close up look at the stack of pork, ham, cheese, pickles and mustard inside this easy pressed cuban sandwich — *This easy pressed Cuban sandwich is packed with flavor and crunch*.

I remember the first time I ate a Cuban sandwich. People had been talking about it in town. Raving about it, in fact. So much word of mouth about this Cubano sandwich had crossed paths with my ears, I finally had to go see what all the fuss was about. Then I understood. The crunch of that incredibly fresh bread, the pork, the ham, Swiss cheese, mustard, pickles. This was sandwich nirvana. I've made them many times in many ways in the intervening years. For this post, I've settled on my version of an easy pressed Cuban sandwich.

What is a Cuban Sandwich?

There is a history here and there are also strong opinions about how best to prepare this sandwich. Generally speaking, the Cuban sandwich is made with ham, pork, cheese, mustard and pickles - and using authentic Cuban bread. According to Wikipedia, the Cuban sandwich likely came to the U.S., mainly in Florida to start, from Cuba in the early 1900's when immigrants traveled to the Tampa or Key West areas. The recipe was brought to the U.S. to cater to Cuban workers.

One of the earliest known bakeries to make the famous Cuban bread and sandwich is La Segunda Bakery in Ybor City, FL which opened in 1915 and is still operating today. According to their website, they produce 18,000 loaves of Cuban bread per day. I so wish I had access to that bread for this recipe, but I'm in Massachusetts and could not find authentic Cuban bread near me.

view of easy pressed cuban sandwich jenga tower

There also seem to be different versions of this sandwich in Florida. In some areas salami is also added to the sandwich and still in other areas may include lettuce, tomato and mayo which I could not imagine. The salami I would probably love, but lettuce, tomato and mayo? I'm not sure about that. 🙂

Cuban sandwiches are a gift and a pork lover's dream come true. Seriously, it's one of the best sandwiches I've ever eaten. Obviously, if I ever get to Florida, my first stop will be La Segunda to try their classic Cuban sandwich.

What Makes This an Easy Pressed Cuban Sandwich?

I decided to bypass a marinade for the pork. Look, you know I am a huge advocate for marinades. Love them! But I also understand this adds to the preparation time and sometimes we're looking for simpler recipes in our home kitchens. A lot of Cuban sandwiches are made with what's called a mojo marinade and many other versions of this sandwich include other flavorful marinades.

However, to keep this version of a Cubano sandwich in a more simple form, I seasoned my center cut pork roast with just salt and pepper. I roasted it in the oven for about an hour, let it cool, and refrigerated overnight. This way you have the pork ready-to-go the next day when you assemble the sandwiches. The roasted pork is still incredibly tender and delicious with just salt and pepper.

Also, you don't need a panini machine to make this sandwich. We're going to use what you have on hand to press the sandwiches. Here's what you can use:

Panini press #1 = a heavy cast iron skillet
Panini press #2 = a pan weighted down with a tea pot with water (about ½ full)
Panini press #3 = if no tea kettle, just use a large pot with water in it. (about ½ full)

How to Assemble Your Cuban Sandwiches

There is some mise en place involved here. Mise en place is a French term meaning "everything in its place" that I learned when I was in college at a hotel/restaurant management school. Set up your assembly station. Make sure everything you need is right there:

Have your measured and sliced bread ready to go
Soft butter to spread on sandwich tops
Mustard
Swiss Cheese
Sliced deli ham
Sliced pork roast
Sliced pickles
Heavy skillet for panini press #1
Pan and water-filled tea kettle for panini press #2

closer look at the buttered french bread used for making easy pressed cuban sandwich — *Spread soft butter on tops*

adding the mustard for our easy pressed cuban sandwiches — *Spread soft butter on tops*

finlandia cheese folded in half for the cuban sandwiches — *Place folded Swiss on top of mustard*

sliced plain deli ham gets folded and added to this easy pressed cuban sandwich — *Place folded Swiss on top of mustard*

adding the sliced roasted pork to the cuban sandiwches — *Add roasted pork slices*

placing dill pickle rounds on top of pork — *Add roasted pork slices*

assembled cuban sandwiches with buttered tops ready for panini pressing — *Put buttered tops on*

placing the cubans in the pan buttered side down — *Put buttered tops on*

place a heavy skillet to use as your panini press on top the the cuban sandiwches — *Place cast iron skillet on top or use tea kettle method*

a look inside the cubans after they've been cut in half — *Place cast iron skillet on top or use tea kettle method*

How to Re-Heat Your Leftover Cuban Sandwiches

If you've made this cuban sandwich for a crowd, you may not have any leftovers. This is great to feed a group and would make an excellent Super Bowl Sunday offering as well. Should you have a few half sandwiches leftover have no fear - they taste great reheated and they'll keep in the fridge for a few days after making them.

I usually preheat my toaster oven to about 300. Place the sandwich on a tray and tent a piece of foil over the top so the bread doesn't burn. Let it warm for about 10 minutes (longer if you want) and you're good to go.

Can I Freeze My Leftover Over Cuban Sandwiches?

Yes, of course you can. However, they will not taste the greatest they can taste. I've done it and I've eaten it. I will not say it is fantastic. It is pretty good. It can be done and it's not bad. I put the sandwich in the refrigerator overnight to defrost it first. Then I heated it in the toaster oven as mentioned above.

Are You Looking for More Awesome Sandwiches? Try These!

Easy Pressed Cuban Sandwich (no panini machine required)

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Author: Stacey
Prep Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes (only 20 minutes active prep time)
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 0 hours
Yield: 4 large or 8 medium sandwiches 1x

Print Recipe

Description

This easy pressed Cuban sandwich is a pork lover's dream. Sliced ham and roasted pork with cheese, mustard and pickles. So damn good!

Instructions

Cook the pork roast the night before. Season the outside of a small center cut pork roast with salt and pepper and let it sit for 10 minutes. Cook in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 55 minutes. This should be cooked with the fat cap side up though my roast didn’t have a lot of fat. Once cooled after cooking, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, start by slicing the pork thin – about ¼” in thickness works well. Put sliced pork on a plate.
Make sure you leave the butter out on the counter for a while before making the sandwiches. It needs to be soft to spread onto the bread for cooking.
Get your sliced ham and Finlandia Swiss cheese ready to go. You want to have everything in your sandwich-making station organized and ready for the sandwich assembly.
Cut the French bread loaves into four 8” pieces. We are making four Cuban sandwiches and this will take two French loaves. You’ll have a little extra. This is a great sandwich length and allows you to cut it in half like a sub.
Slice the 8” sandwich pieces in half lengthwise.
I made two sandwiches at a time, because I have limited counter space. You can certainly line up all four sandwiches and make them all at the same time.
I found the best order of assembly is this (watch my video – it shows the whole assembly): butter the TOPS of the bread only (we’ll butter other side later when they’re in the pan). I found 1 tablespoon was needed for the top and slightly less for the bottoms. Then lay out all the bread so the sliced side is facing up. Spread mustard on tops and bottoms of the bread. Fold the Finlandia cheese in half and put two slices on the tops AND bottoms of the bread. Fold ham slices in half and add four slices to the BOTTOMS only. Then add four slices of the roasted pork on top of the ham. Place dill pickle rounds on top of the pork – should fit about 8-10 pickle rounds. Put the tops on the sandwiches.
Heat your pans on medium heat and place sandwiches buttered-side down. Make sure the sandwiches are stable and intact. Place a heavy cast iron skillet on top of the sandwiches.
For the other pan, place two sandwiches, buttered-side-down making sure they are stable and intact. Place a regular kitchen pan on top of that (NOT TEFLON) then put either a tea kettle with water or a pot with water on top of the pan to act as your panini press. I don't recommend a Foreman Grill for this or any panini press that closes like a clam shell. It will push all the ingredients out and make a mess. We need to press evenly from above for this to come out right.
Cook sandwiches for about 4 minutes until they are golden brown and crunchy. You know your stovetop - be careful not to burn them.
At the four-minute mark, remove the skillet and tea kettle panini presses and butter the bread. Then, very carefully turn the sandwiches with a spatula and place the panini presses back on top. Cook about another four minutes until golden brown and crunchy.
Remove from pan, cut in half and serve.