then, spread mayo on one slice of bread and spread pesto on the other side. Then add a slice of provolone cheese, and then the turkey. Lastly, some mixed greens for health and it’s lunchtime baby!

two slices of bread, one with pesto and one with tomatoes

Substitutions and Additions

As evidenced in this Turkey Pesto Wrap, roasted red peppers are highly compatible with pesto! Also, sun-dried tomatoes would be great in this sandwich, too.

Storage Instructions

This sandwich makes for a great lunch to prepare the day before! If you’re preparing this ahead, simply store sandwiches in an airtight container or wrap them in plastic wrap. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. For best results, eat your sandwich immediately.