Hot Brown Sandwich Recipe

This Hot Brown is an open-faced sandwich layered with turkey, crisp bacon, sun-ripened tomatoes and creamy cheese sauce. Quick, satisfying, and delicious, this classic diner-style sandwich is a great dinner.

Course sandwich

Cuisine Southern

Keyword hot brown sandwich, how to make a hot brown sandwich, Kentucky hot brown, Louisville hot brown, what is a hot brown

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Servings servings

Calories 403kcal

Author Beth Pierce

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups whole milk
1-2 pinches ground cayenne pepper
1/4 cup shredded cheddar
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan plus more for a sprinkle on the top
Kosher salt and black pepper
4 slices white bread
8 slices bacon cooked crisp
1 large tomato cut into thin slices
1 lb deli smoked turkey sliced
1-2 pinches paprika

Instructions

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium low heat. Whisk in flour; whisking continuously for 2-3 minutes. Slowly add the milk; whisking continuously. Cook over low heat until thickened; stirring frequently. Whisk in the ground cayenne pepper.
Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in the cheddar and Parmesan slowly. Continue stirring until cheese is completely melted. Season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste.
Toast bread, microwave the deli meat for 10-15 seconds to get the chill off. Assemble sandwich by dividing the turkey over the four slices of toast. Add several tablespoons of the sauce to each sandwich.
Top each sandwich with tomato slices and 2 slices of bacon. Divide the rest of the sauce between the sandwiches. Sprinkle with a little bit of grated Parmesan and a sprinkle of paprika.
Place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes or until lightly browned. Make sure you keep an eye on the sandwiches under the broiler as I have always found broilers unpredictable.

Notes

Use good quality smoked turkey and nitrate free smoked bacon.
If you have homegrown tomatoes or access to them use them. Fresh homegrown tomatoes take this Hot Brown Sandwich over the top.
Bakery fresh white bread works best for this recipe however I have used whole wheat and European white with good results.
For taste variation hold the paprika and sprinkle with a pinch of nutmeg.
Parmesan, cheddar or a mixture of both work well in the sauce.
Assemble the sandwiches on a baking sheet so you place them under the broiler for a couple of minutes. Sometimes I place the bacon and then the tomatoes on top of the sauce. This allows the bacon and tomatoes to broil just a tad.
Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika, nutmeg, or chopped fresh parsley.

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