So you know how everywhere you look, there are Hawaiian Roll ham sandwiches, and people are like, “Ohhhhh my goooosh, these are amazing, where did this wonder come from?!” And the the whole time, I’m thinking, “I’ve been making these FOREVER. I thought EVERYONE made them. What else do people eat at parties???”
So.
I’m throwing my offering into the ring here. These aren’t exactly like the ones from the King’s Hawaiian Rolls website. But. They’re similar.
I got the basic recipe from my friend Emily Willmore when all of our friends started getting married and we started doing grown-up things like throwing bridal showers. Since then, these sandwiches have become a staple at our house, perfect for quick dinners, parties, potlucks, and really fantastic cases of PMS.
You’re going to need a dozen Hawaiian rolls, some high-quality, thin-sliced honey or brown sugar ham, Swiss or smoked provolone cheese, and some of our homemade poppyseed dressing.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9×13″ pan with aluminum foil. Set aside.
Slice the rolls in half (don’t separate them, just slice the whole dozen in half at once).
Spread half of the dressing on the bottom and half on the top.
Cut the cheese into quarters
and place it on top of all the rolls (you’ll get better coverage if you cut it into pieces and then kind of fit them together.)
Place 1 1/2 slices of ham on each roll.
Place the top half on the bottom half and place the entire thing into the pan.
Next, you’re going to need 2 tablespoons butter, some Creole or mild coarse grain mustard, dehydrated onion, and some more poppy seeds.
Melt the butter and whisk in the poppyseeds, dehydrated onion, and mustard. Spread it evenly over the rolls.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Remove from oven and allow to stand for 2-3 minutes before serving.
Hawaiian Ham & Cheese Sandwiches (aka Party Sandwiches)
Ingredients
- 1 dozen Hawaiian Rolls
- 1/2 cup Our Best Bites Poppy Seed Dressing see links above
- 6 slices Swiss or smoked provolone cheese
- 18 thin slices honey or brown sugar ham
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
- 1 teaspoon dehydrated onion
- 1 teaspoon Creole or other mild coarse-ground mustard
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9x13" pan with aluminum foil. Set aside.
- Slice the rolls in half (don't separate them, just slice the whole dozen in half at once). Spread half of the dressing on the bottom and half on the top
- Cut the cheese into quarters and place it on top of all the rolls (you'll get better coverage if you cut it into pieces and then kind of fit them together.) Place 1 1/2 slices of ham on each roll. Place the top half on the bottom half and place the entire thing into the pan.
- Melt the butter and whisk in the poppy seeds, dehydrated onion, and mustard. Spread it evenly over the rolls. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 2-3 minutes before serving.
Questions & Reviews
These taste delicious. I love the flavor with the poppyseed dressing, but it made the roll a bit too soggy in my opinion so next time I’ll try and put some dressing between the ham and cheese. The bottoms of my rolls got a bit too browned so I maybe check them at 15 min.
Just be careful to measure the dressing and not use the whole recipe of dressing on 12 rolls like I did the first time lol. Delicious the second time.
In the south these are called funeral sandwiches, but any way you call them they are delicious. I made these for my summer church camp—100 or so people—and they were a hit. Everyone was asking what the “sauce” was on the bread, but I wasn’t telling!
Dumb question, but how do you make these ahead? Do you pour the butter stuff over them and then refrigerate, or wait to do the butter thing before you bake?
btw I love your blog – I made the white bean and artichoke hummus last night, but I couldn’t get over the artichoke so I cheated and put some tahini in there. thanks!!
You could do it either way, but I’d do the butter right before baking. You could even mix it up and then remelt the butter.
Do you have to use butter??
Eeeek I’m Emily Willmore, I’m famous now! 😉 Hi Kate!
Hi! I’ve tried a variation of these and they were terrific. Your recipes always come out on top though so I am eager to try this one.
I am wondering if you know of any other party sandwiches like this that don’t have any pork products in it. I am having a brunch and the only meat my guests eat is chicken/turkey.
You could make a turkey Reuben with thousand island, Swiss, and sauerkraut, same topping on top–that’s probably what I would do! 🙂
I have a recipe similar to this and haven’t made it in forever! I do want to try your version, though! I like the addition of your poppy seed dressing!
I think this would be great for a day of watching football and hanging out 🙂
I make these delicious sandwiches, but each time I am ready to cut and serve them, I am reminded why I don’t make them more often. I follow your directions, but after the 15 – 20 minutes of cooking time, I can hardly cut them to separate the sandwiches and the bread ends up being squished and almost too brown on the bottom. There must be some other way because these are just too good!
Try using a heavier pan and really attaching that foil on tightly–that will help melt the cheese faster. 🙂
Just separate the rolls when you make them. It doesn’t take that much time. I have a different recipe that uses chive and onion cream cheese and is amazing!
You can also place directly on oven rack instead of on a pan. They’ll be a lot softer on the bottom.
It’s like you were watching my search habits and knew that I have to take these to a picnic TOMORROW. Thanks for being a great blogger/search stalker.
You’re so welcome!! I do what I can (even if it involves stalking.)
Love a version that doesn’t include mayo or miracle whip (two ingredients that much of my family professes a phobia to)!
We’ve made these sliders a lot over the years, and they’re always one of our favorite meals!
Paige
OHH! When I saw the title it didn’t occur to me that you meant bridal shower sandwiches, I was so confused! You eat these in the shower? Huh? What’s the story there! But now I get it and I have to agree: these should be a go-to recipe when feeding loads of people. Melted cheese is ALWAYS a crowd pleaser, and this looks yumm!