9 Mexican Tortas and Sandwiches to Create at Home
If you love flavorful sandwiches, you might already be a fan of the Mexican torta sandwich. This meaty Mexican sandwich is packed with shredded meat, avocado, and, often, a tangy or spicy sauce. There are as many varieties of tortas as there are types of tacos, from the open-faced molletes sandwich to the fully drenched torta ahogada. The type of soft roll—often bolillos or teleras bread—used is what truly authenticates traditional tortas Mexicanas recipes from a Mexican-style sandwich, but we've included both styles for those times when all you have is the bread on hand. If your mouth is watering, it's time to try one of our awesome torta recipes.
Queso Fundido Torta
This hot and cheesy torta recipe gets a slightly smoky boost from roasted poblano peppers. The best time to start sautéing the chorizo is while the peppers are roasting in the oven, so everything comes out hot at the same time. From there, it's just a matter of pulling out those grilled cheese making skills while browning the bolillo rolls and letting the shredded queso Oaxaca melt its way over the meat and peppers.
Cemita Poblana (Puebla-Style Sandwich)
This filling sandwich is a staple in the Mexican state of Puebla, where it earns its name from the signature sesame seed encrusted rolls it uses (i.e., cemitas). Our version plays off this traditional Mexican cemita by allowing the use of hamburger buns (definitely opt for sesame seeds buns though!). It's loaded with panko-fried chicken breasts, avocado, chipotle peppers, and melty Chihuahua cheese.
Pressure Cooker Chicken Salsa Tortas
These pressure cooker tortas are as easy as they are delicious. This chicken torta recipe only calls for seven ingredients—eight if you include the optional queso fresco—including a jar of salsa and six bolillo rolls. The chicken cooks in a pressure cooker alongside some spices and the salsa for just 15 minutes before it's ready to get shredded and topped on the rolls.
Molletes
A mollete is an open-faced sandwich popular throughout northern Mexico. Just like our version, this Mexican sandwich recipe is served open face, loaded with black beans, cheese, and fresh pico de gallo. The bean mixture is mashed before spreading on top of halved bolillo rolls, where two types of Mexican cheeses melt to create a warm and gooey sandwich with tons of flavor.
Torta Ahogada (Drowned Sandwich)
A true tortas ahogadas recipe is dipped (ahogadas means "drowned" in English) in a red chile sauce before serving. True to its name, this torta ahogada recipe is drowning in a spicy chile sauce and piled high with pickled jalapeños and queso fresco. For the base of this mighty sandwich, we used citrus-infused carnitas and crispy bolillos.
Cola-Chipotle Pork Tortas
In authentic Mexican torta recipes, Mexican cola is often the secret ingredient for infusing the pork with a burst of pure cane sugar. Our recipe allows for any cola brand (imported or not) to give the pork that lightly sweet flavor, while quick pickled onions offer just enough tang. For even more might, add hefty slices of creamy avocado.
Torta de Albondigas (Mexican Meatball Subs)
When it comes to these Mexican sandwiches, we're not sure what we like better—the garlicky, cumin-spiced meatballs or the refreshing cabbage slaw. Our version of the classic torta recipe saves time with prepackaged coleslaw mix and canned chiles in adobo sauce. We're serving these fun meatball tortas at our next get-together.
Tortas Hamburguesas (Mexican Hamburgers)
Take your burgers for a south-of-the-border trip with a few key ingredients. Cilantro, lime juice, and onion mixed into the ground beef add bites of Southwestern flavor to this tortas hamburguesas recipe. From there, it's all about the toppings. Try sliced avocado with our easy paprika sauce.
Mexican-Style Pot Roast Sandwiches
Bold flavors like pickled red onions, cumin, and cilantro add a Mexican-style twist to these slow cooker pulled pork sandwiches. The pork cooks in a vinegar-based sauce that doubles as a sauce for these savory tortas. Dip, drizzle, or drench these pot roast tortas for a truly saucy sandwich.