Quick Fix Turkey Reuben Sandwiches

Quick fix turkey Reuben sandwiches changed my mind about what I used to refer to as ‘fake Reubens’. I had a thing against turkey Reubens. Once I ordered a ‘real’ Reuben in a restaurant and they accidentally brought me a turkey one instead. It was one of the worst days of my life. Or so I thought. Well, now I must apologize. I was wrong. I thought no way could a corned beef-less sandwich be anywhere as good as the classic. Well, this is a mighty good sandwich. And it’s crazy easy to make, too. That’s a lot of wins in this little sandwich. Now, I make them regularly.

Quick Fix Turkey Reuben Sandwiches

I could eat my share of quick fix turkey Reuben sandwiches. And I’d even order one at a restaurant. Those would have roasted turkey, and if you have that on hand by all means put some on this sandwich. I used thin-sliced sandwich meat. Thick-sliced would work just as well. No matter what, it’s quick, easy and delicious!

For me, just personally, I am a firm believer that every Reuben must be served with a dill pickle spear. An ice cold one at that. With plenty of crunchy.

Also try my quick fix turkey Manhattan.

Quick Fix Turkey Reuben Sandwiches
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Quick Fix Turkey Reuben Sandwiches

Use thin- or thick-sliced turkey sandwich meat.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword corned beef, quick fix, sandwich
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 2
Calories 494kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Lay the bread slices on a cutting board. Divide the dressing between the slices and spread out evenly on one side of each.
  • A Swiss cheese and turkey to two of the slices. Top with the kraut.
  • Add top slices of bread to make sandwiches.
  • Spread 1/2 tablespoon of the butter on the tops of each sandwich.
  • Transfer the sandwiches to the skillet, bread-side down (that is, flip the sandwich as you move it from the cutting board to the skillet).
  • Spread remaining butter over the tops of the sandwiches as they cook.
  • Once the bottoms are done (golden brown and crispy) and the cheese has started to melt, carefully flip the sandwiches. Cook another 3-5 minutes or until that side is golden brown and crispy.
  • Remove from skillet and place on cutting board. Cut each in half and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 494kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 1386mg | Potassium: 305mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 406IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 387mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Quick Fix Turkey Manhattan

Sometimes I just want a quick turkey meal. I might use leftover turkey, or I might just toss a turkey breast into the oven. Jennie-O makes a frozen oven-ready turkey breast that you just bake for about 90 minutes. No thawing, brining, basting. Nothing. You don’t even have to take it out of the bag (well, until it’s cooked that is). Everything else is already done for you. You don’t even really have to think about it! Add some leftover mashed potatoes and gravy and I’m good-to-go. Say hello to my quick fix turkey Manhattan!

Quick Fix Turkey Manhattan

If you decide to make an oven-ready Jennie-O turkey breast you’ll have plenty of leftovers to make more than these quick fix turkey Manhattan sandwiches. I have an awesome copycat of Stove Top chicken stuffing that is the perfect side dish for turkey. But, to be truly ‘quick fix’, you’ll have to use the stuff out of the box! That’s why it’s called quick fix!

Also try my quick fix turkey Reuben.

Quick Fix Turkey Manhattan
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5 from 1 vote

Quick Fix Turkey Manhattan

What leftover turkey was made for.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword sandwich, turkey
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 239kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Cook the turkey breast per package instructions. Slice.
  • Top bread slices with turkey, mashed potatoes, and loads of gravy.
  • Serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 239kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 410mg | Potassium: 236mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 20IU | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 7mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Quick Fix Lemon Pepper Potato Chips

Because I’m a chicken wing nut, I have a lot of various wing seasonings on hand at all times. And I do mean a lot. But, you know those seasonings (and any other of my favorites) are great on potato chips? No reason to be locked into only a handful of flavored chips at the store when you can make them taste however you want! Today I made a batch of my quick fix lemon pepper potato chips. Chips. Lemon pepper seasoning. That’s it! And oh-so-good!

Quick Fix Lemon Pepper Potato Chips

You don’t need to grab the expensive chips when you make quick fix lemon pepper potato chips. The key here is to warm up the chips just enough that the oils they were cooked in come back to the surface of the chips. That gives the seasoning something to cling to. No big pile of seasoning at the bottom of the bowl with these chips, nope. Nothing but flavor.

Of course, you can make homemade potato chips in a deep-fryer and then toss them in the seasoning too! Just don’t over-drain the chips as they come out of the hot oil or the flavors won’t have anything to adhere to. Make sure you get them good and coated.

Also try my quick fix salt and vinegar, Nashville hot chicken, and garlic Parmesan potato chips.

Quick Fix Lemon Pepper Potato Chips
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Quick Fix Lemon Pepper Potato Chips

Chips. Lemon pepper seasoning. That's it! And oh-so-good!
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword lemon pepper, potato chips, quick fix
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 452kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 275 F.
  • Spread chips out onto a baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes. You should see that the oils in the chips have come to the surface.
  • Gently transfer chips to a large bowl and sprinkle with the seasoning. Use a spatula to carefully stir to coat.
  • Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 452kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 448mg | Potassium: 1020mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Quick Fix Garlic Parmesan Potato Chips

I got tired of sitting around whining that no one was making good new flavors of potato chips. Oh sure, every once-in-a-while there’d be something new, but nothing seemed to wow me and I always ended up with the classics, BBQ, sour cream and onion and well, plain. Nothing wrong with the classics. They are classics for a reason. But I wanted something new. I had a pouch of garlic Parmesan wing dust from Kosmo’s sitting around and thought… Hmmmmm. I bet that’d be great on chips. It’s sure as heck fantastic on wings. Quick fix garlic Parmesan potato chips to the rescue!

Quick Fix Garlic Parmesan Potato Chips

These quick fix garlic Parmesan potato chips were delicious. Kosmo’s wing dusts are never, ever lacking in flavor. It didn’t take a whole lost of dust to really amp up what was just a bag of good-ole plain ruffled chips. My faith in chips is back!

Of course, you can make homemade potato chips in a deep-fryer and then toss them in the seasoning too! Just don’t over-drain the chips as they come out of the hot oil or the flavors won’t have anything to adhere to. Make sure you get them good and coated.

Also try my quick fix salt and vinegar, lemon pepper, and Nashville hot potato chips.

Quick Fix Garlic Parmesan Potato Chips
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5 from 1 vote

Quick Fix Garlic Parmesan Potato Chips

Inspired by a recipe from Simple Comfort Food
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword garlic Parmesan, potato chips, quick fix
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 452kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 275 F.
  • Spread chips out onto a baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes. You should see that the oils in the chips have come to the surface.
  • Gently transfer chips to a large bowl and sprinkle with the seasoning. Use a spatula to carefully stir to coat.
  • Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 452kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 448mg | Potassium: 1020mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg

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 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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5 from 1 vote

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.