Cucumber & Tomato Sandwich

This Cucumber and Tomato Sandwich is one of the quickest, most refreshing sandwiches you’ll make this summer. The combination of juicy, sweet tomatoes and crisp, cooling cucumber truly can’t be beat. When you pair the veggies with an herbaceous cream cheese mixture and whole-wheat bread, you’ll enjoy a sandwich that’s high in protein and offers a healthy dose of fiber to boot.

Expecting guests? No worries! This recipe is easy to scale up, whether you need to double, triple or even quadruple it. Rushed mornings for one are no problem either—prepare the spread and slice the veggies the night before so all that’s left is the assembly before heading out. Check out our expert tips and tricks below to make this simple cucumber and tomato sandwich a recipe you’ll turn to again and again.

Tips from the Test Kitchen

These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too!

• Look for tomatoes that are perfectly ripe for that quintessential sweet and tangy flavor. A ripe tomato should feel soft, but not squishy enough that it could fall apart when you slice it. It should be a uniform color throughout with no pale-colored flesh, green spots or bruising. 
• We love the flavor of chives and dill together, but other fresh soft herbs like basil, tarragon or cilantro would work well too.
• To slice the cucumber, a chef's knife will do the trick, but you may be better off using a serrated knife to slice the tomato. Unless your chef's knife is brand new or super sharp,  a serrated knife is usually better at slicing through the skin and flesh of a ripe tomato without damaging its soft exterior.

Nutrition Notes

• Cucumbers are made up of 95% water. Eating cucumbers can help keep you hydrated, which has health benefits including helping you stay focused and helping your heart function. And of course, with all that water, cucumbers are both low in calories and refreshingly crunchy. This combo makes them satisfying to eat and helpful when it comes to weight loss or maintenance.
• Tomatoes have numerous health benefits, with many of them amplified by the cooking process, but enjoying tomatoes raw has its own perks. Leaving tomatoes raw preserves their vitamin C content, which benefits your immune system and plays a vital role in healing wounds, making collagen and promoting gut health.
• We blend strained (Greek-style) yogurt with cream cheese in our sandwich spread. Why? Not only does it lend tang and creaminess to the mixture, but yogurt is also a source of calcium to support healthy bones. While the amount used is small, opting for a mix of cream cheese and yogurt cuts down on a bit of saturated fat and sodium.
• Whole-wheat bread is our bread of choice because it provides more fiber than white bread. Fiber offers many amazing health benefits, including lowering your risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Try one of these registered dietitian-approved breads, like sprouted-grain bread or seeded bread to add some variety.