Hot Roast Beef Sandwich with Brie and Tomato
This sandwich may be simple but it’s anything but boring! With just a few quality ingredients, this hot roast beef sandwich with brie, tomato, and mayo will become one of your new favorites!
This recipe is my take on the Betty’s Brie sandwich from Beyond Bread, my favorite place to have lunch in Tucson, Arizona. Now that I’ve figured out how to make their sun-dried tomato pasta salad and my favorite sandwich there, I can just about relive a Beyond Bread lunchtime. The only thing left is to make their fresh fruit and custard tart!
It somehow feels like cheating to post a recipe for a sandwich but sometimes these simple combinations of ingredients are just too good not to share. This hot roast beef sandwich isn’t complicated: a good roll, some tender deli roast beef, creamy brie cheese, mayo, and a big slab of fresh, juicy tomato is all you need.
With something so simple, the quality of each ingredient will, of course, have a big impact on the final result. I used Boars Head London Broil roast beef (it is sooo good) here, thinly sliced but not shaved. I’ve never met a brie I didn’t like, but some are more flavorful than others. A triple cream brie would be amazing with this. And a fresh, juicy summer tomato is a must: no gritty off-season tomatoes allowed here!
I only eat Hellmann’s mayo but I know others swear by Duke’s, so just go with your favorite here. I sprinkle it with a little garlic powder and kosher salt and it really takes the sandwich up a notch.
I think Beyond Bread served this sandwich cold and on ciabatta, but I always requested hot on focaccia. It is GREAT on foccaccia bread, but it’s hard to find to purchase and I’m guessing you don’t always want to bake your own bread for a weekday lunch. So most of the time I have this on an onion roll, which really complements the roast beef. Here I used one from the Publix bakery but most of the time I’ll make it with Pepperidge Farm onion rolls.
However you decide to make this sandwich, it makes an excellent and easy lunch that’s a step above your typical deli meat sandwich!
Sandwich variations
Let me preface this by saying this sandwich is perfection as is. But if you want to mix it up a little I have some swaps that would produce equally amazing variations of this hot roast beef sandwich.
- Use focaccia bread instead of onion rolls. This was my favorite bread to have it on back in Tucson but it’s harder to find. On the rare occasion I come across some focaccia at a farmers market or bakery, I always make sure to snag a loaf and then pick up some roast beef and brie so I can have this sandwich.
- Use Cambozola instead of brie. Cambozola is probably my favorite cheese ever. It’s like a hybrid of brie and blue cheese, both of which taste amazing with roast beef. Again, harder to come by, but if you happen to see some get two wedges: one to eat on a charcuterie board with some pears or something, and one to slice into big ol’ slabs to have on this sandwich.
- Use garlic aioli instead of mayo. I tried this variation before I wrote this post. I made theoretically enough aioli for two sandwiches as a test, and ended up slathering each bite of sandwich with extra aioli as I ate it, and then swiped my finger around the aioli bowl and licked it clean. The sandwich became a vehicle for getting garlic aioli to my mouth rather than the perfectly-balanced combination of ingredients I knew it to be. You can totally sub the mayo for some garlic aioli but just be aware it may make the roast beef and brie slightly less important members of this sandwich’s ingredient family. That said, would I do it again? Absolutely.
- Eat it room temperature instead of hot. I love hot, melty brie, but I love soft, room temperature brie just as much. Also, not heating the sandwich would keep the roast beef as rare as it was when you got it from the deli, which is always a plus. I think this sandwich, not heated, would be a pretty excellent choice to take to a picnic lunch at the park.
What to serve with your hot roast beef sandwich
No question, I’d make this sun-dried tomato pasta salad a la Beyond Bread. And a glass of iced tea. If that’s not the perfect lunch, I don’t know what is.
Any sandwich goes well with some crisp, homemade refrigerator dill pickles! These are ready in just 24 to 48 hours!
More delicious sandwich recipes
If you’re a sandwich connoisseur like me, you won’t want to miss these other sandwich recipes!
Hot Roast Beef Sandwich with Brie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 onion roll
- 3-4 oz roast beef thinly sliced but not shaved (Boars Head London Broil is perfect)
- 1.5 oz brie cheese cut in a slab about 1/3 inch thick
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 slice tomato
- garlic powder
- kosher salt
Instructions
- Turn oven to broil. Place split onion roll on a small baking sheet, cut side up. Broil for 3-4 minutes or until toasty brown.
- Remove the top half of the bun to a plate. Arrange roast beef on the bottom half of the bun and top with brie. Return the bottom half to the oven for another 2-4 minutes or until brie is nice and melty.
- Meanwhile, spread top half of bun with mayo and sprinkle with garlic powder and kosher salt.
- Remove bottom half of sandwich from the oven, and top with tomato slice and top half of the bun.
- Enjoy!
I’ve been making something like this for years. I’ll have to try the onion roll but it’s also great on a fresh croissant. I like mine with a light horseradish spread.
Also 100% on the Boars Head London Broil. It’s my go to deli roast beef.
Soooo delicious for how easy it is to make! This is going to be a weekly must for us! ❤️
Yay!! I’m so glad you tried it and liked it! Thanks for the comment!