Mini Hot Browns

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Mini hot browns make a classic hot brown sandwich more manageable. Toasted bread adorned with bacon, turkey, and cheese sauce—all broiled to perfection.

By
Southern Living Test Kitchen
Southern Living Test Kitchen
Southern Living Test Kitchen

The Southern Living Test Kitchen has been publishing recipes since 1970, four years after the first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared on newsstands. The Southern Living Test Kitchen team includes a team of professionals with deep expertise in recipe development, from pastry chefs and grilling experts to nutritionists and dietitians. Together, the team tests and retests, produces, styles, and photographs thousands of recipes each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen facility located in Birmingham, Alabama.

Southern Living's editorial guidelines
Updated on April 29, 2024
Yield:
2 dozen

The Kentucky Hot Brown is traditionally made with a crispy foundation of toasted bread, adorned with sliced turkey and a deliciously creamy cheese sauce—all broiled to perfection. Flavorful bacon pieces and plum tomato slices offer the final garnish.

The Southern dish originally gained popularity in the 1920s at Louisville's Brown Hotel, and since then, countless variations of the iconic meal have been made—including these easy-to-prepare Mini Hot Browns.

Complete with small portions of toasted white bread and a turkey-cheese sauce, this recipe claims all the flavor of the classic dish without any of the hassle. Plus, it's perfect for wedding showers and garden parties, where no one prefers to eat a dish that's famously messy.

Mini Hot Browns are the appetizer-version of the traditional hot browns sandwich—and after trying this recipe, you may never go back. Place them on the table at your next Kentucky Derby party or church potluck, and watch as they disappear instantly.

Mini Hot Browns on platters - Southern Living

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Ingredients

  • 2 loaves Pepperidge Farm Very Thin Sandwich Bread

  • 3 Tbsp. butter or margarine

  • 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

  • 1 cup whole milk

  • 1 1/2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

  • 1 1/2 cups cooked turkey, diced

  • 1/4 tsp. table salt

  • 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper

  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

  • 6 bacon slices, cooked, crumbled, and divided

  • 5 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced

Directions

  1. Gather ingredients:

    ingredients for Mini Hot Browns - Southern Living

    Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

  2. Cut and toast bread rounds:

    Using a biscuit cutter, cut the sandwich bread into circles. Arrange bread slices on a lightly greased baking sheet.

    bread rounds on a baking sheet - Southern Living

    Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

    Broil 6 inches from heat for 3 to 4 minutes.

    broiled bread rounds

    Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

  3. Make cheese sauce:

    Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat; add flour, and cook, whisking constantly, until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add Cheddar cheese, whisking until cheese melts.

    cheese sauce for mini hot browns

    Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

  4. Add turkey to cheese sauce:

    Stir in diced turkey, salt, and ground red pepper.

    stirring turkey in cheese sauce - Southern Living

    Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

  5. Assemble:

    Top bread evenly with warm cheese-turkey mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese and half of bacon.

    mini hot browns before browning - Southern Living

    Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

  6. Bake:

    Bake at 500°F for 2 minutes or until Parmesan is melted. Top with tomato slices, and sprinkle evenly with remaining bacon.

    mini hot browns on baking dish

    Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

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