Written by: Liz Voosen
Van life in autumn means chasing golden light, feeling the crisp air, and sharing comfort food that warms you from the inside out. Here’s how we spent a perfect fall day in the southern California mountains.
We were feeling restless with the cool fall temperatures, so we headed up into the hills to look for signs of autumn. We found a shady spot to park, grabbed binoculars and drawing supplies, and headed off onto the trails.
Sycamore leaves were just starting to turn golden. Fat squirrels were stuffing their cheeks with nuts. And pelicans were flying inland, on the move to other feeding grounds.
Zach sketched some local birds and then tried his hand at the landscape with his array of drawing pencils- the kind that look so appealing in their little case but remain a mystery to me, even after many years.
After our walk back down the trail, our cheeks were rosy and our appetites were calling us back to the van. It was time for lunch. And for me, there is nothing better than a hot grilled cheese sandwich and warm tomato soup on a cool day. So I decided to make a filling, satisfying, melted version of the classic club sandwich.
The basic ingredients are buttered bread, sliced oven roasted turkey, bacon, provolone cheese, lettuce and tomatoes for freshness. I like to serve it with a hot bowl of tomato soup and a crunchy pickle on the side. It’s hearty enough to refuel after a hike, and uses ingredients that store well in my van fridge and pantry, and comes together in under 15 minutes.
These staple ingredients can be picked up at almost any grocery store. For the soup, I reached for a box of Pacifica Tomato and Red Pepper soup (From Whole Foods).
Pro Tip: Keep a stash of boxed soup and quality deli meat in your fridge. They’re your secret weapons for satisfying easy meals.
I set my playlist to Folk Americana (a mix of early Joni Mitchell, Ryan Harris, Iris DeMent), pulled out my Magma skillet, one of my nested set of pots and pans which I keep under the sink, and got layering the filling onto the bread.
As I placed the sandwiches into the pan, I heard that satisfying sizzle, you know the one, and the van filled with the aroma of toasting bread and melting cheese. I reached into the cabinet for a box of tomato soup and two bowls. Lunch was almost ready.
I love that this meal comes together super fast, and is easy to clean up. Add a pickle to each plate, and it’s perfection. We sat in our camp chairs to eat, the warmth of the soup and sandwich keeping us feeling cozy. And we looked out at the trees dressed in their fall colours, the occasional leaf dropping to the ground to become fertilizer for the plants in the spring time.
This trip has got me ready for winter. It’s what van life is all about: chasing the seasons, exploring, finding beauty ins mall moments, and feeding yourself well along the way.
Scroll down for the complete recipe with measurements and step by step instructions.
Technical Tips for Pleasure-Way Owners:
Power Management
Using both the induction cooktop and microwave for this meal (because you can’t run them both at the same time): Since we’re just heating up the boxed soup (not cooking it from scratch), make the sandwiches first. Then, as soon as the cooktop is off, simply shake and pour soup into a bowl, and heat in the microwave. This 1-2 minutes of microwave time allows the sandwiches to rest, and the cheese to firm back up before slicing.
Stainless Steel Success
Using stainless steel cookware so it works like non-stick: get the pan hot enough before adding food, and use plenty of butter (in this case, it’s on your bread already). Bonus points for not getting the pan and butter so hot that the butter smokes! Once your food is in the pan, don’t touch it right away. Moving your food immediately is guaranteed to make it stick. Give it a minute to cook in that butter and then it will glide wherever you want it to.
Minimal Cleanup
After you remove the sandwiches from the pan, put a little water into the still-warm pan and cover it while you eat. By the time you finish lunch, everything wipes clean with minimal scrubbing—leaving more time for afternoon exploring.
Hot Turkey Club Sandwich
Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 10 minutes | Difficulty: Easy
Makes 2 sandwiches
Ingredients
- 4 slices of your favorite sandwich bread
- butter
- lettuce
- 2 large slices of tomato
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 slices of bacon, cooked*
- 8 slices oven roast turkey
- 4 slices provolone cheese
Optional, but recommended:
- 1 box of tomato soup (I used Pacifica Tomato & Red Pepper)
- 2 dill pickles
Instructions
Begin by evenly buttering one side of each slice of bread. This will give you the toastiest, crispiest, most delicious grilled cheese effect. Lay two slices of bread, butter side down, on your work surface. Pile on the toppings – a slice of cheese, then 4 slices turkey, then 2 slices bacon, then a slice of tomato, sprinkle salt and pepper to taste, then the final slice of cheese, and the second piece of bread (butter side out).
Heat up the pan with medium heat, gently place each sandwich in, and cover. Cook until golden and crusty on the bottom slice of bread, about 3 minutes. Carefully flip each sandwich and cook until the second side is golden, about 2 minutes. Leave the lid on if your cheese is not melty enough, or leave it off, if things are looking good.
Remove sandwiches from the pan, and let them rest on a cutting board for 1-2 minutes to allow the cheese to firm up a bit.
While you wait, pour two bowls of tomato soup and heat these up in the microwave.
Gently pull sandwiches apart in the middle (they’ll naturally come apart near the tomato, and add in some lettuce. I suppose you could cook it with the lettuce in, but I like mine crunchy and cool.
Slice sandwiches diagonally, and serve up with soup and a pickle on the side.
*Cooking bacon – there are multiple ways to cook bacon, so go with your favorite. Two easy options are microwave or skillet cooked.
Microwaved bacon – easiest, least messy. Place a paper towel on a microwave safe plate. Lay strips of bacon in a single layer on a paper towel. Cover with another paper towel. Microwave for 3-5 minutes. Check frequently for done-ness, because bacon will go from just right to burnt quickly with microwave cooking.
Skillet cooking – also easy, good to have a spatter screen or similar over the pan to prevent grease mess around the counter. Place bacon in a single layer into a cold skillet, the same one you’ll use for the sandwich. Turn on medium heat, and let cook for a few minutes each side until done. Pour off the oil remaining in the pan (not down the drain, into a container). No need to clean the pan, just use it for your sandwich next.
Make it last: Leftover turkey and cheese make excellent cold sandwiches for tomorrow’s trail lunch.
Seasonal note: This works year-round, but there’s something special about eating it surrounded by fall colors or the sparkling stars of cool winter nights.
*Liz Voosen is a nutritionist and loves making delicious, easy-to-make, van-friendly meals. Her husband Zach volunteers as her official (and enthusiastic) taste-tester. Find more of her recipes at www.LizVoosenWellness.com