Pickle sandwiches turn the condiment into the star of the sammie

Prices of some food items continue to soar, making it prime time to consider making more budget-friendly meals at home. Enter: the pickle sandwich, the unsung hero of the sandwich world. The versatile dish is hearty and nutritious, thanks to the high content of probiotics (good bacteria) and beta-carotene (an antioxidant) in fermented pickles.

Since they only require a few ingredients — your choice of pickles, bread and spread — and no prep time, pickle sandwiches are easy to prepare. Like most sandwiches, there are endless ways to make them and what you need depends on your preferences. The most important thing to add to your shopping list is pickles.

Choose from sweet-tangy bread-and-butter rounds and spicy garlic dill spears to jumbo whole crunchers — which you can find in the condiment and refrigerator aisles of the grocery store. Or you can make your own pickles. (And you can even make your own dill pickle dressing.)

Once you have your preserved cucumbers picked out, consider your choice of bread (or lack thereof; some recipes swap buns for big pickles). White breads are a classic pick. But thick-cut grain whole grain breads serve as a hearty canvas for any selection of pickles, whether you’re using sliced and stacked half-sours or habanero- and horseradish-zinged dills.

If you need inspiration, Food52 proposes a variation of the British pickle and cheese sandwich, which features cheddar, a pickle-chutney condiment (make your own with minced pickles, grainy mustard and mayo) and bread. Or if you prefer something carb-free and keto-forward, consider a variation from MyRecipes, a breadless riff on a Reuben with sauerkraut, thinly sliced corned beef, Swiss and Russian dressing snuggled between two sliced jumbo dill pickles. You can even make a peanut butter and pickle sandwich with crushed kettle-cooked chips, according to Taste of Home.

No matter which direction you choose, it will surely be dill-lightful.