Pan Bagnat
This Pan Bagnat sandwich for a picnic is delicious! You allow all the juices to soak into the bread before you eat it. Pan Bagnat is the essential picnic sandwich!

Grab a blanket, a basket, some sunscreen and bug spray! #SundaySupper is having a picnic!! I made some tasty Pan Bagnat sandwiches for our picnic. It’s a HUGE virtual picnic to celebrate your national day of choice: Independence Day for the US or Canada Day for the our neighbors to the north. Being as I’m part both, I’m celebrating BOTH! YAY for me!!
Here’s the story. I’m sitting in the waiting room of the podiatrist and Nigella comes on the television. Hm…don’t think I’ve seen one of her shows before. This should be good!
*confession*
No. I haven’t ever seen a Nigella show. Honestly. My days of Food Network and Cooking Channel are limited these days. S and I usually have other items to watch when we’re home. And on days off, sometimes I have it on as background noise, but I don’t recall any of her shows coming on.
So, there I sit, waiting to be called watching this program on bread. She did French toast, pan bagnat, and a bread pudding, I think? Anyway, the pan bagnat looked amazing!! So, when #SundaySupper announced a picnic I knew I was going to tackle this amazing and perfect for picnic sandwich.

Just look at all those tasty ingredients!! No, I didn’t go with a fresh tuna and sear it. I didn’t even do an albacore white. This sandwich is made with chunk light, which is S’s favorite type of tuna. I didn’t want this to be a snobby sandwich. It has a fancy name, but that doesn’t mean it has to be expensive. Please, do make this with your tuna of choice.

But seriously. Look at all those COLORS!! Tomatoes, roasted bell peppers, artichoke hearts, olives, red onions, yum!
Now, the purpose of this sandwich is for it to meld together. The dressing softens the bread, the peppers, artichokes, olives all throw a huge party together, and the eggs and tuna are the caterers. They bring the meat and potatoes to this party in a sandwich.

This is definitely a “make ahead” sandwich which is contrary to most sandwiches. Those *coughOTHERcough* sandwiches you have to make almost right before you eat them or the bread gets icky and soggy, the cheese gets, well, weird. You know what I’m talking about, right? This one has none of those issues! The longer it sits, the better it gets. So, yeah, make these the night before and let them party in the fridge before you pack for your picnic.

Pan Bagnat
This delicious Pan Bagnat sandwich is MADE for picnics! You allow all the juices to soak into the bread before you eat it. Pan Bagnat is the essential picnic Sammie!
Ingredients
- 1 baguette
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/3 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 small head butter lettuce, torn
- 1 medium red onion, thinly ssliced
- 1 large tomato thinly sliced
- 1 cup sliced roasted red peppers
- 1 cup chopped, marinated artichoke hearts, drained
- 1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives
- 4 large hard boiled eggs, sliced
- 10 ounces tuna in water, drained
Instructions
- Slice the bread in half lengthwise and then in quarters. Slightly hollow out the bread bottom and top to allow room for the ingredients to sit. Rub the inside of the bread with the garlic clove. Set aside.
- Combine the mayonnaise and next five ingredients (Dijon through parsley) in a small bowl with a whisk until incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper; set aside.
- Spoon 1 teaspoon of the dressing on each side of the bread. Layer with lettuce, onions, tomato slices, red peppers, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, and hard boiled egg slices. Top with the tuna. Spoon the dressing evenly over the sandwiches and season with salt and pepper.
- Place the tops on the sandwiches and wrap tightly in parchment paper tied with twine and refrigerate until ready for your picnic. Slice before serving.
Beverages
- Red, White, and Blue Sangria by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Rosemary Nectarine Sparkling Cocktail by Food Lust People Love
Appetizers
- Baked Garlic Parmesan Wings by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Mains
- London Broil with Caramelized Red Onions by Crazy Foodie Stunts
Salads
- Fruit Tortellini Salad by Jelly Toast
- Japanese Noodle Salad by Noshing With The Nolands
- Lightened Up Macaroni Salad by Peanut Butter and Peppers
- Red, White and Blue Fruit and Cheese Salad by Shockingly Delicious
Sandwiches and Wraps
- Pan Bagnat by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Sweets
- Cherry Pie Crumb Bars by The Girl In the Little Red Kitchen
- Flag Cake by Pies and Plots
- Stained Glass Jello with Coconut Milk Panna Cotta by Simply Gourmet
CONGRATS!!!! Your lovely dish is being featured this week as a NIBBLES BY NIC favorite!!!! xo Nic
Oh my gosh! This looks so good! I love this. Pinned. We truly love you being a part of our party. I hope you get chance to stop by tonight at 7 pm. It wouldn't be a party without you! http://loulougirls.blogspot.com/
Happy Monday! Lou Lou Girls
Such great flavor in this sandwich! Thanks for linking up with What's Cookin' Wednesday!
It looks tasty! And I love all the colors.
This looks so delicious!
Thanks for joining the Link Up this week!
Great Pan Bagnat. I love how you made it so adaptable for everyone. Isn't it great to have doctor appointments that actually let you enjoy something you normally don't have time to indulge in!
Sounds delightful. The ingredients on the sandwich are some of my favorites. Thanks for sharing.
I'm a huge fan of sandwiches and salads that taste better the longer they sit. This one is so brightly colored and looks amazing!
What a lovely sandwich! It looks amazing!
Thanks, Serena!
Never heard of this type of sandwich but it looks good. I also like the 'make-ahead' nature of it so you don't have to fool around with food prep during the actual picnic.
That's the one thing I don't like to do at a picnic; fool around with fire and cooking. It's usually hot and I want nothing to do with fire or heat.
I love this is make-ahead so all the flavors can mingle! That's a great looking sandwich 🙂
Thanks! It was really tasty even though I couldn't wait for it to marinate. LOL I'll have to try again and see what it tastes like after the flavors meld. LOL
I love it! Can't wait to give it a try. I had never heard of this until today, thanks for sharing what you learned from Nigella. HUGS
Thanks, Cheryl! Please let me know how it turns out for you!
I love these sandwiches and I had to chuckle a bit because I usually have those channels on as background noise too 🙂
Bobbi, I have to have background" noise. My mind wanders when there's silence. Honestly, if there's nothing as background noise, I will distract myself into oblivion.
I love Nigella. I'm always inspired to get in the kitchen after I watch her shows. I love that these are good made ahead of time too. That's a great option for picnics!
Seriously!! I love the make ahead status of these! When you're planning for a picnic, as much make ahead as you can do is SUPER helpful!
Your pan bagnat looks divine!!! I love all the ingredients…and together they must taste amazing!
Thanks, Liz! It was a stuff yourself silly sammy. I ate almost every bite it was so tasty!!
I just made a version of this coming soon to my blog, great sandwich for a picnic!!
Tara, I can't wait to see how yours turned out! It's the best summer sammy!
I love this sandwich and you are right, no other sandwich can beat this one.
Thanks, Marlene. It truly is the best picnic sandwich!