If you are from the South, you know a good Tomato Sandwich when you taste one. It’s the simplicity and darn great tomatoes that make all the difference. During the summer, you won’t taste anything better. This tomato sandwich recipe can be pared down to bare bones (mayo, bread and tomatoes) or dressed up to the nines especially with my lemony-garlic aioli (bacon, etc.). The choice is yours! Do you boo.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
How to Make a Tomato Sandwich
Step 1: Get to Prepping
- Get your bacon ready. I personally bake mine to get it super crisp. Preheat your oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add your slices of bacon and bake for 15-20 minutes until super crispy and golden. It can take longer based on how thick your bacon is.
- Make your Aioli. In a small bowl, mix up the mayo, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, some black pepper and minced garlic.
- Toast the Bread and Spread: Toast up your sourdough bread and spread on the aioli.
Want to Save This Recipe, Boo?
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Step 2: Layer it Up
- Season your heirloom tomatoes with salt and pepper then add to the aioli spread bread.
- Next add your bacon and lettuce then finally close up that sandwich, cut it up and serve it up.
The BEST Tomato Sandwich Recipe
Want to Save This Recipe, Boo?
I’ll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 garlic clove finely minced or grated
- 4 slices of sourdough or french bread can also use thick-cut white sandwich bread
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 large Heirloom tomatoes cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
- bacon and lettuce optional
Instructions
- Combine mayo, lemon juice, black pepper and garlic.
- Lightly toast the bread and spread on aioli.
- Layer on tomatoes (bacon and lettuce as well, if using) and close up the sandwich. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Get the Right Tomatoes: Go as ripe as you can find boos. If you see a bruised or mushy tomato, go in the opposite direction.
- Season those Tomatoes: Before you add those tomatoes to your sandwich, season em’ up! Salt and pepper are going to enhance the flavor and juiciness of those tomatoes.
- Toast the bread: One way you can keep the bread from getting too soggy from all the wet ingredients and juicy tomatoes is to toast up that bread. It dries it out a bit.
- Keep it simple: Don’t overdo this sandwich. It ain’t necessary. Keep the ingredients and flavors clean. Let the tomatoes do the talking.
- Cut with a Serrated Knife: This will help you cut through those thick tomatoes and bread without squashing and ruining your beauty of a sandwich.
- Spice it Up!
Ingredient Notes
- Tomatoes: If heirlooms aren’t around, grab early girl, beefsteak, roma or even black krim tomatoes. You can also switch in fried green tomatoes for a change of pace. Or if you want to lighten it up, use my air fried green tomatoes recipe.
- Bread: No sourdough? French bread, whole grain or ciabatta are great options. Just select something hearty since the tomatoes are so juicy and can drench the bread a bit. We don’t want a soggy sandwich boos.
- Aioli: Swap out the mayo for sour cream or greek yogurt. You will get some additional tang for extra flavor. Or use cajun remoulade.
Serving Suggestions
- Salad: Nothing is better than a sandwich and a salad combo y’all. Serve it up with this shrimp caesar salad, harvest fall salad, cornbread salad, potato salad or this cobb salad with shrimp.
- Soup: Serve this tomato sandwich recipe with a hearty vegetarian tortilla soup, carrot ginger soup or even a creamy potato soup.
- Fries: I love this sandwich served up with these sweet potato fries or even a more indulgent loaded fries recipe.
- Tomato it up! Go all in on the tomato love while they are in season with a full spread including this tomato soup, tomato tart and tomato basil soup.
Recipe Help
Heirlooms are grown seasonally rather than year-round, and their gorgeous appearance and wide range of shapes, colors, and sizes, make them quite unique. Heirloom tomatoes also have a much more robust and sweeter taste; they are generally in season from late Summer into early Fall, with local heirlooms popping up around late July.
Make sure you select tomatoes that have reached their full color. Give it a gentle squeeze. It should have a bit of firmness but not be rock hard. If its too mushy or soft, that’s a no no. If you notice a bunch of bruising or spots, you definitely want to avoid. Ripe tomatoes also feel a bit heavier too as opposed to unripe ones.
Tomatoes can make a sandwich pretty wet y’all. It’s because of all that juicy flavor. The aioli is going to help keep those tomatoes from wetting down that bread. Also toasting the bread is going to prevent the sogginess from developing too.
Honestly it’s best not to make ahead. If you want to save some time, just make the aioli and slice up the tomatoes ahead of time for quicker assembly.
pinterest 
facebook 
twitter 
email
Adding sourdough bread to my tomato sandwich is definitely the way to go! I love this recipe so much!!
Such a wonderful sandwich !! I made them last week and am going to make them again tomorrow !! This is the first thing we ever tried with Heirloom tomatoes !! My hubby & I both loved this !! Thanks for the recipe !!
You’re so welcome, Laurie!! So glad you guys both enjoyed!
This was so easy and the aioli is so good. Slathered mustard on too as a variation. Packed up em up as bagelwiches, and everything held up well.
We’re garlic lovers so I tripled the garlic and added extra lemon juice to get a drippier consistency. The tartness brought out the natural sweetness of the tomatoes. I’m excited to put this aioli on everything!
yes, a great way to celebrate heirloom tomatoes in season, like the aioli too, thank you
This sandwich was the perfect addition for our lunch today! My husband and I really enjoyed this, and our fresh tomatoes from our garden! Definitely going on the remake list, so delicious and very yummy!
Tomato sandwich is the best sandwich on earth!!!
I could eat 2 of them 3 times a day!
I make a delicious tomato salad it’s very simple and oh my goodness it’s SO GOOD!
No recipe just lots of tomatoes, 3 times as many tomatoes as anything else.
Any kind of tomato works, mini cucumbers, avocado, olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
Simply cut all vegetables into bite sized pieces, put in large bowl, dress with olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!!!
Look at all those beautiful tomatoes! Making my mouth water over here with this sandwich!
Aren’t tomatoes beautiful, all of the beautiful colors, shapes and sizes. Red, yellow, pink, purple, brown oh my goodness!!!
You are speaking my language with this beautiful sandwich! I have tons of garden tomatoes this summer, so am trying to find new ways of using them. And that lemon-garlic aioli sounds amazing!
Such a gorgeous sandwich!! Definitely the perfect use for summer tomatoes. They sound absolutely amazing paired with that lemony-garlic aioli.
This really is the best tomato sandwich! Perfect for a summer day!
This looks so fantastic, especially the sauce. Now to get my hands on some heirloom tomatoes!