Cuban Sandwich

Ready IN

40 mins

Servings

Save

July 10, 2026Updated:July 10, 2026

Meet My Favorite Cuban Sandwich

A good Cuban sandwich is one of those things I genuinely can’t pass up on a menu. I love the layers of smoky pork, ham, Swiss cheese, dijon and pickles, on crusty bread–yum! Making it at home means you can pile it as high as you want, use the good cheese, and get that perfect crispy crust that’s somehow even better than the restaurant version. We love to serve it with chips or homemade fries and fruit.

How to Make a Cuban Sandwich

Make Pork: Season pork with salt and pepper on all sides then add the marinade ingredients. Massage meat in the marinade to coat and let it marinate for at least 1 hour or up to a day. Heat a grill, grill pan, or skillet over medium-high heat. Cook pork loin for 7-10 minutes on each side, rotating slowly, until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F. Remove pork to a plate and cover. Let it rest for about 10 minutes before slicing thinly for sandwiches.

Assemble Sandwiches: Cut your ciabatta roll in half. Lightly butter the outsides of both pieces of the roll then spread the mustard on each slice of bread on the inside. Layer a slice of cheese, pickles, ham, salt, pepper, pork, then cheese again. Place the top piece on top.

Cook: Place cuban sandwich on your cooking surface and press down with a cast iron or heavy pan on top and toast it into a panini-style sandwich. Serve: Slice your cuban sandwich in half and serve with french fries, grilled sweet potatoes, ambrosia salad, broccoli apple salad, or a fresh fruit salad.

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Cuban Sandwich

Lauren Allen

Time

40 mins

(Prep 10 minsCook 30 mins)

Servings

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

40 mins

Servings

ingredients

For the pork

1 pound pork tenderloin
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
Juice and zest from 1/2 an orange
Juice from 1 lime
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, or regular
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

For the sandwich

8 ciabatta rolls
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
8 slices Swiss cheese
1 cup pickles,* dill or bread and butter pickle slices
8 slices ham, deli smoked or honey mustard

Instructions

STEP 1

Season pork with salt and pepper on all sides. Add marinade ingredients to a ziplock bag or a bowl. Add pork and massage meat in marinade to coat. Marinate for at least 1 hour, or up to one day. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before cooking to allow to come to room temperature.

On a grill, in a grill pan or in a skillet over medium high heat, cook pork loin for 7-10 minutes on each side, rotating slowly, until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F. Remove to a plate, cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing thinly for sandwiches.

STEP 3

Slice ciabatta rolls or Cuban bread roll in half horizontally. Lightly butter the ousides of the bread. Spread mustard on each inside slice of bread. Layer a slice of cheese, pickles, ham, salt and pepper, pork, then cheese again. Sandwich with top piece of bread.

Cook sandwich in a hot panini press or in a hot skillet, pressing them down with a cast iron or heavy pan on top to toast them into a panini-style sandwich.

Pork:

Cuban sandwiches are often made with braised pork shoulder. I prefer to use tenderloin because it cooks much quicker, but leftover pork from carnitas or pulled pork would work great!

Bread:

A traditional Cuban sandwich is made with a long, crusty loaf of Cuban bread. We like to use ciabatta as it's easier to find, but a loaf of French Bread or artisan bread would work, or make the Cuban Bread from scratch.

Pickles:

You can use pickles sliced lengthwise or pickle chips, whichever you have on-hand. You can also substitute bread and butter pickles instead of dill pickles if you prefer.

Make Ahead Instructions:

Marinate pork up to two days before cooking.

Freezing Instructions:

For best results, freeze sandwiches before toasting. Wrap them in aluminum foil, and place in a freezer bag or container to freeze for up to 2 months.

To reheat:

To Reheat Cuban Sandwiches, place them on a warm skillet with a lid to rewarm the sandwich and toast the bread.

Nutrition

Calories: 341kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 28g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.02g, Cholesterol: 70mg, Sodium: 876mg, Potassium: 360mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 0.4g, Vitamin A: 267IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 179mg, Iron: 1mg

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