A healthy turkey sandwich recipe, piled high with turkey, lettuce, tomato, roasted Anaheim peppers and a creamy black bean spread.
This is one finger-lickin’ healthy turkey sandwich recipe. You’ll be adding the healthy black bean spread to all of your sandwiches!
Who else has had a challenging time getting back into the healthy food/school lunch routine this year? I generally eat fairly healthy but lunch has always been challenging for me. Working from home is fantastic but it’s easy to brew my coffee, grab my laptop and work until noon before realizing how late it is and that I’m starving! Which usually means I’ll grab whatever is easily accessible and quick, which is not always the best choice I could be making.
Sandwiches are an easy solution but I wanted to create something that I could throw together at a moments notice and still taste as good as those mayo & cheese-heavy sandwiches I always go for. I also wanted something I could pack in school lunches that my girls will not only eat but be excited about! Not an easy task, but this healthy turkey sandwich recipe I’ve created meets all that criteria. It is so tasty! I keep a container of the black bean spread in the fridge and use that in place of mayo.
To create this healthy turkey sandwich recipe I looked at each separate component, decided what flavors I wanted then what would help elevate it to a meal I’d feel good about enjoying. I started with the bread and chose a whole-grain bread to hold the “meat” of the sandwich together.
My next hurdle was what to use in place of my beloved mayonnaise? Avocado works well for this but doesn’t add enough flavor. I knew I was adding roasted Anaheim peppers, too, and those flavors go well with black beans. But I certainly didn’t want to use whole black beans in my healthy turkey sandwich recipe. Instead, I tossed them in my Vitamix with some garlic and spices and added cottage cheese to make a creamy black bean spread (that inspiration came from my recent discovery that cottage cheese works really well in smoothies). I use my black bean spread all the time now as it adds incredible flavor!
I finished my healthy turkey sandwich recipe with the usual sandwich suspects: crunchy lettuce and heirloom tomatoes, both which add a texture and flavor that every good sandwich needs. Avocado gets smeared in there, too (mashing it makes for easier eating). I love that I now have a delicious turkey sandwich that I not only love but that my girls enjoy, too!
Healthy Turkey Sandwich Recipe with Black Bean Spread
Ingredients
Black Bean Spread
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 - 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped red onion
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 - 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon salt
Sandwiches
- 4 slices whole-grain bread
- 8 oz shaved turkey breast
- 2 Anaheim peppers, roasted with stem, seeds and skin removed, sliced in half
- 1 avocado, mashed
- 2 slices each lettuce and tomato
Instructions
Black Bean Spread
- Place garlic clove into Vitamix or other high-powered blender; turn to speed 3 and chop garlic thoroughly. Add remaining ingredients. Blend until very smooth.
Sandwiches
- Spread desired amount of black bean spread onto two slices of bread. Spread avocado onto remaining two bread slices. Top bread covered with black bean spread with turkey, peppers, lettuce and tomatoes. Use remaining bread (covered with avocado) to top sandwiches. Serve immediately and enjoy!
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Heidi
Tuesday 26th of February 2019
Do you have a calorie/salt/fat breakdown?
Karen
Wednesday 27th of January 2016
Oh Em Gee that looks gorgeous! I've got to try that bean spread! Amazing!
Kristy Bernardo
Thursday 28th of January 2016
Thanks so much, Karen! You'll love it!