When I was a kid, my dad often made us open-face bagel sandwiches for dinner, topped with cream cheese, cucumber, avocado, and a pinch of salt and pepper. In small town Kentucky in the ’80’s, that meant Lenders bagels from the local Kroger. But swap those squishy carbs for some crusty sourdough and add a scattering of fresh chives or quick-pickled onion, and those Dad dinners don’t look so different from today’s ubiquitous avocado toasts.
All these years later, piling fresh ingredients on a slice of good bread is one of my favorite weeknight dinner or work-from-home lunch solutions. The toast and open-face sandwich recipes collected here include many favorites in my regular rotation, whether I’m craving a gooey, cheesy melt or a vibrant, no-cook summer meal. Try them all, but also don’t sleep on my dad’s old combo either—it’s a keeper.
Asparagus Ricotta Toasts with Crispy Prosciutto
Carson Downing
Several of us on the Midwest Living staff make this recipe regularly during asparagus season. It’s just so fast and clever—once the oven is heated, the recipe can be prepared in 15 minutes! The toasts are topped with lemon-flavored ricotta cheese, roasted asparagus, oven-crisped prosciutto, and a drizzle of honey.
Broccoli Melts with Chili Crisp and Pickled Red Onion
Carson Downing
Anything that pairs cheese and broccoli is a dinner winner in our house, so we love this recipe. No, you can’t really call a cheesy sandwich like this a health food, but we really pile on the roasted veg, for a soul-satisfying dish that also delivers a good dose of fiber and vitamins.
Peach and Bacon Avocado Toast
Blaine Moats
Many years ago, I ate a BLT made with sliced ripe summer peaches instead of tomato, and it worked beautifully—and that sandwich was the one that planted the seed that grew into this recipe. You can make the whole thing in about 10 minutes.
Steak and Romesco Toasts
Kathryn Gamble
This Spanish-style tapa is a two-bite appetizer featuring grilled steak and romesco, a rustic blender sauce made with almonds, red pepper, garlic, and smoked paprika—but there’s no reason you couldn’t use larger slabs of bread and eat it for a casual summer dinner. (The whole dish, sauce and all, can be prepared in well under an hour.)
Smoked Turkey Tartines with Goat Cheese and Peach-Plum Salsa
Blaine Moats
This is the prettiest turkey sandwich you’ll ever make—a slice of sourdough toast topped with a smear of lemon-seasoned goat cheese, thinly sliced smoked turkey, and a beautiful salsa of ripe summer peaches and plums with basil. It’s just begging for a glass of chilled white and spot on your patio table this summer.
Mango Toast with Prosciutto
Brie Passano
My favorite mangos are ataulfo mangos, sometimes called honey or champagne mangos. They’re in season spring through early fall and have smaller pits and reliably beautiful flesh (no stringiness). Look for them at specialty markets like Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s—and then stock up and make these delicious toasts, featuring cream cheese, prosciutto, fresh basil, and honey on multigrain bread.
Beans-on-Toast with Fried Egg
Blaine Moats
As a half-Brit, I grew up eating a lot of baked beans on toast—just canned beans, mind you. Nothing fancy. So this recipe hits all the right nostalgic notes for me, with its quickie homemade baked beans that simmer with bacon on the stovetop, a fried egg, and savory griddled tomatoes. The combo draws on the best of a classic Full English breakfast and is delicious for a cozy weekend brunch dish or a comforting dinner.
Quick-Pickled Strawberries with Goat Cheese
Carson Downing
Featuring quick-pickled strawberries, goat cheese, thyme, and honey on baguette, this toast recipe has more breakfast or appetizer vibes, but I’d happily eat it for dinner with a big, springy lettuce salad on the side. (The pickled strawberries are a great way to use up slightly bruised or past-peak berries.)
Smoked Whitefish Salad
Carson Downing
Flecked with fresh dill and crunchy celery, creamy smoked whitefish salad is a Jewish deli staple and a great base for open-face sandwiches. It’s shown here with quick-pickled onionsand hard-cooked egg yolk, but I also love to heap it on a toasted bagel with sliced cucumber.
Sauteed Swiss Chard and Pine Nut Bruschetta
Blaine Moats
I first ate this recipe many years ago at a farm-to-table dinner event in Springfield, Missouri, and now I often make it if I find myself with a bounty of chard from my garden, CSA box, or farmers market. Flavored with balsamic vinegar and currants, it’s intended to be an appetizer, but you could turn into a main meal, perhaps by adding a swoosh of ricotta or goat cheese for a little protein.
More Easy Toast Toppers
Cameron Sadeghpour
Of course, my favorite way to top toast is not to really follow a proper recipe at all! Just rummage in the fridge or pantry and find some things that will go together.
Nuts and Berries: Top a slice of toast with almond butter, fresh berries, chopped dates, hemp hearts, and honey.
Avocado Toast: Top a slice of toast with mashed avocado, salsa verde, thinly sliced radishes, an any-style egg, and cilantro.
English Mushroom: Top a slice of toast with scrambled eggs, mushrooms sauteed in butter, fat tomato slices that you sear in the mushroom pan, and fresh chives.
