Recipe

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Try this tomato cheese sandwich for a delicious packed lunch idea! It's a triple-decker made with ripe tomato, cheese, pesto, and hummus.

What do you do when it’s time to pack lunch, but you’ve run out of deli cuts? Make this tomato and cheese sandwich, of course. It’s simple, fresh, and super quick to assemble into the lunchbox. Let’s make one!

A tomato and cheese sandwich cut into 4 triangles, and packed into a lunch container with baby carrots.

Easy Tomato Sandwich

This easy tomato sandwich is layered with provolone cheese, pesto, and hummus; all tucked between 3 slices of bread! That’s right- it’s a triple-decker sandwich and a perfect end-of-week lunch to make when you’re out of certain lunch ingredients.

If your crew isn’t a pesto fan, that’s okay! Swap it out for extra hummus or mayo, which works like glue to help the sandwich filling stays in place.

Want to take the flavor up a notch? Assemble the sandwich and grill it like you would a grilled cheese.

Speaking of, you should also try this grilled pepperoni sandwich. The flavors of pizza with toasted, buttery bread, and melted cheese are a masterpiece.

What is in This Tomato & Cheese Sandwich

The ingredients for this Tomato Cheese Sandwich are simple, here’s what you’ll need to pack it for lunch:

Bread: thin slices of whole wheat or white bread work great.
Hummus: goes great with the other flavors.
Tomato: use the ripest, reddest tomato you can find!
Cheese: any of your favorite sliced cheese like provolone, cheddar, or swiss.
Pesto: adds rich flavor; use basil or sun-dried tomato pesto for epic results.
Baby carrots: this lunchbox was packed with baby carrots but you can swap them for another crunchy snack.

Feeding hungry teenagers and need to bulk this up? Pack it with hard-boiled eggs or Greek yogurt. Problem solved!

Want to add more variety and delicious options to the lunchbox? You’ll find a hundred ideas right here:

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How to Pack a Tomato and Cheese Sandwich for Lunch

Grab your ingredients, and let’s make a triple-decker tomato cheese sandwich!

First Layer
Spread half of the hummus onto one slice of bread and top it with half the tomato slices and one slice of cheese.
Second Layer
On the second piece of bread, spread half the pesto and flip the pesto side down, to close the sandwich.
More cheese and tomato
Spread the remaining pesto on top of the assembled sandwich, and top it with the remaining tomato and cheese.
Third Layer
Spread the remaining hummus on the third slice of bread and flip over to close the sandwich. You now have a triple-decker sandwich!
Pack it up
Cut the sandwich into 4 triangles or in half, and pack into a lunch container. You’ll want to pack the sandwiches into a small compartment so they hold together, or secure them with sandwich picks.
Keep it fresh
Add the carrots and any additional snacks to the empty compartments and close the lunchbox. Pack it into a lunch bag with an ice pack.

Watch all my tips for packing sandwiches without them getting soggy in this quick video!

Keeping sandwiches fresh for lunch at school

Follow these tips for packing sandwiches and your school lunches will remain fresh and neat for hours:

Use the right container
A firm, compartmentalized lunch container that allows you to separate wet from dry ingredients comes in handy for packing lunch ideas like this sandwich and others. Check out a few of my favorite options here.

Layer correctly
Place hummus and cheese next to the bread slices so they can separate the bread from the wet tomatoes, keeping the moisture from reaching the bread.

Keep it chilled
To keep this school lunch cool, add an ice pack to the lunch bag. This is particularly important if the lunch bags will be kept outside for some of the day.

Add more nutrition
Want to add extra nutrition? Include healthy sides like fresh fruit, veggies, apple chips, banana chips, no-bake oatmeal energy balls, or wheat thins.

More tasty sandwiches to pack for school lunch

Need more sandwich ideas to rock your lunches? I’ve got you covered! Try this salami bagel sandwich, then this ham and tomato croissant sandwich, and this salmon salad sandwich! Well, a list of epic sandwiches is not complete with this chicken bacon sandwich that will make everyone drool!

Easy Tomato & Cheese Sandwich

Triple Decker Tomato & Cheese Sandwich and some carrots in a lunchbox

Servings: 1

Prep Time: 5

Total Time: 5

Try this tomato cheese sandwich for a delicious packed lunch idea! It’s a triple-decker made with ripe tomato, cheese, pesto, and hummus.

5 from 14 votes

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Ingredients

3 slices of whole-wheat sandwich bread
2 tablespoons hummus
½ medium tomato, sliced
2 slices provolone cheese
1 tablespoon basil pesto
1 cup baby carrots

Instructions

Lay all three bread slices on a cutting board. Spread half the hummus onto one slice and top with half the tomato slices and one slice of cheese.
On the second piece of bread, spread half the pesto and flip the pesto side down to close the sandwich.
Spread the remaining pesto on top of the assembled sandwich and top with the remaining tomato slices and cheese.
Spread the remaining hummus over the third bread slice and flip it over to assemble the sandwich.
Cut the sandwich into 4 triangles and pack them into a small lunch container to help the sandwiches stay intact. Alternatively, you can slice the sandwich in half to make it easier to pack.
Add the baby carrots to the lunch container, keeping them in a separate compartment to keep the bread dry. Close the lunch box and pack it into a lunch bag with an ice pack.