Copycat Panera Roasted Turkey, Apple, and Cheddar Sandwich: Slices of roasted turkey, sweet apples, and sharp cheddar cheese are piled high on homemade cranberry walnut bread with a tangy honey mustard. Perfect use for leftover turkey or rotisserie chicken even!
I fell in love with Panera’s Turkey and Apple Sandwich on a fall day after a long doctor’s appointment.
After 6 hours of doctor appointments for Cystic Fibrosis, I was facing a 3 hour drive home from my clinic. I had left my house nearly 10 hours earlier, and even though it was a relatively good appointment, I was EXHAUSTED! And hungry.
I wanted a sandwich. A turkey and cheese sandwich. An odd craving, but it was what I wanted and I was bound and determined to find a Panera or local grocery shop that I could get a good quality turkey and cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread.
The Best Turkey Sandwich Recipe
My craving was satisfied when I stopped at Panera and ordered their seasonal Roast Turkey with Apple and Cheddar. got to
This turkey sandwich had slices of apple, sharp cheddar cheese served on whole grain cranberry bread.
I didn’t know how much THAT was the actual turkey sandwich my tired body was yearning for until I saw it.
And when I bit into Panera’s Turkey Sandwich, perfection!
Sweet, tart, savory and filling–it was everything a turkey sandwich should be.
But as much as I love Panera, my bank account does not want to pay $10 per sandwich.
So I decided to recreate their masterpiece at home.
And I was successful–the sandwich at home was AMAZING (maybe even better than Panera!)
How to make the Best Homemade Turkey Sandwich
This turkey sandwich is really quite easy to make when you have the right ingredients on hand.
Ingredients For Apple Turkey Sandwich
- Leftover Roasted Turkey or Rotisserie Chicken
- Whole Wheat Cranberry Walnut Bread, which I highly suggest, but you can use store bought bread as well
- Sharp White Cheddar Cheese
- Gala Apples
- Red Onions
- Lettuce
- Honey Mustard
Homemade Honey Mustard
You can easily purchase prepared honey mustard, but it is super simple to make a home.
- Mix together Dijon Mustard and Honey, using a 3 to 1 ratio.
- 3 parts mustard to 1 part honey
Homemade Turkey Sandwich
- Spread two slices of bread with honey mustard.
- Layer one slice of bread with turkey.
- Top with cheddar cheese.
- Add thin slices of onion and apple.
- Top with lettuce.
- Season with tiny bit of salt and pepper.
- Top with reserved slice of bread.
- Slice into halves and enjoy!
This is the BEST turkey sandwich and is a MUST–especially with leftover Turkey!
Leftover Turkey Recipes
Roasted Turkey Sandwich
Copycat Panera Roasted Turkey, Apple, and Cheddar Sandwich
Ingredients
- 8 slices Cranberry Walnut bread
- 4 ounces of sharp white cheddar cheese sliced
- 1 gala apple thinly sliced (or other sweet apple)
- 8 pieces of lettuce about size of bread
- 8-10 ounces thick sliced roasted turkey breast
- 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
Homemade Honey Mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Make the Honey mustard by mixing together the honey and mustard. Spread on all 8 slices of bread.
- Layer 4 slices of bread with the turkey, apple, cheese, onion, and lettuce. Place remaining 4 slices of bread on top of sandwiches and slice. Serve.
It sounds delicious, Kristen! I love Panera sandwiches too…a good copycat sounds fabulous to me!
YOu will love it Michelle!
I used to work at Panera Bread you can buy cole slaw mix and fuji apple dressing and use fuji apples to make the apples slaw they use. You can even just eat the slaw as a side too.
Very true, my version is just a bit cheaper and cleaner 😉 And the slaw is delicious as a salad! Great suggestion!
This is my all time favorite sandwich from Panera- Making it!
YEA!!! I hope you LOVE it as much (or more than Panera!!)
Gorgeous sandwich Kristen! Love apples and cheddar with turkey, such a treat. Will have to remember this post-Thanksgiving! Glad you found what you needed after a super long day (including inspiration!) and glad things went well at your appointment. xo
Thanks Allie–it was a good appointment and a great sandwich (but homemade better!) Hope you give this a try post-T day 🙂
Thanks for posting this! My kids love to eat Panera sandwiches, and this would be a great one to make at home this weekend. Yum!
Your kids will devour this one! I hope you try it out soon!
Oh, this is my favorite sandwich from Panera! I love the idea of making it at home for a quick and easy lunch.
Thanks Ashley. It is my favorite too–I think you will LOVE it!
I love it when restaurant dishes are easy to figure out how to recreate. I did that once with a mussels and chorizo dish, and our homemade version was so delicious that we’ve made it multiple times since that first attempt.
Oh boy Kathryn–that mussel and chorizo dish sounds fabulous!
That looks better than Panera!!
Diana, I would have to agree it is better than Panera :)Hope you try!
My mouth is watering! 🙂 One of my favorite sdandwiches!! Looks great! 🙂
Cathy
Thanks Cathy!
I was just texting a girlfriend today about Panera Bread. We don’t have one here but when we visit the in-laws they have one and as a treat for us get fresh bagels to have. It’s such a treat! We’ve even gone there for lunch and the sandwiches are amazing! This sandwich makes me think of one similar that McAllisters has (we do have one of these) that I love except without apples. They would be a good addition! Thanks for this I’ll have to remember it and I’ve only got 2 more weeks before we’re near a Panera Bread!
Tricia, Panera is so good! But you can make this at home. I hope you try it!
This sounds delicious!! Can’t wait to give it a try 🙂
I hope you love it!! This is one of my most favorite sandwiches ever!
Do you know the nutritional value of this sandwich?? I’d like to make the bread and the sandwich
Good Morning Kay! I do not calculate my nutrional values because I strongly believe that if you are eating all real foods, you don’t need to get too worked up over calories. However, I completely understand that some people have to know for various reasons. I entered all the ingredients into MyFitnessPal for a rough estimate: 450 calories and 10 grams of fat and 30 grams of protein. I can tell you that Panera’s Sandwich has 750 calories, 32 grams of fat and 32 grams of protein. So you are guarenteed to save a lot making this at home (plus cut sodium down way low)
Try it toasted. Your life will never be the same!
Oh yes, I love Toasted Bread. Thanks!