Quick Fix Club Sandwich with Pesto Mayonnaise

The other night I dreamed I was on a deserted island. I could only pick one sandwich to have on the island for the rest of my life. It came down to a choice between a Reuben and a club sandwich. I went with the club sandwich, believe it or not. But not an ordinary club sandwich. Instead, my quick fix club sandwich with pesto mayonnaise! I definitely made the right choice!

Quick Fix Club Sandwich with Pesto Mayonnaise

This quick fix club sandwich with pesto mayonnaise is different and delicious! And as much as I do love a good Reuben sandwich, I know I made the right choice. Crunchy bacon. Tangy cheese. Crispy lettuce. Ripe tomato. And that nutty pesto. If you find pesto strong, don’t use much, just enough to get the taste. If you love pesto, load up on it!

I am required to have my club sandwich (any club sandwich) with a dill pickle spear. It has to be super cold, too. Hopefully I can get those on my island.

I recently discovered Blue Plate mayonnaise, which I think is the best around. If you can’t find it locally you can pick it up online for a fair price.

Also try my BBQ Island club sandwich.

Quick Fix Club Sandwich with Pesto Mayonnaise
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5 from 1 vote

Quick Fix Club Sandwich with Pesto Mayonnaise

The other night I dreamed I was on a deserted island. I could only pick one sandwich to have on the island for the rest of my life. It came down to a choice between a Reuben and a club sandwich. I went with the club sandwich
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword quick fix, sandwich
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 2
Calories 1041kcal

Ingredients

For the sandwich

  • 6 slices bread toasted
  • 4 tablespoons Pesto mayonnaise from below
  • 4 ounces sliced turkey
  • 4 ounces sliced ham
  • 4 slices cheddar cheese
  • 6 slices bacon cooked, cut in half
  • 1 large tomato sliced
  • ½ cup green leaf lettuce chopped or in leaves
  • 2 spears dill pickle for serving

For the pesto mayonnaise

Instructions

  • Arrange 4 slices of bread on a cutting board. Spread each slice with some of the pesto mayonnaise.
  • Add a slice of cheese and top with the meats.
  • Divide tomato, bacon and mayonnaise between sandwiches.
  • Add top slice of bread. Cut into halves.
  • Serve with pickle spears.

Nutrition

Calories: 1041kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 76g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 127mg | Sodium: 2362mg | Potassium: 875mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 2107IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 412mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Quick Fix Messy Meatball Sandwich

I always keep frozen cooked meatballs on hand. They might be homemade. Or they might be store-bought. Either way, they’re always around because I never know when I might need a really quick lunch. You can’t get much simpler than this quick fix messy meatball sandwich. Remember my motto: the messier the better and this is definitely better!

Quick Fix Messy Meatball Sandwich

Quick fix messy meatball sandwiches aren’t meant to be fussy. If you’re in a super-duper hurry you can skip the baking part of the recipe and just place the sandwiches under a hot broiler for a minute or two. Keep an eye on them, though. They’ll get mighty crusty mighty quick! You want a bit of a crunch to them. I admit, I don’t follow this recipe that closely. I don’t measure the marinara sauce. Or the cheeses. Just eyeball it. But get enough of each so that it ends up being messy.

Although I used marinara sauce the last time I made these, you can also substitute pizza sauce. Jarred or canned, it doesn’t matter. I do recommend that you hand-shred the mozzarella, though. It might violate my keep-it-simple rule, but it’s worth the extra 15 seconds (if you use a good shredder).

Quick Fix Messy Meatball Sandwich
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Quick Fix Messy Meatball Sandwich

You can’t get much simpler than this quick fix messy meatball sandwich. Remember my motto: the messier the better and this is definitely better!
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword meatballs, quick fix, sandwich
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 479kcal

Ingredients

  • 16 meatballs frozen
  • 1 ⅓ cup marinara sauce pizza sauce is great too!
  • 4 hoagie rolls sub rolls or baguettes also work great!
  • ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1 ⅓ cup Mozzarella cheese shredded
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 F.
  • Place meatballs and sauce into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cover and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the meatballs are heated through, stirring often.
  • Turn rolls on their sides, sliced side up. If they aren't pre-sliced cut them about 3/4ths of the way through but not all the way.
  • Divide meatballs and sauce between the rolls, gently pushing the meatballs down.
  • Sprinkle cheeses over top along with the oregano.
  • Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the buns have started to brown.

Nutrition

Calories: 479kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 1086mg | Potassium: 478mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 676IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 303mg | Iron: 13mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Quick Fix Gumbo

I love gumbo. It’s my number one go-to Cajun dish. And to really make a great gumbo you need to devote some time (and love) for it to really be something special. Give me a cold winter’s day and I won’t hesitate to take that time, but sometimes, I just don’t have the luxury. That’s where my quick fix gumbo comes in. All the flavors of a full-blown gumbo, but it takes a lot less time.

Quick Fix Gumbo

The two major timesavers for this quick fix gumbo are using rotisserie chicken instead of cooking your own, and using a pre-made roux from the store. Making a roux takes a little time to do right, and it is worth the time… when you have the time. When you don’t, grab a jar of almost-as-good roux from the store. Our local grocery store has a (sadly, small) southern foods section. That’s where I found ready-to-use roux.

Also try my low-carb gumbo.

Quick Fix Gumbo
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Quick Fix Gumbo

All the flavors of a full-blown gumbo, but in a lot less time.
Course Main
Cuisine Cajun
Keyword gumbo, quick fix
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 426kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Add oil to a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat.
  • Add half each of the onion, celery, peppers and the bay leaves. Saute until just tender.
  • Add the remaining onion, celery and peppers and saute another 3 minutes.
  • Add all of the seasonings, the sausage, stock and chicken.
  • Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
  • Stir in the roux in small amounts. Make sure it dissolves completely. Taste to see if you need to add more roux.
  • Cover and simmer another 30 minutes.
  • Add cooked rice and warm thoroughly.
  • Serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 426kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 1322mg | Potassium: 442mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 595IU | Vitamin C: 40mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Quick Fix Steak Sandwich using the Cuisinart Griddler

You’re at this post for a reason. Maybe, like me, you actually like Steak-Umms. Like many, I was first exposed to them in a school lunch cafeteria years and years ago. And like many kids of the time, I would go home and beg mom to get them so I could have a steak sandwich there too. Mom wasn’t too keen on them, but would buy them for me as a rare treat. I’d have them about as simple as you could get: fried the Steak-Ummm, put it on a bun or white bread with ketchup, eat. Well, now I step things up with my quick fix steak sandwich, made using the Cuisinart Griddler.

Quick Fix Steak Sandwich using the Cuisinart Griddler

The Griddler makes making a steak sandwich about as easy as you can get. Having the two big cooking griddles lets you cook several things at once. Without it, I’d end up with a skillet for the Steak-Umms, another for the onions and peppers, and I’d probably fire up the oven or toaster just to toast my sub roll. Sheesh, that’s a lot of stuff when I can do it all on my Griddler.

Quick Fix Steak Sandwich using the Cuisinart Griddler

The history of the Steak-Umm is actually rather interesting. You can read about it here.

You can also make outstandingly good smash burgers on the Griddler.

Quick Fix Steak Sandwich using the Cuisinart Griddler
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Quick Fix Steak Sandwich using the Cuisinart Griddler

The Griddler makes making a steak sandwich about as easy as you can get. Having the two big cooking griddles lets you cook several things at once.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword Cuisinart, Griddler, quick fix, sandwich
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 1
Calories 326kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 hoagie sandwich roll split
  • 1 slice Steak-umm or other thin-sliced frozen steak
  • ¼ green bell pepper sliced thin
  • ¼ cup mushrooms sliced thin
  • ¼ cup onion sliced thin
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • kosher salt to taste
  • ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons Cheez Whiz or other cheese dip, warmed

Instructions

  • Open your Griddler so that the griddle plates are open flat. You want to use the smooth griddles.
  • Turn the Griddler Selector knob (the center one) to 'griddle'. Set the temperature know to 425 F, the maximum.
  • Once the green light is lit, indicating that the Griddler is at 425 F, you can being cooking.
  • Place the bell peppers and onion in a small bowl. Drizzle with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Stir and transfer to one side of one of the griddle plates. See my picture for how I arrange things on the Griddler.
  • On the other plate place the bread halves. Let them toast as long as desired as the rest of the ingredients cook.
  • Let the onion and peppers cook for 5 minutes, stirring a few times.
  • Add the mushrooms to the onion and peppers. Stir and cook another 5 minutes. The vegetables should be just starting to turn tender.
  • Place the Steak-umm on the griddle plate alongside the vegetables. Season as desired.
  • Continue cooking the Steak-umm until it starts to brown along the edges. Flip and continue cooking until done.
  • Assemble the sandwich by placing the Steak-umm on the bottom bread half. Add the cooked vegetables. Drizzle on the cheese, add the bread top.
  • Serve with plenty of napkins. You want that cheese to be nice and runny!

Nutrition

Calories: 326kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 837mg | Potassium: 266mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 325IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 138mg | Iron: 11mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Quick Fix Italian Salad

My wife was looking for a simple, low-carb side dish to take in her lunches to work. The pasta salads we normally made were just a bit too high in carbs, so I suggested we try a quick fix Italian salad. Tasty, easy, and low-carb, this salad was a welcome change and luckily, packed with flavor too! It’s delicious and hard to stop eating that’s for sure!

Quick Fix Italian Salad

This quick fix Italian salad is just a simple variation on a traditional side salad often found at picnics and family get-togethers. I keep the portion size small, making a week’s-worth of salads at once Sunday evening. I use little 1.2-cup sized seal-able reusable containers with screw-on lids. The lids keep the dressing from leaking out in case the containers are overturned. And you can give the salads a quick shake before opening to get the dressing stirred up.

Sometimes I mix things up just a big. Leave out the meat (making it the perfect side dish for my toasted Italian sandwich). Substitute spicy pepperjack cheese. Try a different Italian dressing. I still keep the salad low-carb, but you do have to mix things up (even if only slightly) to keep them from getting too boring.

Also try my creamy pasta salad.

Quick Fix Italian Salad
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Quick Fix Italian Salad

Course Salad
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Author Mike

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Nutritional values are approximate.

Quick Fix Taco Salads Version 2.0

It was one of THOSE days. Not enough time to even think about dinner. But, a quick glance in the fridge and pantry and I was able to throw together a plan. Quick fix taco salads it would be. And you know, they turned out great! Crunchy shells, crunchy lettuce, and all of our favorite salad toppings.

Quick Fix Taco Salads

I used chopped grilled chicken to top these salads, but any cooked meat (or no meat for that matter) would be great too. Like chilled cooked shrimp. Or warm taco beef crumbles. Just because these taco salads are quick to fix doesn’t mean that they are low on flavor.

I highly recommend that you shred or grate your own cheese at home. Don’t buy the pre-shredded or pre-grated stuff. It has stuff added to it to keep it from sticking together. That ‘stuff’ affects how the cheese melts. Shred it yourself and use the good stuff.

Also try my quick fix shrimp tacos.

Quick Fix Taco Salads
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Quick Fix Taco Salads

Just because these taco salads are quick to fix doesn’t mean that they are low on flavor.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword salad, taco
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 231kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

  • 4 taco salad shells warmed per package instructions
  • 1 12 ounce salad bagged, blend
  • ¼ cup Hidden Valley Ranch Avocado Dressing  to taste, or use your favorite flavored Hidden Valley Ranch dressing

Suggested toppings

  • cheddar cheese shredded
  • black olives sliced or chopped
  • meat cooked chicken, beef taco meat, or shrimp
  • cilantro chopped
  • sweet corn kernels
  • tomatoes diced
  • avocado diced
  • green onions sliced
  • tortilla strips

Instructions

  • Place chopped salad into a large bowl.
  • Drizzle with dressing.
  • Add desired toppings and toss lightly to coat.
  • Spoon into taco salad shells and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 231kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Sodium: 165mg | Potassium: 1mg | Fiber: 1g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 7mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Quick Fix Shrimp Tacos

It was one of ‘those’ days. I was just way too busy to cook up a fancy dinner. Or even a marginally fancy dinner. So, quick fix shrimp tacos to the rescue. I had everything on hand already. A box of shells, some pre-cooked frozen shrimp, a bag of salad, and spicy salad dressing. That’s all it took to make light, crunchy, tasty quick fix tacos for dinner. Nothing fru-fru, just good and fast. Ok, I did add a few tortilla strips for color and more crunch, but that’s all.

Quick Fix Shrimp Tacos

You can of course substitute soft tortilla shells if hard shells aren’t your thing, but I like the crunchy contrast. But don’t get fancy. That’s not what we’re doing here. Quick Fix Shrimp Tacos are meant to be easy and fast.

Also try my original quick fix taco salads and my even easier new recipe.

Quick Fix Shrimp Tacos
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Quick Fix Shrimp Tacos

You can of course substitute soft tortilla shells if hard shells aren’t your thing, but I like the crunchy contrast. But don’t get fancy. That’s not what we’re doing here.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword shrimp, taco
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 10 tacos
Calories 108kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Warm the taco shells or tortillas per package instructions.
  • Place the shrimp and chopped salad into a large bowl and toss to combine.
  • Add the dressing and toss to combine. Add more dressing if desired.
  • Place the shrimp mixture into shells. Sprinkle with the tortilla strips and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 108kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 114mg | Sodium: 389mg | Potassium: 94mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 195IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Quick Fix Asian Fries

Since I was grilling up a few Asian pork burgers for dinner, I needed some fries to go with them. Something with a bit of Asian zing to it. So, I grabbed a bag of frozen fries out of the freezer, baked them up, and tossed them with a few Asian ingredients. In no time, my quick fix Asian fries were on the table, ready to be devoured.

Quick Fix Asian Fries

These quick fix Asian fries do have a bit of a spicy kick to them, which is probably why we loved them so much. Get your fries good and crunchy. If they sit for long in the sauce they might get a bit soggy. They really won’t last long so it’s not much of a worry.

Also try my quick fix seasoned tater tots.

Quick Fix Asian Fries
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5 from 1 vote

Quick Fix Asian Fries

Since I was grilling up a few Asian pork burgers for dinner, I needed some fries to go with them. Something with a bit of Asian zing to it. 
Course Side
Cuisine American
Keyword Asian, fries
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 315kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 pound French fries frozen

For the sauce

Instructions

  • Cook the fries as per package instructions.
  • Meanwhile, create the sauce by placing all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk to combine.
  • When the fries are done transfer them to a large bowl.
  • Drizzle the fries with the sauce and toss lightly to coat. Serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 315kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 683mg | Potassium: 521mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 90IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Quick Fix Copycat McDonald’s Chicken Sandwich

I love cooking meals from scratch. But sometimes reality hits and I have to throw something together that doesn’t require a lot of preparation or ingredients. That’s where this quick fix copycat of McDonald’s chicken sandwich comes in. In less than 30 minutes I get to enjoy a rather tasty chicken sandwich. Heck it even has fresh toppings on it and a rather delicious(but incredibly simple) sauce. Hey, it’s not bad when you’re in a crunch, and I often find myself making little changes to mix things up a bit.

Quick Fix Copycat McDonald's Chicken Sandwich

Add a little kick to your quick fix copycat McDonald’s chicken sandwich by substituting Tyson’s spicy chicken patties, adding a slice of pepper jack cheese, and adding Sriracha instead of onion powder when making the sauce. You can make these somewhat chicken wing-like by adding Buffalo wing sauce to the buns.

We are not making 5 star sandwiches here, but that’s no reason for them not being tasty. Nothing fancy, just good.

I recently discovered Blue Plate mayonnaise, which I think is the best around. If you can’t find it locally you can pick it up online for a fair price.

Also try my copycat of McDonald’s addicting French fries.

Quick Fix Copycat McDonald's Chicken Sandwich
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5 from 1 vote

Quick Fix Copycat McDonald’s Chicken Sandwich

I love cooking meals from scratch. But sometimes reality hits and I have to throw something together that doesn’t require a lot of preparation. That’s where this quick fix copycat of McDonald’s chicken sandwich comes in. In less than 30 minutes I get to enjoy a rather tasty chicken sandwich.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword chicken sandwiches
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 2 servings
Calories 331kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

For the McChicken sauce

Instructions

  • Heat the chicken per package instructions.
  • Meanwhile, make the sauce by whisking together the ingredients.
  • Toast the buns if desired. Slather both bun halves with the sauce.
  • Add the heated chicken patties, lettuce and tomato (and onion if using) and serve.

Notes

Nutritional values do not include the chicken patties.

Nutrition

Calories: 331kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 405mg | Potassium: 270mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2616IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Quick Fix Homemade Breakfast Sausage

I’ve made homemade breakfast sausage from scratch before. I picked up a few pork shoulders, trimmed them, ground them (twice) and added seasonings. But I don’t always have the time (or energy, really) to do all that work. That’s when my quick fix homemade breakfast sausage comes in handy.

Note: It’s not uncommon for many homemade sausage recipes to say that you should refrigerate your mixer bowl and even utensils before starting. I agree if you’re grinding your meats from rough cuts, but in this case we start with already-ground pork so I don’t think it’s necessary to start out ‘cold’. That doesn’t mean that you can’t. And it might be a good idea if you’re working in a particularly warm kitchen or area.

Quick Fix Homemade Breakfast Sausage

I use a great seasoning mix from A.C. Legg’s that I picked up on Amazon. It has just the right blend of spices without having too much sage or black pepper.
I cook the quick fix homemade breakfast sausage as soon as I make it. I crumble it and freeze it in batches so I can make breakfast cups for my wife’s breakfasts during the week. You can also form it into patties. I also love smoking breakfast sausage for a fantastically different flavor.

Quick Fix Homemade Breakfast Sausage
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Quick Fix Homemade Breakfast Sausage

I use a great seasoning mix from A.C. Legg’s that I picked up on Amazon. It has just the right blend of spices without having too much sage or black pepper.
Course Side
Cuisine American
Keyword breakfast, quick fix, sausage
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 1 pound
Calories 1193kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place the pork into your mixer bowl and place into the freezer for 15 minutes.
  • Add 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mix.
  • Place onto mixer using the bread hook and mix for 5-10 minutes.
  • If this is your first time making the sausage I recommend that you take a small handful of the mixed sausage and cook it in a skillet. Taste it after it cools (while cooling place the uncooked meat mixture into the freezer in case you need to mix more). If you need to, add more seasoning and mix well.
  • Freeze or cook the sausage. You can also form it into patties if you wish.

Notes

I use a mixer to combine the meat and seasonings. You can use your hands if you wish, just make sure the meat and the bowl you are using for mixing are very cold before mixing.

Nutrition

Calories: 1193kcal | Protein: 77g | Fat: 96g | Saturated Fat: 36g | Cholesterol: 327mg | Sodium: 254mg | Potassium: 1302mg | Vitamin A: 32IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutritional values are approximate.