DIY Viral Sprouts Sandwich Recipe

Every so often (no more than several times a week, we'd estimate), some sort of food starts blowing up on social media. Some viral trends like cucumber salad are fairly health-minded, while others, like the dirty soda variant called fluffy Coke and the energy drink/cheap wine combo dubbed Gatorwine, are just for fun. The Sprouts sandwich, which was named for the grocery chain where it originated rather than for an ingredient it doesn't contain, manages to be both nutritious and delicious, and so is our version of the recipe. As developer Milena Manolova explains her creation, "It's a simple sandwich that is filling and a great option for a quick lunch or a meal on the go."

The famous $5 Sprouts Farmers Market sandwich is made with just five ingredients, not counting the bread: turkey, provolone, lettuce, onion, and mustard. Manolova, however, makes a few tweaks to the basic formula. As she tells us, "I slightly changed the original by adding pickles for some tanginess and acidity, avocado for creaminess, and gouda cheese instead of provolone." Of course, you may feel free to further modify the sandwich. As Manolova says, "I like how versatile this sandwich is. You can easily swap the cheese, meat, or other toppings to your liking and preferences."

The core of this sandwich consists of sliced turkey ham and gouda on wheat bread. For sandwich toppings, you'll be using avocado, lettuce, pickles, red onion, and dijon mustard.

Spread Dijon mustard on one of the bread slices.

Add half of the lettuce on top.

Place half of the red onion rings on top of the lettuce.

Follow with half of the pickles.

Place two slices of the cheese on the pickles.

Add three slices of turkey breast on top.

Finish with half of the slices of avocado.

Place the other piece of bread on top. Secure the sandwich with a toothpick if you'd like. Repeat the same steps with the ingredients for the second sandwich and serve both.

One way to switch up this 'wich would be by not switching it at all, and removing the pickle and avocado and replacing the gouda with provolone to return the sandwich to its original version. Of course, you could also use a different cheese such as cheddar or Swiss. If you went with pepper jack and swapped the pickle for pickled jalapeños, you'd have a tasty southwestern-style sandwich.

The bread, too, is something you can substitute at will. This recipe calls for whole wheat while Sprouts uses multigrain bread, but feel free to choose white, pumpernickel, rye, or whatever other kind of bread you have on hand. You could also swap out the turkey for thin-sliced chicken, roast beef, or ham.

As for the condiments, these are completely up to you. While this recipe specifies Dijon mustard, brown or yellow mustard would also be tasty, as would a different dressing. In addition to mustard, Sprouts also offers a sub dressing that's said to be similar to Boar's Head deli dressing. This product is made with olive oil and red wine vinegar, but homemade vinaigrette would be an even better alternative. (Try the one from our green bean and tomato panzanella salad.) Sprouts sandwiches can come with mayonnaise, as well. Might we suggest adding some of our easy homemade aioli? Another great option would be a simple three-ingredient spicy sauce made from mayonnaise, sriracha, and lemon juice.

If you like your sandwiches toasted, you have the option to do so with this sandwich. The sturdier the bread, the better, though, since the cheese may get a bit messy when melted. You should also make sure to toast the sandwich before adding the lettuce and avocado because the former will turn limp while the latter may become bitter when heated. For a delicious smoky grilled flavor you can also add the bread to a hot grill or grill pan for a few minutes before assembling the sandwich to get those coveted char marks.

To lighten up your sandwich, you could turn it into a wrap by using a flour tortilla in place of the bread and rolling up the fillings inside it. If you really want to cut down on carbs, you could also try making a lettuce wrap, but an easier way to achieve this result would be to simply turn the sandwich into a salad. Fill a bowl with lettuce, then arrange the onions, pickles, and avocados on top. Slice the turkey and cheese into strips and scatter those over the salad, as well. Finally, take the mustard and mix it with oil and red wine vinegar to make a dressing. You could even toast some bread to make croutons for a little crunch and to make the salad more substantial.