Cuban Midnight Sandwich

I’ll give this a 1 star because it lacks total authenticity. I mean, if you order a fillet mignon in a restaurant, would you be happy with any piece of cooked meat? Absolutely not! While this is a tasty sandwich, it is NOT the true Cuban midnight sandwich. Try buying Cuban Bread (most Wal-Mart’s have it on the bakery section) No Italian dressing (use mayo and mustard) No turkey meat (instead use roasted pork), ham, Swiss and pickle slices are OK. Sprinkle with a little bit of salt, pepper and grill until cheese is melted. I always make these on a flat griddle-press so that I don't get grill marks on the bread. Also some people like spreading a bit of butter on one side of the bread and mayo-mustard on the other. Source: Myself. (Cuban/Cook)

GREAT sandwich! Complimented our soup wonderfully! I used a little less mustard but I mixed it into the mayo/italian dressing mix. By the way - the mayo mix made enough for 8 sandwiches with plenty to spare. Knowing this, I may cut that part in half next time. Also - doing the sandwiches on the stove was a pain. I just put them in the oven (open-faced) for apprx 5-10 minutes and worked out better this way (and more could be done at one time). Still, a wonderful sandwich - authentic or not - that we will be making plenty of times! Thanks!

Delicious! Follow the recipe EXACTLY as others have said. FYI-The idea of the foil and plate is to press down the sandwich while it cooks so whatever accomplishes that will do. I used a small frying pan lid to press down. Also, I would recommend you microwave the meat to warm it and take the cheese out ahead so it's not really cold. This will help in the process of cooking the sandwich so that the cheese melts, the meat warms and the bread gets crispy.

good flavor. quick to put together and cook. i used the george foreman grill -- i cooked them for 4 minutes, making sure to apply some pressure to the handle of the grill and press the sandwich.

GREAT sandwich! Complimented our soup wonderfully! I used a little less mustard but I mixed it into the mayo/italian dressing mix. By the way - the mayo mix made enough for 8 sandwiches with plenty to spare. Knowing this, I may cut that part in half next time. Also - doing the sandwiches on the stove was a pain. I just put them in the oven (open-faced) for apprx 5-10 minutes and worked out better this way (and more could be done at one time). Still, a wonderful sandwich - authentic or not - that we will be making plenty of times! Thanks!

This was terrific! My husband and kids loved it! I thought that one cup of mayonnaise was a bit much for 4 sandwiches. I cut it down to 1/4 cup and it made more than enough spread for all the sandwiches.

Very good, and easy to prepare on a busy night. I cut the sauce ingredients (mayo, italian dressing) in half and thought that was plenty. Also just mixed in half the amount of mustard with the sauce and spread it on all at once.

more like a reuben without the sauerkraut. my husband is part cuban and from key west florida and i wouldn't try to pass this off as a cuban sandwich.

This is definitely one of our favorite sandwiches. I've made it so many times, I don't even need the recipe any longer! The flavors blend beautifully, and the outside of the roll gets super crunchy with the fruity olive oil taste. Even though I'm always anxious to take that first bite, I force myself to grill it slowly to make sure it's warmed through completely. It's a meal in itself.

These were great. However we had way too much sauce so you really only need to make half as much as it calls for.

I did these open faced under the broiler without frying on both sides. These are a favorite and though they're not like the ones you can get in Miami they are still tasty!

Yummy, hot pressed po'boys at home. These are great. I did have to turn the stove down to about medium to keep them from burning.

These are great, i did lighten up a bit by using reduced fat mayo, lace swiss, fat free italian and about 1/4 the oil it called for. used my Foreman grill. Thanks for the recipe.

May not call this "Traditional" or "Authentic" but sure can call it "DARN GOOD!" Used a George Foreman as a "Sandwich Press" and turned out "Perfecto Mundo!"

Very good sandwich. Not 100% authentic but WHO CARES AS LONG AS LONG AS IT TASTE GOOD!! yes this sandwich is not an authentic cuban sandwich its really more of a cuban inspired sandwich. I have to admit i was a little hesitant at first because of the mention of the mayo/italian dressing combination. Then i was going to maybe put the mayo on after i put it in the panini machine. At the last moment i decided to follow the recipe exactly and i'm glad i did. It was a very good sandwich. This along with a bowl of soup is a very satisfying combination.

Anything I can get the entire family to eat gets five stars. LOL This was very good. I hate pickles, but I notice they accent the taste very well. Very quick and easy to make. I highly recommend for a quick and easy meal!!!

All of the Cuban Midnight Sandwiches I've had have included a slice of pork tenderloin, but this was good just the same. I'm a fat watcher and I like to point out when recipes misstate the fat grams. This recipe assumes that you use all of the mayo dressing and the entire ½ c. of olive oil. Not even close! I used 4 – 6” hoagie rolls. I brushed each side with olive oil and it took a total of about 2 Tbsp. Same goes with the mayo sauce. The recipe yields 1 - 1/3 c. sauce, but I used less than 2 Tbsp per roll and had well over ¾ c. left over. That makes a huge difference when calculating both calories and fat.

So yummy and super easy! Will def. Make again with a few changes. I used sweet Italian loaves (all the grocery store had left) and pan-fried as directed. Could probably get away with half the mayo, may do half-mayo half-greek yogurt next time and will def mix the mustard in. Will def use toothpicks next time to keep it all together. The mustard and pickles and sweet bread are key to keeping it Cuban-inspired. Almost as yummy as cubans in a restaurant and def. Super easy. A must try!

Very good! While traditional cuban sandwiches are made with pork, I love the modification! Great for turkey leftovers-which is what I used instead of deli meat. Just because this isn't the traditional cuban sandwich doesn't mean it deserves 1 start. Try it before you rate it. Goodness.

You can change meat if you want as it will come out yummy every time. Pickle will add spice so if you are making for children leave it off...

This was easy and tasty and pretty quick too. There was way more sauce than you really need. I'd cut it in half at least.

Might not be a "real" Cuban Midnight Sandwich, but sure is tasty! Good way to use up hamburger buns! We cooked on the George Foreman(about 2 min.- preheated), Mixed 1/2 cup REAL mayonnaise and about 2 Tb. bottled zesty Italian dressing. Spread the mayo mixture on one side of the crusty roll, then topped with the cheese, turkey, dill pickle, and ham then spread the mustard on the side that touched the ham. When pressed and grilled, the outside gets slightly crusty and the middle is hot and melty. Yummm

Good Sandwich, but it's not a cuban

Very tasty! Even better with some sprouts thrown in there after it has been grilled.

Excellent! So Yummy! Since I cannot stand Swiss, I used provolone, ( I know, it's not a Cuban without the Swiss, but I had to compromise somehow!)

This was a great variation on sandwiches. My husband and I liked the sauce a lot, but it makes it very slippery, so everything falls out. May want to use toothpicks to hold it together.

This turned out great! my husband loved them. they have the perfect flavor. i used white bolillos bread. the olive oil is definitly a must for the good flavor. great recipe. i'll be making this again and again. thanks!

Authentic or not, this is a great sandwich. I agree that there was a surplus of the mayo mixture. I'll cut it in half the next time. I used a heavy cast iron skillet as a sandwich press ~ it worked like a charm.

Great recipe...however way to much mayonnaise...I stated filling the measuring cup up as I was reading directions. When I realized it was just to make the spread I stopped filling it up. I only used a little over a half cup and I still had plenty to toss. Because I used less mayo I also cut back to 3 tablespoons dressing. I used mayo with olive oil & fat free 15 calorie wishbone Italian dressing...made a great combo. For the mustard just a plain yellow mustard was wonderful... I also used my George Forman to grill them...a hint if you use your George Forman for any sandwich prop the front up (I use 2 small cans to do this) that way it grills it without being at an angle so it doesnt squish the sandwich that much...would also be great with mozzarella cheese. The only reason I rated it a 4 was because of the extra mayo, even though I tossed some I still felt I put to much on each sandwich trying to use it all.

Great Sandwich but not a a Cuban Midnight sandwich. Have one every time I go to Miami. Two totally different taste but still good.

Followed recipe exactly and cooked in the George Forman. It was delicious! The whole family loved it!

I made this for my husbands lunch w/o telling him what I was making. After taking his first bite his words were 'WOW this is delicious!" I love when I can make something that is super easy & still get fabulous comments on how good it is!! Thank you for a great recipe. I will certainly be making this again..

We enjoyed this sandwich. Even my 2yr old liked it and he is picky. I did cut the ingredients in half. Will make again. I even enjoyed it cold. I used butter instead of olive oil.

So easy and so good. We don't own a sandwich press...but now I know I don't need one!!

I totally just made this for breakfast and LOVED every bite of it, lol! I scaled the recipe to make only one sandwich, but didn't really measure anything, just eye-balled it. I used my George Foreman Grill as a sandwich press and went to town. It was GREAT! I don't really care if this is 'authentic' or not...it's one tasty sandwich and I will be making it often! Thanks for sharing. :)

Tasty but WAY too much sauce, even though I cut the amount in half.

I, too, severely cut back on the mayo--just a quick swipe on each sandwich. We opted out of the olive oil too, since we used our George Foreman grill. A little Pam and you were good to go. The fam really liked the sandwich and they were so easy!

I prefer pork loin slices to turkey, so that's what I used. I baked my own rolls and used the extra mayo / Italian dressing for a dipping sauce, because our local deli does that for their grinders and we have become addicted to it. If you try that, slice the rolls into very skinny wedges to make it easier to dip. Want authentic? Use pork instead of turkey, skip the Italian dressing, and use Cuban rolls.

Amazing! I added tomatoes and they were perfect. I recommend squishing the bread down before putting anything into it in order to flatten the top a bit, followed by cooking the bottom first. They were a bit messy to eat but well worth it.

Seriously delicious! Tastes like something you would get at a local deli!

Serve with sandwich pick inserted, otherwise the sandwich slides apart while eating it. It was a winner with my family. I agree with others, it only needs half the amount of mayo/italian dressing.

Love these sandwiches! This is such an easy recipe to follow, and uses basic ingredients. I used some leftover pork roast instead of ham, and some deli turkey meat. Came out GREAT! Thanks for sharing!

MY KIDS LOVED IT. IT IS SOO0 HARD TO GET THEM TO TRY ANYTHING NEW THAT THIS WAS A TRUE TRIUMPH. EVEN MY HUBBY THAT DOES NOT LIKE MAYO OR MUSTARD LOVE THIS SANDWICH AND WANTED IT THE NEXT DAY FOR LUNCH. TO MY SANDWICH I ADDED PEPERONCINI, ONION AND SALAMI, OMGOODNESS! SO GOOD. WE WANT TO SHARE THESE WITH ALL OF OUR FRIENDS.

OK, so maybe this isn't "authentic," but it's a pretty decent sandwich nonetheless. My hubs and I had a heavy lunch (Giordano's Chicago-style deep dish pizza... yummm!!!) and it's been hotter than heck here in the Midwest. We were both a little hungry around dinnertime, but not for super filling fare or anything that required heating up the stove. This fit the bill perfectly. To ease prep, I used my panini press, but that didn't work out too well for me. :( My press flattened each sandwich so much so that the fillings oozed out the sides! Other than this slight mishap, I had no issues with the recipe itself. NOTE: You can reduce the amount of mayo mixture by half and still have more than enough to slather on your sandwiches. I halved this recipe (and the mayo mixture), but still ended up wasting over half of it. I also think the mustard can be reduced by half (i.e. half a T per sandwich). Another observation? Use a wire whisk to mix your mayo / Italian dressing. Mixing with a spoon will do, but your mayo will appear curdled because the oil wasn't properly incorporated (yuck!). Served with black bean soup, sweet potato chips and cuban mojitos, this was a fun Saturday night meal. Thanks for sharing, Maruchy! :-)

I used a loaf of Italian bread split in half and buttered on both sides per a previous review. I have a large cafe sandwich press and it worked great on this sandwich. I mixed the mayo, mustard and dressing together and used a dipping sauce...wow! So simple and so GOOD! Thanks!

This was delicious! I thought it was restaurant quality. I never had this sandwich before and have no concern about it's authenticity. However, I didn't at all understand the ingredient amounts. So, I just did them all to taste. The only thing I didn't have was the turkey, so I left that out. I used 4 large slices of bread from a Tuscan round loaf. I couldn't understand if the Italian dressing was the liquid kind or the dry packets. I used a Kraft Tuscan Italian bottled dressing. I mixed some up to taste in some lite mayo. I did about 1-2 Tblsp on 2 slices and put a small amount of dijon mustard on the other pieces of bread. I put 2 slices of square ham and 1.5 slices of baby swiss with about 5 hamburger dills each on the mayo slices. To cook it in, I just used about 1 Tblsp. of olive oil. It made the sandwich so much crispier than butter. I am not sure why anyone would need 1/2 cup of olive oil or the full cup of mayo. That seems extremely excessive. My sandwich was still plenty moist on the inside and crispy on the outside. TY

This was a wonderful sandwich...I made it for my boyfriend and another couple. I added bacon like suggested by some other reviewers, and had provolone cheese instead of swiss (I don't like swiss cheese) and went from there by the recipe...It was a wonderful, quick dinner and was great with the black bean soup. The only other bad reviews I saw was towards the name of it, which I don't care what it is called as long as it is good...and by how much mayo there was. Well, you get to pick how much mayo goes onto the sandwich and the rest of it can be used with any other sandwich you need to make (I make a bunch since I pack my own lunch for work, so for me it worked out great).

Really really good - quick, easy, and the frying really makes the difference! Be careful about buying ham that is too salty.....

Delish!! I used fat free mayo, which I seasoned up with dty italian salad dressing mix. I had some yummy herb foccaccia that I used for the hoagie rolls. I bought some deli honey turkey since others have mentioned the traditional bread is a bit sweet, added a little deli ham, lefrover pork tenderloin and used a laughing cow swiss cheese wedge. I added in some mustard, kosher dills and instead of the oil, I sprayed my pan with cooking spray. I had this with a salad with beans and a little rice along with some mixed greens and really enough my dinner.

Quick and easy, great with homemade bowl of soup. Who cares if it this is a "real" cuban or not it was yummy & my family loved it! It's a keeper!

These were awesome! I wasn't sure about the pickles and mustard. But what a great mix! I have an eight year old who absolutely loved these. This will be on our menu rotation. Thanks!!

These were absolutely wonderful! My family is so hard to please especially when it comes to trying new things and they loved them! My daughter said they were "tré belle"! We will definitely be making these again!

These were easy and really good. I broiled them open face for a few minutes. We don't really like pickle slices but I did want the pickle flavor so I added 2 tablespoons dill pickle relish to the spread. I also just mixed the mustard in with the spread to make for faster and easier preperation. They were great!!! Oh, I had a ton of the spread leftover... could easily be halved.

Authentic Cuban sandwich or not, it was just delightful! I used Creole mustard for a little extra kick and also added a few leftover slices of salami so they wouldn't go to waste. As long as you use the mayo/dressing combo and cook it as described, I think most any combination of meats & cheeses your family likes will be a big hit.

What a great sandwich! I cut the sauce in half (1/2 cup mayo-2 1/2 Tbsp Italian dressing-and just mixed in the 2 Tbsp mustard instead of spreading it alone)Cooked them on my George Foreman grill and they were so good! We will be having these often.

my 10 yr old granddaughter made these for dinner tonight.so simple for her and they were absolutely delicious.made exactly as written which is rare for us.definitely have to add the pickle.will be making these often

I made this recipe for a school project and everybody loved it. When I made this at home I got the same results>

great recipe would reall like to make again, but has anyone looked at the fat and sodium content!!!!!

Fun sandwich. Quick & easy to build. The pickles are key. I pressed it in the Foreman Grill. Great results.

The first time I made it I didn't put on mustard and pickels and it was OK. I made it again and put those two things on with all the other ingrediants and it was PERFECT. I am a sandwich eater and very picky about them. This is my favorite. Thank you!

Wow! Delicious sandwich. When it's all done its all done, it stacks pretty high so do have a fork and knife on hand.

This was really good! I think using a panini press would have made it 5 stars

Didn't care for the turkey, mayo or Italian dressing on this sandwich and never saw it on a Cuban menu with 2 words instead of one 'medianoche'. I'll go back to just mustard and get rid of the turkey and put in the pork like it's supposed to be.

The recipe seems so simple, but the combination is excellent. My only suggestion is that you can use a lot less mayo and Italian dressing mixture, it made way too much.

Sounds like a great sammy! And this is a pretty light version...which means the 'real deal' is sinful!! Gotta have PORK, baby. No mayo either; it's the pickle juice that steams the whole thing. Used to stand on Calle Ocho and eat these with a slug of Cuban coffee. *sigh* Bonita! But I've made this version and it's AWESOME!

Super easy yummy sandwich. I used my cast iron skillet as a weight and it made the sandwich extra flat. I definatly think the recipe is more for 8 sandwiches. And use pickles - even if you're not a big fan - it adds just the best bite! My only problem was that my cheese wasn't all the way melted the first time. I used shredded swiss the second time I made this, and it worked perfectly. So make sure you use shredded cheese (shred your own). Altogether, I loved this recipe! Thanks.

Delicious! Quick and easy, makes a great lunch. A new favorite!

This was tasty and husband really liked it.

This was absolutely awesome! Had amazing flavor! Quick and easy and a wonderful wonderful taste. 5 stars!

Quick and easy solution for dinner. Hub's was on wheat bread and he did mine on a tortilla (less carbs). Next time will use the flip side of the waffle iron, flat griddles for panini. Didn't think of that at the time but should be perfect. Thanks!

I only made half of the mayo/dressing spread and I still didn't need all of it. There's nothing special to this sandwich. I only ate half of one and gave the rest to my dogs.

This was a good sandwich! We changed it up a little...I rubbed olive oil along the top half of the panini and sprinkled whole rosemary leaves for additional flavor. My husband also added horseradish to his mayo. We only used turkey ham, not turkey and ham, lol. Will be making again. Thank you!

Good easy recipe, great for a quick lunch.

I thought these were very good. Good left-over also.

Really good and fast to make on nights when you need dinner quick. We used reduced fat olive oil mayo and light italian dressing and it was still good.

Like others have pointed out this is not authentic but it is very good. I used leftover pork loin & ham from the deli counter as my meats in the sandwhich. I halved the mayo & salad dressing. I also added the mustard in the mayo mixture, it is pointless no to. I cooked these for 2 min on the George Foreman grill. Make again. Thank you.

This is an awesome traditional Cuban Sandwich. Most Cubans (especially here in Miami) prepare it with thinly sliced pork instead of the Turkey. This is the more traditional way to make it. :)

My family and I absolutely loved this sandwich! Be careful not to burn, you may want to turn a little sooner than two minutes. I will definately make again.

Delicious; enjoyed by kids and adults at a picnic. They are very easy to make, and came out with great result. Cut back on the mayo as 1 cup is a lot for just a few people, but otherwise followed perfectly. Thanks for sharing.

Wow, just delicious!! LOVE these and make them on a regular basis, but they can be made easier than directed. Make sure to combine the mayo, italian dressing and mustard all together. Also, I have made these using a foil-wrapped pan as a press and there is no need for this. Just use a spatula and press hard...this gives you more control and I found that the meat/cheese does not squish out this way. My dad loves Cuban sandwiches and said that this version was one of his favorites! This recipe yeilds the same taste and style of a real Cuban sandwich without having to use all that nasty pork that's on authentic Cuban sandwiches. SO delicious! Served up with either sweet potatoe fries or black bean soup and you can't go wrong!!

Very good sandwich. The mayo/dressing combination makes an ordinary ham/turkey and cheese great. The grilled bread turned out nice and crispy. Didn't use mustard because we don't care for it. My family really enjoyed this sandwich.

Needed something quick for dinner a few weeks ago. Husband had gaming night, and eldest son had pep band. was delicious. I don't have a panini machine so I used my griddle and a cast iron skillet to flatten sandwich. Served with coleslaw and put pickle on the side.

Good, but I do agree a cuban sandwich has pork thinly sliced and not the turkey. I used ceasar dressing on it instead of the italian dressing mix. This was tasty and filling.

This is a great sandwich! Only gets 4 stars though because the amounts called for, for basically every ingredient!, are WAY too much! We used turkey, ham, and swiss as called for, but used a regular amount - 4-6 slices of each meat and 1-2 slices of cheese, depending on the person and size of bread. We used 1/4 amount of everything for the "condiment" and it was enough for entire loaf of ciabatta's worth of sandwiches (literally). We also used dill pickle sandwich stackers. The second time we had this, we wrapped in foil and let everything warm through and the cheese melt and it was even better than the cold sandwich! Highly recommend for a great twist on sandwiches!

Traditionally it's served on a sweet potatoe loaf bread and it makes all the difference. Also never heard of italian dressing it's normally just miracle whip, mayo, and pickles. Bread is buttered, lightly toasted and then you put your sandwich together and press it in a hot plate press. YUM

well, even though this sandwich tastes NOTHING like a cuban sandwich (i am not even cuban i know know that) but it's a pretty freaking good sandwich nevertheless. i baked it first (open faced) and then fried it on both sides afterward to give it a crispy bun. very yummy and will make again!

I just tried this and I love it! I am trying to do low carb so I used a low carb tortilla and cooked it in the G. Foreman. It would be heavenly with bread!! One thing I used that made it fast & easy was the Oscar Mayer sub kit layered with ham & turkey. I find it less expensive than buying it from the deli. Thanks!!

This was not bad at all. My hubby liked them more than I did, but I think it was just a matter of taste. We did end up with WAY too much of the mayo mixture. Would probably cut that in half next time.

These sandwiches are soooooo yummy! My husband and two kids really loved them! I usually make some changes to recipes to kind of make them my own, but there really was no need to do that with these! I am not a huge fan of mustard and pickles on my regular sandwiches, but this time I didn't omit them from this and I am really glad that I didn't. By coating your bread with olive oil it really gives it a yummy flaky texture. I also put a heavy can from the cupboard on top of the plate to give it a little extra weight. The dressing mix is divine and the pickles really make the sandwich what it is - PERFECT!!!! Thanks for a great recipe we will be making this all the time!

Very yummy! I made them pretty much as stated but I used ciabatta bread instead of hoagies and heated the sandwiches in the oven instead of on the stove.

This was a great change of pace for my family. We'll definitely keep this one in our recipe box.

Very tasty. I especially liked the sauce, but cut back on the quantity of the sauce. It still had plenty of flavor without being excessively messy.

These were pretty good. I used them on my George Foreman grill with a little pressure. I just like that I can customize it for each person. I could only fit 2 sandwiches on at a time so it was difficult to have everyone's done at the same time and still hot...but a nice change of pace!! Thanks!!

These were nice and easy to make. I loved the idea of using oil instead of butter - they grilled up perfectly. The only ingredient/flavor that really stood out in this sandwich were the pickles, otherwise, it was kinda bland.

This sandwich is so easy and so tasty. We lived in Miami for a few years and got really used to having media noche whenever we wanted. Now that we're in Germany, we've been missing it and were really happy to find this recipe. We eat it all the time and it's a great quick lunch.

I've gotten so many requests for this recipe...and the sandwiches themselves! Five stars all the way!

This was a great sandwich. I have never cared for sandwiches much, but will make this often. I wouldn't change the recipe one bit.

Fantastic little recipe! Works well with a George Foreman grill. I used banana peppers in place of the dill pickles for more of a tang.

Loved it!