For me, it's very simple. While I enjoy a crunchy vegetable sandwich and a good juicy burger, from time to time, the sandwich that has my heart is the tomato-mozzarella hot panini, Italian-style. Hot and crusty, bread compressed into crispy toast, creamy mozzarella and tomato juice oozing out the sides. If I had to eat just one sandwich the rest of my life, that's what I would choose.
Of course, how depressing would it be to give up all the range of sandwiches, hoagies, and subs for just one variety! And yet, we each probably have a sandwich that could hold us, if we had to make a choice. A sandwich we cling to out of love and familiarity.
There are also the instances of pickiness or set routine. My brother ate nothing but peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a brief period in his toddler years, and my father subsisted on a daily Big Mac during law school. Do you have a sandwich like this? Your go-to meal?
If you had to pick just one, what would it be?
More sandwiches!: Sandwiches of All Shapes & Sizes: 20 Sandwich Recipes for a Better Lunch
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Monterey Pitcher fr...

Vietnamese banh mi, if I must pick only one.
I had PB&J every day for all of first grade and I never want to look at another PB&J sandwich again. It's been decades and I still never want have this sandwich again.
Grilled cheese - cheddar with tomato. Unless a burger counts!
hmm.
tomato basil bread, lettuce, tomato, onion, feta, cuc, peppadew peppers, with cilantro hummus. known as the med veg at panera. easily one of my favorite, most filling things to eat.
or a goat cheese and caramelized onion sandwich.
or a portabello and mozz panini with roasted red pepper aioli.
my main squeeze would say a reuben. if i could master a recipe, i'm pretty sure i would have his heart forever. hah.
A #5, no onions, from Jimmy John's. Or a Caprese sandwich, on good bread. Yum!
Bacon, avocado, blue cheese on garlic bread.
Good old BLAT. A bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato is a joy to behold.
Definitely a grilled cheese...I love making them with homemade bacon jam and apples or peaches.
Cuban!
BLT!!
I second ATNIEL's comment. A Vietnamese Banh Mi has never let me unsatisfied.
BLT, hands down.
BLTA. of course.
Grilled cheese. I have some variation of it most mornings for breakfast.
Vietnamese banh mi thit nuong with extra do chua
Plain old grilled cheese hands down. Cheapo wheat bread, american cheese, cooked until crispy and melty in plenty of butter and then dipped in ketchup. Yum.
Another vote for banh mi!
Does lox, cream cheese and all the fixin's on an everything bagel count!?
I can't imagine life without Reubens.
@LauraJane - Yes. It absolutely does.
I would eat the greatest sandwich I have ever had, the Gustaio from Paesano's in the Italian Market in Philadelphia:
House-made Lamb sausage, Sun-dried Cherry Mustarda,
Gorgonzola Spread, Roasted Fennel, & Arugula
I am sure all their sandwiches are delicious, but I will never know because every time I eat there, this is what I will have. I wonder if they would Fed Ex me one?
A muffaletta or my childhood sandwich- Kraft american cheese slices, genoa salami, chopped green olives and a splash of tomato sauce griddled hot. Its the most amazing mini pizza sandwich and as a kid, I got to make it in a sandwich maker!
A real-deal New Orleans roast beef po-boy on Leidenheimer's french bread.
I do love a Reuben, but if I had to eat just one forever? A plain old egg and cheese sandwich. Scrambled or fried, with veg or bacon or a condiment, or without any of those things. Any bread, any cheese, and an egg or two. It's the best. Cheap, filling, comforting, delicious.
A proper Belgian Club sandwich. Ham, cheese, tomato, lettuce, mayo in a perfectly crispy but soft fresh baguette.
A Deli which was a 15 minute walk from my highschool would make the perfect one, and I believe I spent three years eating this sandwich at least twice a week.
So delicious. There was always a rush at lunch to get the Club sandwich.
Primantis' sandwiches. any one of them. any day of the week. sign me up.
A ploughman's sandwich. On granary bread. When I lived in China for a few years I could never find the right bread or cheese to bother making it properly. Every time I came home my Mum would always meet me at the airport with a ploughman's sandwich ready in the car.
Pate banh mi or a cubano. I can't pick.
BLT (with T standing for Toast as Tomato is disgusting.)
From one of my favorite cafes:
Apple Panini - Granny Smith apple slices, housemade veggie sausage, apple butter, and cheddar & cream cheeses on sun-dried tomato bread.
So incredibly delicious.
Bermuda Schwartz from Country Deli in Nags Head, NC-Turkey and roast beef on Jewish rye with Swiss, provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, mustard, (and I add) sliced banana peppers. Served with a great pickle spear, best thing ever post-surf!
Good black forest ham and baby swiss on everything bagel with avocado, tomato, lettuce, mayo. I could not only have it as my only sandwich ever again. but pretty much everyday, too. :D
BLAT with homemade mayo on good, toasted, country bread. Only w/ dead-ripe garden tomatoes, please.
Or.....a Reuben, grilled, on good rye, with grilled sauerkraut and pastrami and Swiss cheese. With Russian dressing (NOT 1000 Island, there's a difference).
OR....a patty melt, grilled on good rye or sourdough, with grilled onions and heavily-flavored, but good melting Cheddar.
Not too picky, am I????
Chickpea of the sea!
Either tomato, mozzarella, and basil grilled until the cheese slightly wilts, drizzled with salt and pepper and balsamic vinaigrette.
Oops, or a smoked gouda grilled pimento cheese with tomato.
PB & J baby!!! With a large glass of milk, of course. I can eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
I've been eating this sandwich since I was three years old: Kaiser roll split in half, then a small handful of Kosher Dill pickles, white american cheese, thinly sliced Virginia ham, plain potato chips, then place the other half of the roll on top and squish.
Almost everyone that's seen me eat this sandwich thinks it's weird... until they try it!
Salami and swiss on sourdough, with plenty of mayo and tomatoes.
BL(A)T with homemade mayo, heirloom tomatoes, and crusty sourdough or whole wheat bread. YUM!
OR, my breakfast/lunch/dinner standby: toasted whole wheat or French bread with sliced heirlooms, sea salt, and fresh mozzarella; toast it under the broiler until the mozzarella is bubbly. Amazing.
Ham Salad, freshly made.
Tuna melt. No doubt.
Medium rare roast beef with mayo, horseradish mustard, lettuce, tomato, onion, and a bit of red wine vinegar all on a baguette.
B.A.T. (the lettuce is unneccesary for me) on seeded "italian" bread with lots of mayo and super fresh farmers market tomatoes!
BLT made with tomatoes and lettuce from my Dad's garden.
I'm surprised no one said Lobster Roll! That would probably be mine.. mmmm. It's a toss up between that and a panini with mozzarella, arugula, prosciutto, roasted peppers & pesto.