A delicious and warm baked turkey and cheese sandwich with caramelized onions, mayonnaise, and fig jam. The perfect dish to make for a party or to pack for lunch.

Turkey and Cheese Sandwich with Caramelized Onions and Fig Jam

Baked Turkey and Cheese Sandwich

This is not a regular sandwich, it is a gourmet sandwich. When you make this for someone, I promise they will look at you with more loving eyes. My wife certainly did, but, to be honest, she is very easy to impress when it comes to food.

I remember about 15 years ago, one of my friends was having a potluck and I decided to make two different types of baked sandwiches. Some may call what I made a “hoagie”, since I don’t use sandwich bread, I used fresh bakery baguettes and Italian Bread. Whatever you call it, just note that they were delicious. I think back then I made my sandwiches with turkey, cheese, spinach, and garlicky spinach. But after receiving feedback that day, I always knew that making these warm crispy sandwiches are a good option when feeding about 15 people.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Turkey

Because this sandwich is baked, it is essentially a grilled cheese sandwich with deli turkey, melty cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, and fig jam. The onions are caramelized until they are a deep golden brown color, bursting with umami and just a touch of sweetness at the same time. The fig jam is also a sweet element. You can add as little or as much of this as you want. When it mixes with the mayonnaise it is absolutely heavenly. I am not someone who normally loves sweet elements on sandwiches, but this goes just perfectly.

I made this sandwich for my daughter’s 2nd birthday. I had about 10 people to feed, so I made two of these sandwiches plus a couple of sides. It was perfect. I like how easy this is to make, but also, you can prepare the whole thing a few hours before the party, wrap them in aluminum foil, and then just pop them in the oven when it is time to serve.

Also, clean up is a breeze with these. You can actually make the caramelized onions days in advance, so no pots need to be dirty on the day of the party.

How do you Caramelize Onions?

First things first, to do this properly it will take about 40 minutes, however, it is not a lot of work. This is something that can be done while watching TV, sending an email, talking on the phone, etc. You have to slice your onion thin, but not too thin: about 1/4 inch thick. Then, cut each onion slice in half, and then in half again. You will have onion quarters. Next, heat up about 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan with 1 tbsp of butter on medium heat.

Once it gets hot and melted, add your onion and mix so that all of the onions are covered in the oil mixture. Add about 1/4 tsp salt per onion, mix, and then turn the heat down to low. Let the onions cook on low heat and mix every 5 minutes or so. Once the onions are evenly browned, they are finished cooking.

Ingredients for a fancy Turkey and Cheese Sandwich

How to make a turkey sandwich step by step

In order to make a delicious turkey and cheese sandwich, you will need:

good bread – I love using fresh baguette or Italian bread from my local bakery.
deli turkey – I normally choose smoked deli turkey, but any deli turkey that you like will work great. For this sandwich, I got my deli turkey at Wegmans, which is a high quality grocery store by me.
thinly sliced cheese – I love thinly sliced sharp cheddar cheese on this sandwich
caramelized onions – you can prepare these days in advanced so that it is ready to go when you want to add it to your sandwich
fig jam – or fig butter. This is normally a seasonal product in many grocery stores, including Trader Joes
Mayonnaise

Directions

Step 1 – Caramelized Onions – I use 1 very large yellow onion, or two medium yellow onions. I slice them then I add them to a pan with about 1 tbsp melted butter and 1 tbsp olive oil. I then cook them for about 40 minutes, mixing them frequently so that they do not burn.
Step 2 – Slice your bread. If you are using baguette or Italian Bread, you will want to slide it down the whole side and then open it up and try to push it down so that it lays flat.
Step 3, Add a thin layer of mayonnaise to the bottom side of the bread.
Step 4, Cover the mayonnaise with sliced turkey. I like to fold each slice in half and then pile it on, overlapping each slice slightly.
Step 5 – Top each slice of the turkey with a slice of cheese, letting it overlap slightly so that each area has about 1.5-2 slices each.
Step 6 – distribute the caramelized onions equally on top of the cheese
Step 7 – Add a thin layer of mayonnaise and fig jam on the other side of the bread.
Step 8 – Wrap up the sandwich in tin foil and bake it in an oven at 350F for 20 minutes

If you like this recipe, you may also like:

Pork and Apple Burgers with Caramelized Onions

Cheesesteak Sliders

Turkey and Cheese Sandwich

Turkey and Cheese Sandwich with Caramelized Onions, Fig Jam, and White Cheddar Cheese

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 long Italian Bread It should be about 2 feet long. You can also use very fresh baguette. I prefer to use Italian Bread because it is not as dense.
1 lb Deli Sliced Smoked Turkey I prefer to ask for it to be sliced very thin from the deli counter
1/2 lb Deli Sliced White Cheddar Cheese
1 large Yellow Onion
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Salted Butter
2 tbsp Fig Jam This is very similar to Fig Butter.
2-3 tbsp Mayonnaise How much you use is your preference, but you want to use enough to form a thin layer on the bottom half of the bread and also the top layer of the bread.

Instructions

Caramelized Onions – I use 1 very large yellow onion, or two medium yellow onions. I slice them then I add them to a pan with about 1 tbsp melted butter and 1 tbsp olive oil. I then cook them for about 40 minutes on low heat, mixing them frequently so that they do not burn.
Preheat your Oven to 350F
Slice your bread – If you are using baguette or Italian Bread, you will want to slide it down the whole long side and then open it up and try to push it down so that it lays flat.
Add half of your Mayonnaise – Add a thin layer of mayonnaise to the bottom side of the bread.
Add your Turkey – Cover the mayonnaise with sliced turkey. I like to fold each slice in half and then pile it on, overlapping each slice slightly.
Add your Cheese – Top each slice of the turkey with a slice of cheese, letting it overlap slightly so that each area has about 1.5-2 slices each.
Add your Onions – distribute the caramelized onions equally on top of the cheese
Add the rest of your Mayonnaise – Add a thin layer of mayonnaise and fig jam on the other side of the bread.
Heat the Sandwich – Wrap up the sandwich in tin foil and bake it in an oven at 350F for 20 minutes
Let the sandwich cool slightly and then remove it from the aluminum foil. Slice into pieces and serve.