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5.0 from 9 votes

Medianoche Sandwich

This Medianoche Sandwich from Cuba is a perfect, filling lunch or a fun, late-night snack. It’s piled high with pork, ham, mustard, pickles and Swiss cheese and then grilled to perfection. You’re going to love this Cuban Recipe!

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 3 sandwiches
Calories: 1032 kcal
Course: Lunch
Cuisine: Cuban

Ingredients

  • 1 lb pork loin center cut chop boneless
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 3 Brioche buns
  • ½ -¾ lb Deli Spiral Sliced Ham
  • 6 lices Swiss cheese
  • 9 baby dill pickles sliced in half lengthwise
  • 6 tbsp yellow mustard
  • 2 tbsp butter

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the 1 lb center cut pork loin in a roasting pan. Drizzle with ½ tbsp olive oil, then salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle one side of the pork loin with 1 tsp honey. Turn the pork loin over so that the honey-coated side is down.
  2. Roast the pork loin for about 30 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the meat reads 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
  3. Remove the pork from the oven. Shave off thin slices of the pork lengthwise.
  4. Lay out your 3 brioche rolls or bread, and equally layer the filling for each sandwich. Start with sliced pork, then spiral cut ham, then 2 pieces of Swiss cheese, then 3 baby dill pickles, and 2 tbsp mustard on each sandwich.
  5. Heat a skillet and melt the 2 tbsp butter. Put the sandwiches into the skillet. Place a 10” cast iron skillet on top of the sandwiches to press them down, grilling until crispy. Flip and do the same on the other side.
  6. Enjoy! Leave a comment on this post letting me know what you thought.

Notes

  • Recipe copyright The Foreign Fork. For educational or personal use only.
  •  
  • Pork: Use a boneless, center cut pork loin. Using a bone-in pork loin (pictured above) can work in a pinch. Do not use a pork tenderloin (see FAQ section below for the difference). 
  • It’s often easiest to use a spiral-cut ham from the deli counter. If a spiral-cut ham is not accessible, you can also use a thinly-cut ham steak. 
  • Yellow mustard is standard, but if you’d prefer other types of mustard (dijon, honey mustard, etc) you can easily sub those in! 
  • You can cut baby dill pickles in half horizontally to place them on your sandwich. If you prefer sliced pickles or a different flavor, you can substitute whatever sounds good.
  • Buy bread (Pan Suave) from a Cuban bakery if possible. If this is not possible, you can use challah, brioche (this is what I used), or another light, eggy bread.
  • Cut your sandwiches on a diagonal to serve! 
  • For a delicious side, serve you sandwich with
  • tostones 
  • If you are preparing to make this sandwich after a night out or for a quick lunch, I’d recommend roasting the pork ahead of time. It will stay good stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. 
  • If you don’t have a panini press OR two cast irons (one for roasting and one for pressing down on the sandwich), you can also use a foil-covered brick.
  • Pork: Use a boneless, center cut pork loin. Using a bone-in pork loin (pictured above) can work in a pinch. Do not use a pork tenderloin (see FAQ section below for the difference). 
  • Ham: It’s often easiest to use a spiral-cut ham from the deli counter. If a spiral-cut ham is not accessible, you can also use a thinly-cut ham steak. 
  • Mustard: Yellow mustard is standard, but if you’d prefer other types of mustard (dijon, honey mustard, etc) you can easily sub those in! 
  • Pickles: You can cut baby dill pickles in half horizontally to place them on your sandwich. If you prefer sliced pickles or a different flavor, you can substitute whatever sounds good.
  • Bread: Buy bread (Pan Suave) from a Cuban bakery if possible. If this is not possible, you can use challah, brioche (this is what I used), or another light, eggy bread.
  • Cut your sandwiches on a diagonal to serve! 
  • For a delicious side, serve you sandwich with tostones 
  • If you are preparing to make this sandwich after a night out or for a quick lunch, I’d recommend roasting the pork ahead of time. It will stay good stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. 
  • If you don’t have a panini press OR two cast irons (one for roasting and one for pressing down on the sandwich), you can also use a foil-covered brick.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1serving Calories 1032kcal (52%) Carbohydrates 49g (16%) Protein 71g (142%) Fat 61g (94%) Saturated Fat 29g (145%) Polyunsaturated Fat 3g Monounsaturated Fat 17g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 337mg (112%) Sodium 3534mg (147%) Potassium 1032mg (29%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 5g (10%) Vitamin A 1613IU (32%) Vitamin C 2mg (2%) Calcium 431mg (43%) Iron 4mg (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 3sandwiches

Amount Per Serving

Calories 1032

% Daily Value*

Serving 1serving
Calories 1032kcal 52%
Carbohydrates 49g 16%
Protein 71g 142%
Fat 61g 94%
Saturated Fat 29g 145%
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g 18%
Monounsaturated Fat 17g 85%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 337mg 112%
Sodium 3534mg 147%
Potassium 1032mg 22%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 5g 10%
Vitamin A 1613IU 32%
Vitamin C 2mg 2%
Calcium 431mg 43%
Iron 4mg 22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.