Perfect picnic sandwiches, these Italian-inspired pressed sandwiches are great for Summer eating, whether at a BBQ or a picnic. Make-ahead friendly, and they travel well!
Pressed sandwiches: at a glance
What are they? Pressed sandwiches are typically made with ciabatta bread, filled with Italian-inspired fillings (think Italian deli meat, bocconcini, roasted red peppers, etc.). After assembly, they are refrigerated with weights on top to flatten and compress them, making them easier to eat, and pretty!
Why you’ll love them! Pressed sandwiches are make-ahead friendly; they travel well and keep well in the fridge for several days. The fillings are endlessly customizable, to suit all tastes.
How do you make them? Start with a long ciabatta loaf, cut in half, layer the fillings, then wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight with a baking pan topped with filled canned goods, for weight to flatten and compress the sandwiches. The next day, cut into serving-sized sandwiches and wrap with parchment and string, if desired.
- Pressed sandwiches: at a glance
- Ingredients and substitutions
- How to make pressed Italian sandwiches: step-by-step
- How to make pressed Italian sandwiches: video
- Recipe tips!
- How to cut and wrap pressed sandwiches
- How to store pressed sandwiches
- Get the Recipe: Pressed Italian Picnic Sandwiches
- More sandwich recipes to love!
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Ciabatta loaf – Ciabatta bread is recommended as it holds up well with the moist fillings, slices neatly and isn’t so thick that when sliced in half it is too much bread. Look for ciabatta lunga (a long ciabatta loaf) or sometimes called ciabatta baguette. If the longer loaf is unavailable, opt for ciabatta rolls or buns.
Roasted red peppers – I’ve made my own roasted red pepper here, but you can use jarred roasted red peppers if you like. Just be sure to dry them well with paper towels to avoid introducing too much moisture to the sandwiches.
Arugula – I love arugula in these sandwiches, but you can substitute baby spinach, if you like.
Fillings – While there are endless possibilities of fillings for pressed sandwiches, my Italian version features homemade roasted red peppers, a variety of Italian deli meats, bocconcini (with a little balsamic drizzle) and arugula, all on a lovely ciabatta bun.
Other options for fillings include basil pesto, sun-dried tomato pesto, whipped ricotta, fresh mozzarella slices, burrata cheese, other deli sliced meats (turkey, ham, etc.) or deli sliced cheese (Swiss, gruyere, cheddar, etc.), sun-dried tomatoes, sliced tomatoes, avocado or red onion slices.
How to make pressed Italian sandwiches: step-by-step
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Scroll down to the Recipe Card below for the complete list of ingredients and instructions.
Step 1: Roast the red peppers either on a gas stove or under the broiler in the oven.
Step 2: Slice the ciabatta in half and butter both sides.
Step 3: Layer the Italian deli meats on the bottom half of the ciabatta loaf.
Step 4: Slice the roasted red peppers and add to the sandwich.
Step 5: Add the bocconcini to the sandwich.
Step 6: Season the bocconcini with salt and pepper and drizzle with balsamic glaze.
Step 7: Top the sandwich with arugula.
Step 8: Place the top slice onto the filled sandwich.
Step 9: Wrap the filled loaves tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate with weights on top to press the sandwiches.
How to make pressed Italian sandwiches: video
Recipe tips!
- I like to butter the bread, as the butter acts as a moisture barrier between the moist fillings and the bread, while adding buttery flavour at the same time. You can skip the butter if you like.
- When it comes to adding weight to press the sandwiches in the fridge, I use a baking sheet right on top of the sandwiches to evenly distribute the weight, then I start adding canned goods from the cupboard onto the baking sheet until I can see the weight is exerting pressure onto the sandwiches.
- Refrigerate the filled and wrapped sandwich with a weight on top for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight.
- I like to trim the edges off the sandwiches to make them neat squares and to enjoy seeing all the layers. But don’t throw away the trimmings! Chop them up and combine with some leafy greens and a drizzle of balsamic or Italian dressing for an absolutely fabulous salad.
- To keep the sandwich freshest, keep it in the fridge, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and untrimmed. When ready to serve or transport, simply trim and wrap. You can then re-wrap the individual sandwiches in plastic wrap if needed to keep them from drying out while they wait to be eaten.
How to cut and wrap pressed sandwiches
Trim the edges: I like to trim the loaf or rolls before cutting into individual sandwiches. Trimming makes nice, neat, square sandwiches that reveal the pretty filling layers. Simply use a serrated knife to trim about 1/2-inch off the sides and ends of the loaf (or rolls).
Cut into squares: These pressed sandwiches look nicest when they are cut into squares, so I like to measure the height of the sandwich after pressing, then I cut the filled loaf into similar-sized slices (so if the sandwiches are 3 inches tall, cut the long loaf into slices every 3 inches). If you haven’t over-filled (or over-pressed) the sandwiches, the pressed sandwiches should be 2 1/2-3 inches tall.
Wrap the sandwiches: To wrap the sandwiches, cut pieces of parchment paper that are slightly narrower than the sandwiches, so that the ends peek out just a bit, and with the strips long enough to wrap around the sandwiches and overlap slightly. I like to use a tiny piece of Scotch tape to secure the parchment underneath. Alternatively, you can make the strips a bit longer and fold the ends together to secure. Once wrapped, tie a piece of string around the sandwiches.
How to store pressed sandwiches
These picnic sandwiches will also keep really well in the fridge for several days, either before they are trimmed and cut or after. Wrap well in plastic wrap to prevent the bread from drying out.
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Get the Recipe: Pressed Italian Picnic Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 1 Ciabatta Baguette, cut in half to make approx. two 12-inch pieces
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 3 medium red peppers
- 3 cups arugula, rinsed and patted dry
- 2 cups bocconcini, sliced
- 10 oz Assorted Italian deli meats, (I used Soppressata Salami, Capocollo and Napoli Salami)
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- To roast the red peppers: Set your oven to the Broil setting. Slice the sides off the red peppers and place skin side up on a baking sheet (*I like to trim the ends so they lie as flat as possible, as they will brown better than pieces that are sloped). Place under the broiler until very well charred (blacon top, about 10 minutes (watch closely after 5 minutes. You’ll want them to be mostly blackened on top.) Remove from the oven and immediately place the peppers in a plastic ziploc bag. Pop in the refrigerator for 30-40 minutes. Remove peppers from bag and peel off the blackened skin with a knife. Discard the skin and slice the peppers in to strips. Place in a bowl and drizzle with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- To prepare the sandwiches: Cut your ciabatta in half and butter each piece (or you could brush with a bit of olive oil, if you prefer, but butter will help prevent moisture from getting into the bread. Place a generous layer of cold meats (4-5 over-lapping layers). Top with cooled roasted red pepper strips. Take your Bocconcini slices and place on a piece of paper towel. Top with another piece of paper towel and pat to dry a bit. Top the red peppers with a layer of the Bocconcini slices. Drizzle some balsamic vinegar over the Bocconcini slices and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with a generous layer of arugula. Top with top slice of ciabatta.
- Wrap each sandwich tightly with plastic wrap and place on a platter or baking sheet. When all the sandwiches are prepared, place the platter in the refrigerator. Place a heavy skillet on top of sandwiches to apply weight (if you don’t have a heavy skillet, top with another baking sheet and place some large cans on top for the weight).
- Refrigerate at least 6 hours or ideally, overnight.
- When ready to serve, remove from plastic wrap. If desired, you can trim the sides and ends of the sandwiches to make neat sides and to enjoy the wonderful colours of these sandwiches.
Notes
Watch how to make it
More sandwich recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress-free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
These are the cutest little sandwiches Jennifer! I know I’d love them. I love Italian anything and all those meats on ciabatta is making me hungry right now! Your job is done! And done well!
Thanks so much, Mary Ann!
I love those perfect squares and the video is great. I had lunch not long ago but I’d love one of these right now.They look like they’re loaded with wonderful flavor!
Thanks Chris and I’m always amazed at how well these keep in the fridge. You can enjoy these for days!
These looks amazing! Beautiful photos!
Thanks so much, Edyta :)
I’d love join in your picnic! This is a favorite sandwich of mine! Nice video, my friend!! Pinned!
Thanks so much, Annie :)
I’m ALWAYS up for a good sandwich and this one looks delish! Love the wrapping – too cute! Plus, those bocconcini? I could pop those like candy, lol!
Thanks so much, Dawn and I love those bocconcini, too!
I made it. Perfect. Thank you for recipe!!
So glad you enjoyed them, Iva :)
These sandwiches are delicious. And being able to make in advance is such a bonus. I used large ciabatta rolls from Panera Bread, and the mixed italian meats at Costco. I made two nights ahead, so was worried about putting down the roasted peppers as the first layer (I used jarred roasted peppers), so I layered meats on top and bottom. Olive oil is listed as ingredient, but only instructions were could use instead of butter. I omitted the balsamic, but drizzled with olive oil and also some pesto, then salt & pepper. Definitely load up with lots of arugula as it will smash down and not seem like a lot later. Two days later I cut them up into smaller sandwiches in the morning and wrapped the individual sandwiches with press & seal wrap. They traveled very well that way and made it easy for people to just grab one throughout the day. Will definitely be making these again. Thanks for sharing Jennifer!
So glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for letting me know :)
These look so delicious, Jennifer.
Perfect for my baby girls 1st birthday! We’re going picnic-style
Thank you
Sounds lovely, Katie. Enjoy!
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Making these sandwiches for 300…any suggestions?? and where can I finf brown parchment paper…
Wow Carol. You are ambitious! I would go for the large ciabatta bun/loaf. My grocer sells ones that are about 8-inches by 10-inches or so. Each one can then be cut into 4 or 6 sandwiches (depending on finished size). It’s just easier to do one large loaf than 6 individual ones. The brown parchment is just unbleached. I get mine at my local health food store (or anywhere that sells “green” products like unbleached muffin liners etc.) Hope that helps and good luck!
Hi Jennifer, thank you for your reply, I am very appreciated it. I am sure your sandwich recipe will amaze my friends:). have a good weekend
Hi Jennifer. thank you for this wonderful sandwich. I am a fan of pesto, do you think I can add pesto into this sandwich? Will the bread become saggy if I add pesto? I am prepare a picnic in 2 days. 25 sandwiches….hope I can survive.
Hi Tammi, I think pesto would be great in this sandwich. I’d put it between the cheese and the arugula. That way the arugula will be a barrier between the pesto and the bread, so should be fine. Enjoy the sandwiches!
These look absolutely amazing. I love, love, love arugula and everything else you feature on this beautiful sandwich. Your newer salted chocolate brownie cookies are what brought me to your blog, and it is consistently beautiful recipes and pictures that will keep me coming back!
~Lori
Thanks so much, Lori. These were delicious sandwiches (and the cookies were pretty yummy, too). Thanks for visiting!
wow, these look yummy!
did you know these were featured in the national British newspaper the Guardian today? That’s what led me to your site!
Katie x
Hi Katie, Yes, I was thrilled and honoured to have my little sandwiches in the Guardian. (I did know ahead, as they emailed me to get permission to publish it.) Thanks though and for thanks for popping over here.
(Link to the Guardian article, for anyone interested in checking out the other goodies in the article)
Hi Jennifer,
I feel like a late bloomer but I have never heard of a pressed sandwich and I am wondering what is accomplished by pressing it. Does the texture change or flavors? I read all the comments and noone seems to question this so maybe its just me? Regardless of the reason…I love Italian sandwiches and plan on trying these. Thanks.
Hi Carm, Before I made them, I wondered the same thing. Pressing makes these sandwiches shorter of course (so easier to eat), but most importantly I think, the fillings seem to meld together, so when you eat them you don’t get any of that filling shifting that often happens with layered sandwiches. Means you get all the flavours from top to bottom with every bite.